In a time when the media focuses on health and beauty, weight-watching college students have enough on their plates.
Between classes, sports, co-curriculars, clubs, homework and an attempted social life, most students eat what they can and exercise if they feel like it.
Eventually most students learn to cope with the college lifestyle by watching what they eat and planning to go to the gym.
What students don’t plan for but usually get stuck with are extra holiday pounds gained over the winter break.
Holiday weight gain is a little exaggerated, according to a report in The New York Times. Adults who are on average weight gain only about one pound over the holidays, while overweight people can gain up to five pounds.
The bad news, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, is that the average weight gain during adulthood is about one to two pounds a year.
This means that the weight put on during winter break could potentially never be lost.
Also, the focus of winter break weight gain isn’t on that one or two big holiday meals; it’s the party and snack foods that extend from the minute students begin winter break, through parents’ preparations of holiday meals to what’s left over after the New Year.
The Cleveland Clinic Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute came up with some steps that are supposed to help keep the holiday pounds at bay. Exercise tops the list.
If during the school term, a student exercises for 30 minutes three times a week, then the student should increase it to 45 minutes or five times a week over break. Guidelines from the institute suggest watching TV while walking on a treadmill, listening to music while exercising, going to the gym, dancing while cleaning or swimming.
This may not be completey compatible for some other college students.
“I think it’s reasonable for college students to exercise, definitely. However, I personally would not do it because it’s just the principle of actually doing it. I don’t like it; it doesn’t sit well with me. I’m lazy and I don’t like to do stuff and I’m not the only one who thinks in that sort of way,” said Clarion University junior, Craig Rondinelli.
The institute suggests that people eat up on the fruits and vegetables around the holidays, so that there is a full feeling without all the calories.
Along with eating fruits and vegetables, students should limit junk food intake to one or two items a day.
Another tip on the list is to never go to a party hungry.
Students should eat a healthy snack before going to a party so that upon arrival there isn’t a b-line made for the snack table.
When eating at a party, small plates with small portions paired with the healthier foods there are the best way to go.
For example veggies over chips, fruit desert over cake and, when old enough to drink legally, light beer over eggnog.
“You’re gonna eat at parties not even thinking about it, regardless if you’re hungry or not, but I actually do most of that. I start slow and stop after one serving, and I don’t eat desserts. But eggnog is only around at Christmas time; I’m not gonna pass that up,” said Rondinelli.
The guidelines suggest learning how to say “no” politely when feeling bombarded with food or obligated to eat at a party. Saying things like
“No thank you, I’ve had enough. Everything was delicious,” or “I couldn’t eat another bite everything tasted good,” are acceptable ways to decline food. Last on the list is to focus on having fun over break instead of eating food. At a party, socialize with friends who haven’t been around since summer instead of standing around and grazing at the food table,” Rondinelli said,
“The holidays you know, you’re with your friends and family that you don’t see a lot, and you just don’t care. And you shouldn’t have to care.”