Sneak an extra brownie, order a midnight pizza or have one more beer to top off the night. And students wonder why they put on a few extra pounds when they go to college? This phenomenon, commonly known as the Freshman 15, refers to the weight-gain that many first-year students experience when they leave home.

A recent study on the Freshman 15 at the University of Alabama (UA) at Tuscaloosa found that among 58 healthy freshmen, men stayed close to the same weight while women gained an average of four pounds when they go to college.

"It is possible that some students just need to put on the weight as part of a maturing process," said Dr. Heli Roy, an assistant professor of nutrition at the UA that led the study. "If that is so, then not gaining the 10 pounds would do the person a disservice. Some individuals may be `late bloomers' in that they put on weight around hips and thighs at a little later than other girls."

However, this maturation process is assisted by the typical college lifestyle. Odd sleeping patterns, late night snacking, alcohol and, the worst enemy of them all, an unlimited buffet in the dining hall can all contribute to weight gain. But if these are patterns that follow students through their college careers, why are freshmen the target of this phenomenon?

A 1997 Duke University Medical Center study found that college freshmen often learn that studying more, exercising less and eating on the run means gaining a few extra pounds their first year away from home. Weight gain is fairly common for both men and women going off to college, as freshmen tend to start skipping meals when their schedules fill up and make exercising less of a priority.

"So many students are so active in high school," said Kristina Pendley, assistant director of the Counseling Center at Saint Mary's. "When they get to college they begin to lead a more sedentary, less active lifestyle that can cause their body to change and adjust to this new lifestyle."

Weight-gain can also be attributed to high levels of anxiety brought on by lifestyle changes and even students being homesick.

"I think there is a small group of students that may respond in that manner," Roy said. "People generally respond to stress in one of two ways: either they lose weight because they lose interest in food and cannot eat, or they use food for comfort, they overeat, they overeat all the foods that they like and many times these are high fat, high sugar foods."

College students are not alone in packing on the pounds. Studies conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control reveal that 17.9 percent of the population in 1998 was obese, which is defined as being more than 30 percent above ideal body weight. This marks a fairly substantial increase over the statistics from 1991 that indicated that only 12 percent of Americans were obese.

However, the highest rise in obesity levels between 1991 and 1998 was found among the 18 to 29 year-old demographic, which increased from 7.1 percent to 12.1 percent.

A 1998 Study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that this college-age demographic begins that with the Freshman 15 is, perhaps, the beginning of a longer struggle with personal health. Being away from home for the first time and away from parental advice on healthy eating and carefully monitored dinners has its price. Students no longer have parents that keep an eye on junk food consumption and avoid stocking the house with unnecessary goodies.

In college, students can do their own grocery shopping, buy any sort of food previously forbidden to them and devour as much of it as they want.

College students can eat as much as they want and often do. Combine this with a lack of nutritious eating and the high weight-gain among this demographic suddenly loses its mystery.

"Life on campus is just conducive to it," Amy Wodoslawsky, an off-campus senior and member of A Life Uncommon, an on-campus focus group that deals with women's issues, said. "Your eating habits change, you eat pizza along with everyone else and you go running when you can fit it in your schedule. It's hard when people aren't accepting of that."

Notre Dame University Health Services advises students, particularly freshmen, that the best way to combat the Freshman 15 is to find a regular time to eat, to only make one trip though the dining hall per visit and to eat slowly. Health Services also recommends that students take the time to find their "triggers," the situations that generate urges to eat or drink excessively. Doing so may help form healthier habits for college life.

Saint Mary's encourages students to take advantage of a campus nutritionist, a reliable source that offers free advice about healthy and moderate eating. The nutritionist is also available one day a week at Health Services.

Roy also has a few tips on how to stay fit and healthy during college. Roy recommends eating foods that are as close to whole foods as possible, i.e., foods that have minimal processing, such as whole grain breads, fresh fruits, salads etc. These tend to provide more nutrients than their processed counterparts. And don't forget to drink milk. Most college students' bones are still growing and need calcium.

Roy doesn't recommend any type of "diet" in the popular sense of the word because they tend to not work. If you gain weight, cut back on the number of times you eat (maybe you had one too many snacks) and eat smaller portions. Roy thinks that students should eat everything, but control portion sizes. There are no forbidden foods. This minimizes the feeling of deprivation and possible gorging. Generally, less is more. If you choose smaller portions, you feel better and maintain your weight.

There is no harm in being hungry every now and then for a short while. But don't wait too long between meals so that you get to a point where you are famished. That encourages overeating. Try to eat every four to five hours.

Don't cut your fat intake too low. If your fat intake is too low, you will feel hungry sooner and reach for more food sooner than if you include an adequate amount of fat in the diet, around 30 percent of calories.

Most importantly, never eat to a point at which you feel uncomfortable. And make sure you stay physically active to keep your body healthy and to keep your appetite in check.

Even with available nutritional information and tips from experts, gaining weight in college, especially for first year students, is almost unavoidable. Food is available any time, anywhere and usually at any event sponsored by a University or College club.

A change in lifestyle is often accompanied by a change in appearance. Once settled into a regular pattern, however, it's easier to form healthy eating habits and find time to exercise.

So, it's okay to take that extra brownie from the dining hall or order pizza and breadsticks with your roommates every once and a while. Just not all the time.

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