Weight of independence

  Illustration by ZACK LOPEZ

By Dharshani Dharmawardena
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For many students attending college for the first time,
the “freshman 15,” the alleged weight gain
during the first year, is not just a myth.

Overeating, binge drinking and different stress factors
associated with change can all contribute to the problem.

The pressure of adjusting to a variety of changes in their lives
““ like trying to make new friends and living away from home
for the first time ““ as well as readily available food from
the dining halls can cause first-year students to eat more, said
Christina Miller, a clinical psychologist at Student Psychological
Services.

“When starting college, their eating behaviors may
change,” she said. “When students live at home with
their parents, they may have more routine, controlled eating
patterns. Here they have so many choices that they may
over-eat.”

Sheri Albert, a dietician at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and
Wellness Center, said that while some first-year students gain
weight, others can lose weight because they eat less because of
time constraints and loss of appetite from stress.

Like Miller, Albert said students gain extra pounds because of
the amount of food available at dining halls and weekend parties,
but the change can also result from a drop in exercise.

“It costs 3,500 extra calories to gain one pound of
fat,” Albert said. “Broken down, that’s just 145
extra calories a day to gain 15 pounds over one year.”

Although some food at the cafeterias may be high in calories,
Albert said they offer a variety of healthy food as well.

“The key is choosing well and controlling portions,”
she said. “It’s okay to choose some high-calorie,
high-fat foods, like cookies, so long as you balance them out with
more nutrient-rich foods like fresh fruits throughout the
day.”

Both Miller and Albert said the freshman 15 may occur for a
variety of emotional reasons. A person attempting to deal with
added stress, boredom, loneliness or depression may feel better by
holding something like food in their hands, according to
Miller.

Weight gain is not the only health issue pressure can trigger.
As freshmen enter college, they may also become increasingly
focused on their weight.

“They see everyone around them dieting and they start
engaging in activities that are really harmful,” Miller
said.

The pressure of starting college can make some students more
vulnerable because it can damage self esteem, Miller continued. As
a result, they may develop eating disorders, like bulimia or
anorexia, to lose weight in order to adhere to societal ideals.

Although the desire to be rail-thin can start as early as high
school, Albert said many students develop the feeling for the first
time in college.

“As many as ten percent of college students have some form
of serious eating disorder,” she said. “But many more
students find their lives restricted by negative body image, food
or weight preoccupations, crazy dieting and stress
eating.”

But binging, purging and skipping meals are not the only ways
through which many freshman students try to fit in. Traditionally,
the issue of alcohol consumption in college campuses has been at
the forefront of media attention for the last decade, said Pam
Viele, director of Student Health Education in the Ashe Center.

Despite popular images of college, the statistics at UCLA are
less bleak.

“The rates of high-risk alcohol use at UCLA has steadily
declined where we’re at less than half the national
average,” she said.

Viele said experts define binge drinking
as having more than four drinks in one sitting. One
drink can consist of four ounces of wine, one can of beer, or
one shot of hard liquor.

From a study of UCLA students conducted in 1999, only 21 percent
of those surveyed said they took more than four drinks per
sitting.

“The number is important because above that number you see
negative consequences increasing,” Viele added.

But Viele said she disagreed with some of the researchers’
standardization because she sees little connection with it and
students’ definition of binge drinking.

“I find that when I go out and talk to students, what is
conjured up in their minds when you talk about binge drinking is
very different from what researchers are referring to,” she
said.

Some negative aftereffects of binge drinking can include having
sex one later regrets or engaging in high-risk activities, such as
drinking and driving.

In addition to health risks, Viele said drinking excessively may
also lead to weight gain. The real danger occurs, however, when
students start substituting alcohol for food.

“It’s not uncommon for individuals who have problems
with body image and disordered eating to substitute alcohol,”
she said.

“Very often, the eating restriction is used as a way of
controlling feelings,” Viele continued. “Alcohol,
because of its chemical properties, also fulfills that need, as
sort of a chemical mood regulator.”

Despite all the paranoia concerning the freshman 15, Viele
offered another solution to the alleged weight gain during the
first year in college.

“A lot of students are still growing”“ part of the
weight gain may just be one aspect of their maturing into their
full adult size,” she said.

“In most cases, the weight gain may be uncomfortable for
some people because of all the pressure to be rail-thin,”
Viele continued. “But the weight gain isn’t typically
associated with any harmful health affects.”

For students concerned about weight gain and the stress
associated with starting college, Albert emphasized the importance
of exercise.

“Physical activity is critical during college,” she
said. “It helps manage stress, keeps your energy up, promotes
deeper, sounder sleep and prevents weight gain.

“Students, like all busy adults, don’t have time to
exercise. They have to make time” Albert continued.
“The key is planning ahead to make it fit into your
schedules.”

Linda Huverserian, a first-year undeclared student, said the
variety of help available can help with weight management. She also
said she isn’t worried about the freshman 15.

“You just have to discipline yourself, just like in
everything else,” she said. “The freshman 15 is a myth
that can be overcome.”