■ OPINION
“Freshman 15” another myth
When si u den Is first enter this
vnst. nlmn and competitive land
we call college, they worry
about classes, finding their way
around campus and the city,
meeting people they can relate
to and. if they are concerned
about their weight and body
image, gaming the "Freshman
15".
One of the ancient myths
about college life is that you
have no choice hut to gain 15
pounds during your freshman
year And with all of the atten
tion given to bodies — their
shape, size and health — by the
media these days, it is hard to
ignore such rumors
In a 1991 survey of college
women — 74 percent of who
were normal weight — H7 per
cent said they were unhappy
with their weight. 45 percent
wore on diets and 29 percent
reported that since entering col
lege. they had tried to lose
weight by fasting or going on
crash diets Does this sound
healthy to you?
The last thing these women
need to hear is that they will
inevitably gain weight during
their first year at college. So
when young minds should be
investing in their intellectual
futures, many end up spending
too much time worrying about
how much they weigh
It has been shown through
studies that eating disorders are
prevalent on college campuses
The majority of population
studies examining buletnia, self
induced vomiting after binge
eating, are conducted at institu
tions of higher education
One such survey showed that
19 percent of all college women
and 5 percent of college men ful
fil! the criteria for bulemia
If students read articles like
"Avoiding the Freshman 15
some tips and tru ks" (t )I)K Sept
19), they will gain valuable
information about nutrition, but
may feel like they have to com
Tvsha Eichensehek
mit significant energy trying to
prevent themselves from gaining
weight All you have to do, if
you're already in good health, is
continue to eat like you always
have.
The buffet style dining in the
dorms could be a cause of errat
ic eating behaviors
An unlimited amount of sal
ad. mashed potatoes, green and
yellow jello, bagels, chicken
nuggets. Pepsi, brownies and
roast land c an bo overwhelming
The system works in such a way
that you pay one price to eat as
muc h as you can.
Therefore, the less you lake,
the more money you lose
My solution is a meal plan
allowing each student an allot
ted amount of money each term
to spend on items which are
individually priced and are
available at places other than the
dorms, like the Fishbow l
This way students won't have
to feel like they must take in as
much food as they can when the
i afeteria is open in order to
avoid getting hungry later
Fating disorders and the
importance placed on lining "fat
free" plague the entire nation
Television and magazines bring
us images of supermode! waifs
like Kate Moss and women in
bikinis advertising Hud Light.
One might gel the impression
that these are some of sot ioties
most valued i itizens
Although causes of eating disor
ders such is bulemia and
anorexia hove roots much deep
er than changing your eating
habits during college betutu.se of
myths, dormitory cafoterias and
the media, these things don't
help
hating disorders < an lie nttrih
uted more to psychological
problems
law self-esteem and the need
to feel that you can control
something in a world of c haos,
whether that world be at school,
in your social circ les or in a fain
ilv situation, .ire .it the heart of
eating disorders
When you walk around cam
pus for the first time, should you
assume that a tree will fall on
you; when you go to vour first
college-level class should you
assume that your professor will
sexually harass you' No Then
why should it he assumed that
you will gain weight your fresh
man year?
Maybe you miss home, or
people in other plac es Maybe
you are worried about sue < ced
ing academically or just making
it to your H am class on a
Thursday morning Whatever is
on your mind, college c an be
very stressful And because the
idoa of being thin and fit is
emphasized everywhere you go.
eating is a very popular coping
outlet
When you can't confront
problems you have socially and
academically, preoccupy your
mind with the thought of food
and controlling your eating,
even though your current diet
suits you fine. Had idea
Instead, write in a journal,
watch a movie, go to the Satur
day Market or take a hike ride by
the river
Please, don't let food i onsumu
you There is no sue h thing as
the "Freshman 1 > " And there
is no such thing as a perfect
Ixxh Now go. eat, drink, (study)
and lx* merry!
inslui Etthensehrr is a reporter
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