A Scientifically Proven 'Weigh' to Keep Off the Freshman-15
It turns out that keeping off the Freshman-15 is as easy as putting yourself on a scale once a day.
It's that time of year again. It's the time of back to school sales, making a list and checking it twice to ensure nothing was left behind and home, and of course to make a plan that ensures you won't gain the infamous Freshman-15; an average weight gain of about 15 pounds that's caused by poor diet and a lack of exercise due to an exuberance of studying...and maybe a little partying. So what are some things that you can do to ensure that you don't gain a significant amount of weight your first year of college? Researchers at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania had the same question and set out to find the answer through a study conducted using 294 college freshman females.
The study consisted of women of various weight categories measuring their BMI and body fat percentage at a baseline, six month and two-year time frame. Inspired by previous research and weight loss strategies that promote weighing yourself daily, the researchers designed their study around a daily weighing routine for the college freshman to see how it would affect the typical weight gain that affects 70% of all college freshman. The researchers found at the conclusion of the study that the group that weighed themselves daily not only did not see a gain in weight but experienced weight loss in many cases. This loss in weight provided a small, but significant, positive change in BMI and body fat percentage. The group who did not weigh themselves daily, on the other hand, saw an increase in weight or little positive change in their BMI. Despite this positive outcome and a possible link between daily weighing and weight loss, more research is warranted to validate the link.
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