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| Asbury Park Press — article 1 AVOIDING THE FRESHMAN 15 IT'S A FACT OF LIFE…YOUNG WOMEN GO AWAY TO COLLEGE AND COME HOME — POUNDS HEAVIER By Patti Martin, Staff Writer August 14, 2002 It's the one thing almost every female freshman dreads when it's time to head off to college. Worse than leaving Mom and Dad. More terrifying than making new friends or dealing with professors and long-term assignments. More horrible than the thought of spending a semester living with a psychotic roommate. It's the "freshman 15" - those extra pounds that almost magically appear on the bodies of young women across the country between the time they leave for college to their return home in December during the holiday break. "The weight went on little by little so I didn't realize I was gaining," said 23-year-old Los Angeles resident Marisa Bradanini, who graduated last year from the University of California at Los Angeles. "It wasn't until I got home at Christmas and my family started making comments, that I realized I had put on almost 20 pounds. I couldn't believe it." Neither could her sister, 22-year-old Marchelle. "Marissa was relatively thin and in good shape and when I saw the weight she put on, I said something like, 'Oh my God, I don't want to go to college,' "said Marchelle, who recently graduated from the University of Southern California. "And then we started looking around and realized that most of our friends coming home from school had gained weight too." It was after about 10 years into her practice as a registered dietitian that Robyn Flipse, who has a private practice in Ocean Township, began getting calls from frantic mothers of college women. The calls usually would come around Thanksgiving, with mothers expressing concern about the 5 to 10 pounds their daughter had gained. By the time the young women met with Flipse during semester break in December, an additional 5-pound gain was not unusual. For more than 15 years, Flipse has monitored the diet histories of young women and, along the way, found a common thread. College life is uncharted terrain for freshman, but no matter which path a young woman takes, there will be plenty to eat and drink along the way. Flipse's research prompted her to write "Fighting the Freshman Fifteen: A College Woman's Guide to Getting Real About Food and Keeping the Pounds Off" (Three Rivers Press) with Marisa and Marchelle Bradanini. The book is a handy, must-read guide not only for freshmen but for their parents as well. "There are only three things that can make you gain weight in your first semester," Flipse pointed out during an interview. "Overeating, overdrinking, undergoing." Think about it. Consider that a small McDonald's shake contains 360 calories, while a Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Coolatta with Cream (16 ounces) has 400 calories. A 12-ounce glass of beer has 150 calories, and a 12-ounce wine cooler weighs in with 200 calories. The third element is that little thing called exercise. "You have to keep up the same level of activity in college that you had in high school," Flipse stressed. "And that's just to keep yourself at the same level. Doing less means weight gain is almost inevitable. While college life is filled with plenty to do - great independent film festivals, new bands to check out, sororities to join - most choices do not count as exercise. "You have to get out and do something," Flipse said. "The weight doesn't go on overnight, and once it goes on, it will take more than overnight to lose." Flipse said avoiding the freshman 15 doesn't mean going without or missing out. Rather, it's a lifestyle choice based on making sound nutritional choices. "It's real common-sense stuff," she said. "It's not saying you can never have something, but pointing out that there may be better choices. And, it's helping young women recognize that a balance between what you eat and what you do (in terms of activity) is necessary." The book's easy-to-read chapters cover everything from "Dorm-Room Cooking Essentials" (low-fat microwave popcorn, water-packed tuna and salsa, among others) to "Weekends, Holidays and Visits Home = Dieting Disaster Zones" (Flipse recommends care packages that include shampoo, scented candles and calling cards rather than food) and "An Extra-Credit Course in Exercise" (featuring exercise you can do right in the dorm room). Interspersed throughout the pages are the recollections from sisters, Marisa and Marchelle who fought the freshman 15 - and won. "I think any knowledge we can provide to young women before they go in - whether it's pointing out that they don't have to have seconds of ice cream just because it's there, or providing healthy alternatives - is a positive step," Flipse said. "There's enough you have to concern yourself with at college; your weight just doesn't have to be one of them." Asbury Park Press — article 2 WANT TO KEEP UNWANTED WEIGHT OFF? By Patti Martin, Staff Writer August 14, 2002 Registered dietitian Robyn Flipse, author of "Fighting the Freshman Fifteen: A College Woman's Guide to Getting Real About Food and Keeping the Pounds Off," offers these tips on avoiding weight gain during freshman year. • Don't stop moving. Whether you played a sport in high school or just took daily physical education classes, your body was used to doing something. Find a replacement activity at college - and do it every day. • Remember, liquids add up. With the exception of water, everything you drink - smoothies, energy drinks, soda, alcoholic beverages - has calories. Those drinks all count, and the calories add up quickly. • Whenever possible, eat meal and skip snacks. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so don't forget it. The same goes for lunch and dinner. While you may want a snack, you don't need one. • Sleep when you are tired. Who says you can't catch a couple of hours of sleep in the afternoon? Sleep when your body tells you to - otherwise, you'll end up eating hoping to recharge your body (and it won't work). • Be aware of emotional eating. Eat because you're hungry and not because you did poorly on a test, had an argument with your roommate or a fight with your boyfriend. The only thing emotional eating does is help pack on the pounds. Asbury Park Press — article 3 Fight the freshman flab with low-fat alternatives By Patti Martin, Staff Writer August 14, 2002 Want to steer clear of those tempting unwanted calories? Check out these recipes -- favorites of former college students Marisa and Marchelle Bradanini - which are among the 50 found in "Fighting the Freshman Fifteen: A College Woman's Guide to Getting Real About Food and Keeping the Pounds Off" (Three Rivers Press, $9.94). NUTTY MORNING SALAD 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons walnuts (or whatever nuts you have on hand) ½ cup chopped apple ¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese 2 tablespoons raisins 1 cup mixed greens or any kind of lettuce Drizzle the honey over the walnuts and stir to combine. Mix the apple, cottage cheese, and raisins together. Spoon over lettuce and top with wet walnuts. Calories: 260 SPICY MACHO NACHOS 18 to 20 low-fat baked tortilla chips ¼ cup black beans, drained 2 low-fat cheese singles, cut into strips 3 tablespoons low-fat sour cream ¼ cup salsa Place tortilla chips on a plate, scatter beans over them and top with cheese strips. Microwave for 1½ minutes or until the cheese has melted. Top with sour cream and salsa. Calories: 325 PINK CELERY 2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese 2 teaspoons strawberry jam or fruit spread 3 celery sticks Combine the cream cheese with jam. Spread the cream cheese into the center of the celery, cut into 3-inch pieces. Enjoy. Calories: 100. MONKEY SHAKE ½ cup fat-free frozen yogurt 1 cup fat-free milk ½ cup chopped banana ½ cup ice Blend all ingredients together and pour into a glass. Calories: 250 SWEET TOOTH TOAST 1 slice light white bread, toasted 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon raisins While bread is toasting, mix cream cheese with brown sugar and cinnamon, then spread it on the warm bread and top with raisins. Calories: 120 FRUIT DIP ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese 2 tablespoons sugar-free strawberry jam 1 apple, sliced Mix the cottage cheese and the jam until creamy, or use a blender to combine. Dip the apples into this delicious sauce. Calories: 200 |
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The Boston Herald Freshman 15 cues Diet 101 By Jessica Ullian September 4, 2002 Bulking up with the dreaded "Freshman 15" has become almost a rite of passage for college students. A few late-night pizzas, too many supersize mocha lattes before class and by Thanksgiving you can't fit into any of your new college clothes. "It's the unbridled, unchecked, uncontrollable freedom," said Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian and author of "Fighting the Freshman Fifteen: A College Woman's Guide to Getting Real About Food and Keeping the Pounds Off' (Three Rivers Press, $14.95). "Within three months of being on campus, young women are gaining noticeable amounts of weight, and it doesn't seem to be something that's in their control." But it is possible to avoid weight gain. Flipse advises balancing changes in diet with changes in lifestyle. If you've added a sugary soft drink to your lunch, remove it from your dinner. Addicted to midnight chicken wings? Schedule some time to exercise every day. The cafeteria's unlimited quantities pose a danger, but it's not hard to find the components of a healthy meal there. "If you're not crazy about the selections, you can still walk away with a carton of milk and some oatmeal," Flipse said. When eating becomes a major group event in the dorm, limit yourself to a taste or a small portion. Better yet, keep healthy snacks around, and offer them when everyone's hungry. And don't forget about the calories lurking in beverages. ' 'The No.1 reason for weight gain is probably liquid calories: power drinks, energy drinks, coffee drinks, supersize drinks and alcohol," Flipse said. On the other hand, many college women take their weight far too seriously -to the point where they develop eating disorders. But when you indulge, punishing your body isn't going to even things out. "The middle of the road is where good nutrition lies," Flipse said. .'If for some reason you do overeat, just go back to normal instead of feeling that you have to pay back in a big way." |
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| The Dallas Morning News By Leslie Garcia September 6, 2002 Gee whiz, as if the freshman year of college doesn't come with enough concerns - potluck roommates, 500 kids in one class, wondering whether your little sister has taken over your room at home - you also have to worry about your weight. Specifically, the 15 big ones that often pile up during the first semester alone. Temptations lurk: In-dorm toaster ovens and microwaves; open-all-the-time cafeterias; pizza with new friends; parties galore. This book includes the basics, such as calorie counting (400 for a mall-type Parmesan pretzel) and reading food labels (the number of calories may seem low, but check to see how many servings the package supposedly contains!). Learn how to tell portion size; you may be fooling yourself. It offers tips for eating at all-you-can eat buffet lines (wear something fitted; don't finish anything that doesn't taste great) and suggestions on what foods to keep in your dorm room. There are busters for boredom (instead of eating, find friends and double-dutch jump rope instead), and ways to keep other people from heading you off the track. Plus, learn benefits of exercise and what goodies you can easily make in your dorm room. |
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| Los Angeles Times Media Mix By Shari Roan AUG 28,2002 Overview: Two college women and a registered dietitian join forces to confront the problem of college weight gain. The book describes why women often gain weight after leaving home and what they need to know about food and nutrition. What works: There are lots of practical tips for eating healthy on the tight budget of a college student. Because many college freshmen live in dormitories and eat cafeteria food, the book offers advice on making good choices in the cafeteria line. |
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| The New York Times, Sunday Trying to Make Cramming Mean Something Else By Debra Nussbaum AUGUST 11, 2002 When freshman girls head to college they often gain more than knowledge and credits. Many find that their first year brings on 15 pounds. The phenomenon is so common that many colleges even have tips for avoiding the "freshman 15" on their Web sites. Now Robyn Flipse, a nutritionist and dietician from Bradley Beach, has come out with a book that explains the freshman 15 and tells students how to avoid picking up extra pounds on campus. Ms. Flipse, who has a private practice in Ocean, wrote the book with contributions from Marisa and Marchelle Bradanini, two California college-age sisters who give recipes for meals that can be made in a dormitory room. "Fighting the Freshman Fifteen," published by Three Rivers Press in New York ($9.95) explains that college life with late-night pizzas, partying and drinking and all-you-can-eat buffets in the dorm makes it easy to put on weight. And there is no mother or father around to insist that the kitchen is closed. "Boundaries get taken away," Ms. Flipse said. "It's eating and drinking and a lack of physical activity. You many not only not have someone to say, 'No, don't eat that,' but instead you have someone urging you to go to Ben & Jerry's with them. And there are no boundaries on the hours you can eat." Ms. Flipse urges freshmen to build exercise into their schedules, plan their meals, avoid eating to drown whatever sorrows come along and remember that liquids have calories, too. "There are all kinds of caloric beverages like these hot coffee drinks with syrups," she said. "It's easy to put on 10 pounds." |
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The Philadelphia Inquirer LBS: The Unwanted Undergrad Degree Heard of "The Freshman 15"? That's how many pounds students often gain their first year at college. Here's a cram course in why and what to do. By Debra Nussbaum September 1, 2002 Along with required courses such as Calculus I, History of Western Civilization, or Conversational Spanish, many new college students this fall will be engrossed in these electives: Late-Night Pizza Consumption, Drinking 101, AII-Day Sleeping, and that general-studies favorite, Overindulgence." Once out of the clutches of their parents, college students find a heady liberation ih having no one around to say "Don't eat that fifth brownie!" or "Where are you going with that keg?" But for young women especially, that taste of freedom can be a calorie trap. It can result in "the Freshman 15," a term that may sound like a musical group or a football team but actually refers to a phenomenon noted by dietitians, doctors and horrified parents after that first collegiate term of unsupervised eating and drinking: Often, freshman women -and sometimes men -gain 15 pounds. Higher education, it seems, can be broadening in ways students never imagined. Such a trend is this weight gain that some colleges offer tips on their Web sites on how to avoid it. (Just typing in the term on your browser will turn up thousands of references.) Robyn Flipse could almost set her calendar by the calls she gets in late November for December appointments. "There has been a phenomenon every fall when I get these phone calls from moms," said Flipse, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in private practice in Ocean, N.J. "They want an appointment for Christmas break. The weight gain was so dramatic." When Flipse went to college in the early '70s, there was no late-night food delivery, and there were no toasters, microwaves or refrigerators in the dorm rooms. Fast-food places were off campus. The dorm cafeteria usually closed in the early evening. To some, being vegetarian was hip. As we all know, much has changed. Life on campus now is a 24-hour-a-day smorgasbord of pizza, hoagies and burgers accompanied by high-calorie beverages from colas to pina coladas. Kids even eat during class. Or they may be sipping, say, a "Double Gulp" soda from 7-Eleven - 64 ounces, containing nearly 700 calories. Combine the easy availability of such fare with lack of sleep, a little boredom, perhaps some homesickness, and a lot of socializing, and you have a recipe for poor eating. "If anyone has a whim, a mood or PMS, everybody eats," Flipse says, "and there are endless quantities of beer kegs and parties." Kiersten Creran knows all about the fight with the Freshman 15 -or, in her case, the Recurring 20. At 5-foot-9, a tight and fit college swimmer, the Haddonfield 20-year-old, now in her senior year at Brown University, has seen her weight increase from 150 at the end of each summer to 170 during the school year. After her first few months at school, Creran says, she was "becoming this dense ball. I was the size of a small man. I was this solid walking box. I was shocked I gained weight because I was working out so much." She routinely swims 20 hours a week, runs, and builds her strength in the weight room. The problem lies in what happens after the exercise. "When you come from practice, you're tired and hungry. You eat pasta, and it goes right to your hips. You'd be just starving, and you'd know you should have an egg-white omelet; but you want the plate of Tater Tots. Most of it is you drink until 2 a.m., and then you order a pizza or get food from anywhere that's open late." Creran has worked off the extra pounds ~very summer; and this year, her last at Brown, she plans to attack healthy eating more aggressively. She won't have a meal plan, and she'll buy her own food. Facing graduation and adult life, she can still say, "You take better care of yourself when your parents are around." Her friend and fellow swimmer Alyson Flynn, also 20, can relate. Flynn lifeguards with Creran at Beach Haven, on Long Beach Island, and lives in Cinnaminson. At Rowan, she pledged a sorority and found that, in the sorority house as in the dorm, where she lived, food was always on the agenda. At 2 a.m., she could always find a hoagie or soup or cookies, and, of course, there's always someone up and ready to share. At one point, Flynn gained 20 pounds in 10 weeks. She's still taking it off. "For me, " she says, "75 percent of it was the eating late at night. " Some young women avoid the perils of the Freshman 15 only to get ambushed when they return for their sophomore year. Liane Serinsky, 20, of Wynnewood, who's starting her junior year at George Washington University this fall, gained no weight freshman year, even though someone in the dorm always had a bag of chips or a box of Pop-Tarts. She was on GW's crew team as a freshman; but she crewed again her sophomore year, when she did gain. Her biggest change last year was having a room with a kitchen and an eat;ing card good at Chinese food stands, pasta bars and bagel stores. "I didn't know when enough was enough," she says. And then there was starbucks. "I would have one white-chocolate mocha a day. That's a lot of calories. " Over the summer, Serinsky spent time running to work off the weight. "When I came home, I said, 'I'm not going through the summer without pants that fit me. ' " She's now back to her normal size. Robyn Flipse, the mother of two boys who avoided the Freshman 15, sees all this college weight gain as preventable. Still taut and trim at 50, Flipse does a lot of writing and public speaking on weighty issues. She understands the concept of gaining during certain cycles in life; she also understands the art of taking weight off. In The Wedding Dress Diet, a book that came out in 2000, Flipse and coauthor Jacqueline Shannon, a health writer, advise brides on getting ready for the wedding day, setting up a healthy low-calorie kitchen, and dining during the honeymoon. Flipse's latest book is aimed at a slightly younger audience. Just out last month, the book is titled Fighting the Freshman 15- A College Woman's Guide to Getting Real About Food and Keeping the Pounds Off (Three Rivers Press). It isn't about thin; it's about eating in a healthy way, thinking about what you consume, and not overdoing fatty foods, sugar and liquor. The book reads like a light and lively course text with assignments, tips, charts, quotes and recipes. Flipse also presents more cold, hard reality than does MTV: A beer is the caloric equivalent of two slices of bread. Drinking a six- pack is the same as eating almost a whole loaf. And that yummy blender drink probably carries 300 calories, so each one is like a big scoop of ice cream. Two coauthors add their own experience to the book. California sisters Marisa and Marchelle Bradanini, now 23 and 21, figured out how to fight the 15 after Marisa gained and lost it, and Marchelle avoided it altogether by learning from her big sister's mistakes. Both attended the University of California at San Diego. When, as a high school student, Marchelle saw Marisa gain 15 pounds in her first few months at UCsD, Marchelle began to rethink her own future. "I was, like, 'I don't want to go to college. ' " She changed her mind, but she worked to avoid the dietary pitfalls. She describes college as a Temptation Island of food. She managed to navigate it by watching portions, eschewing fast food and sweets, and sticking with an exercise program. She also took the kind of advice offered in the book to which she and her sister contributed: She got real about the truism that calories minus activity will equal weight gain -and that those calories can come from a creamy coffee drink or a cute pink cocktail with an umbrella. Marchelle managed to keep the weight on her 5-foot-5 frame to only 120 pounds. But she witnessed those around her growing in girth. '"A lot of girls end up drinking a lot more, " she says. "Mixed drinks are fruity and loaded with sugar. You can't fall into the social eating, and you can't look at everyone else." She says she had one "metabolically gifted roommate" who could eat chocolate-chip cookies in the middle of the night and not budge the scale. But her other two roommates gained the pounds and would be "complaining while eating the cookie bar. " Like Flipse, Connecticut dietitian Lisa Bunce gets the phone calls about the Freshman 15 and sees the same pattern of overindulgence with the first draught of freedom. And just because students may be able to work off the weight quicker than can a 40-year-old body, she says, "doesn't mean they don't have to take a step back and focus. " However, Bunce also points out the good news here for young collegians: "They have the benefit of the higher metabolic rate on their side. " It's one of nature's gifts: Freshman and sophomores who do put on weight have the ability to lose it. |
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Star Tribune Fitness and the right food help avoid the Freshman 15 By Jill Burcum September 24, 2002 Stephanie Kudrle and Megan Rowekamp weren't jittery about the usual things when they entered the University of Minnesota this fall. Moving away from their Bloomington homes and taking college No problem. Ditto for leaving old friends and making new ones. What did unnerve the 18-year-olds was the possibility of gaining a lot of weight during their first year of school. Both had heard stories about once-slim students who'd returned home hefty the following summer. They were horrified when Rowekamp's mother confirmed that this happened to women she knew in school. There's little medical evidence that new college students pack on pounds. But so many return home plumper that the phenomenon has its own pop culture nickname --"the Freshman 15," the number of pounds typically gained. The problem is so common that some college Web sites warn incoming students about it, and with good reason. The extra weight not only can affect a student's appearance, but can also set the stage for weight- related health problems throughout life. But fortunately, the Freshman 15 isn't a mandatory course of college life. It can be avoided with common sense and planning --both by students and parents. "There's a lot you can do to prevent this," said Robyn Flipse, a New Jersey-based dietitian and author of "Fighting the Freshman 15" (Three Rivers Press, $9.95). In late September and early October, Flipse typically starts fielding panicked calls from parents. They can be shocked by the weight gain the first time they see their child on a parents' weekend or when the child visits home. Avoiding pitfalls The ideal time to start talking about responsible eating and staying fit is before kids leave for school, said Flipse. The potential waistline pitfalls include:
This may sound obvious, Flipse said, but it's often not to young adults. In her clinical practice, she has met students who do not understand why they've gained weight at school -- even though they keep ready-to-bake tubes of cookie dough in dorm refrigerators for snacking. "You'd be surprised what students will eat," she said. The antidote is straightforward, experts say: Avoid college lifestyle pitfalls, make good food choices and get regular exercise. "I think just raising awareness of this really does help," said Marla Reicks, an associate professor of nutrition in the University of Minnesota's department of food and science. Students' tales Kudrle and Rowekamp would agree. After hearing about the Freshman 15 from parents and others, they put together a plan to work out together several times a week at the university's recreation center. They also eat together in the dorm cafeteria, each helping the other to make good food choices and in particular, resist the cheese-drenched French fries that both love. Kudrle and Rowekamp illustrate the opportunity that college provides to establish healthful eating and exercise habits that can last a lifetime, Flipse said. Colleges typically have inexpensive fitness centers, she said. Many also offer intramural basketball, soccer and other sports. Students eager to stay in shape are likelier to take advantage of these opportunities, Flipse said. That's how Missy Stoll, a sophomore in chemistry at the university, has stayed slim. Stoll works out several times a week, but also signed up for intramural hockey to help stay fit. "It's fun and it's a way to keep the weight off," Stoll said. Such students are also likelier to make better choices at restaurants and dorm cafeterias, Flipse said. Both typically offer salads and other alternatives to high-fat and high-calorie entrees. Flipse said students also should consider the dorm cafeteria a source of healthful snacks. Most offer food plans that allow students unlimited food. While that can lead to weight problems, students can also use this to their advantage, she said. Before leaving the cafeteria, students can grab an extra container of yogurt, some fresh fruit or veggies to take back to the room, Flipse said. When the urge to snack strikes, a healthy option is available. Flipse said the key to looking and feeling good is taking health and fitness as seriously as any college course. Parents can reinforce these ideas and avoid being part of the problem, she added. "You wouldn't believe what's in 'CARE' packages sent from home sometimes," Flipse said. Students who struggle with weight can get help from health care providers at student medical clinics, Flipse said. Or parents can make a medical appointment with a physician or dietitian for when their child is home on break. Flipse suggested that parents approach the topic gently. Young adults sensitive about their appearance and probably are aware they've put on weight. Sometimes just discussing exercise and healthy eating is enough. |
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