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Fight Off That Freshman Flab

Research shows college kids can beat back weight gain


-- Robert Preidt
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SATURDAY, Dec 17 (HealthDay News) -- Most new college students dread the "Freshman 15" -- the typical number of pounds they'll gain during that first year.

But two studies highlight simple ways they can keep that number as low as possible.

Stepping on a scale every morning to check their weight, or learning about how to estimate portions in all-you-can-eat dining halls are among the easy ways students can guard against weight gain, according to two Cornell University studies.

The first study included first-year female college students divided into two groups. Those in the treatment group weighed themselves each morning and emailed their weights to the researchers. The women received weekly feedback from the researchers using the Tissue Monitoring System (TMS), a mathematical model that uses daily weight measurements to estimate body tissue changes.

The control group of women carried on with their normal routines. Both groups were weighed at the start and end of the semester.

The women in the treatment group did not gain any weight, but the women in the control group gained an average of nearly seven pounds in one phase of the study and an average of more than four pounds in a second phase of the study.

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