By Ryan Clark
Perfectionism drives a number of students at the University of Richmond to lose weight instead of gaining the "freshman 15," Westhampton College Dean Juliette Landphair said in an interview last week at the Deanery.
The "freshman 15" that some college students gain has become more like five pounds for women or seven pounds for men, according to a recent Brown University research study.
The study revealed that one out of six freshmen gained 10 pounds or more during their first year and 6 percent gained 15 pounds or more, Stanford University nutritionist Vivian Crisman said. A joint study by Brown University and Purdue University revealed that students continue to gain two to three pounds in their sophomore year, Crisman said.
On average by the end of sophomore year, males are 9.5 pounds heavier and women are 9.2 pounds heavier, said Jackie Beckham, a Baylor University research assistant. The Brown University study showed that freshmen men gain most of their weight at the beginning of the first semester and then gradually gain more weight, but women tend to gain most of their weight in the first semester and then slowly even off, Beckham said.
It's important to adopt a healthy lifestyle because college is the time when students establish eating and fitness habits that they'll follow for the rest of their lives, said Pete Anderson, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Many students find it hard to eat healthily because it's the first time many of them have lived away from home, said Patricia Beffa-Negrini, a University of Massachusetts research associate. Students want to explore their freedom and there is no one to stop them from eating brownies, ice cream and French fries for dinner, Bethesda, Md. dietitian Ann Litt said to USA Today.
College students also have hectic and irregular schedules, she said, and they tend to graze instead of actually sitting down for a meal. An article from the Seattle Post- Intelligencer revealed that portion control was one of the most critical strategies in maintaining weight in buffet-style dining halls where the food supply is endless.
"Most adults don't know what a typical portion size is," said Dr. Alene H. Waller, the University of Richmond associate medical director. It's easier to regulate weight when you pay attention to portion control, she said.
But dining hall food is not the only reason that college freshman tend to gain weight, Crisman said. A change in eating behaviors and habits is a great contributor to weight gain, she said.
The cause of freshman weight gain is a combination of late-night snacking, easy access to alcohol, social eating and less exercise, Crisman said. The stress of living away from home and going to class can also take a toll on freshmen, Beffa-Negrini said.
Many students eat because they are sad, lonely or bored and food comforts them, she said.
"Unless you want to be a Sumo wrestler, don't eat at night," Beckham said.
Many students snack late at night after drinking. Students must watch out for alcohol's appetite-enhancing effects, said Pittsburgh nutritionist Leslie Bonci.
Access to beer, drinking habits, and not having enough time to get to the gym all cause collegeweight gain, University of Richmond junior Renee Wilson said.
In order to avoid weight gain, Bonci recommended that students eat breakfast every day, focus on portion control by always measuring food out, never eat out of a bag and to set limits when eating with friends.
Trying to lose weight seems to be an issue bothering students at Richmond, said Peter LeViness, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services. CAPS' mental health surveys revealed that about 20 percent of male undergraduates and 50 to 60 percent of female undergraduates said that they often had concerns about dieting or trying to lose weight, he said.
Many students gain weight because they are taking in more calories than they are burning off, LeViness said. "An inconsistent sleep-wake schedule may also increase food cravings, especially for high-calorie foods," he said.
"Students cut back on their physical activity when they get to college and you hear much more concern about people trying to lose weight," University of Richmond sophomore Ali Scuderi said. "You do see quite a few people who could have eating disorders."
CAPS recommends that students try to exercise about four to six times a week,
LeViness said. Students should treat this time like an academic class that they make a priority during the week, he said.
Most students who want to lose weight at Richmond are not seeking to lose a lot of it, but just enough to get back to a weight where they feel comfortable, said Carolyn Powell the University of Richmond nutritionist. "Most of the students I see for weight gain are athletes who have trouble keeping on weight from all of the calories they are burning," she said.
John Denton, Richmond sophomore, said: "I think that more guys gain weight in college than girls. Guys want to look buffer and eat a lot of protein, while girls want to have a thin ideal body."
Weight loss is a bigger issue than weight gain at Richmond because many students are driven by perfectionism, Landphair said. "Like Duke and more selective institutions, students here tend to be more perfectionistic," she said.
In a 2003 Duke University report, undergraduates said their social atmosphere was characterized by "effortless perfection," Landphair said. Students felt there was an expectation to be "smart, accomplished, fit, beautiful and popular, and that all this would happen without visible effort," she said.
Rebecca Bacheler, Richmond sophomore, said, "There is a lot of stress because of the pressure put on by the intense academics here, which definitely causes more drinking and over eating or an excess of working out to relieve stress resulting in weight loss."
Whenever students are prescribed medication, their biggest concern is whether it will make them gain weight, Waller said.
Landphair didn't see the issue of weight as a big problem at Richmond despite this research, she said. If it posed a threat to many students, the university would have addressed it, she said.
Some students gain weight because of inconsistent eating patterns where parents aren't regulating meals, and alcohol use, Landphair said.
An extra 100 calories can lead to a 10-pound weight gain in one year, Powell said.
There are "Feeding Fitness" options in each dining location on campus that label food choices containing 30 percent or fewer calories from fat per serving, Powell said. "With the opening of the newly renovated Heilman Dining Center we concentrated on updating our menu and offering a wide variety of healthier items," she said.
Students gain weight by eating on the go, Richmond Health Educator Tracy Cassalia said. Students eat very little throughout the day and then are starving at night, she said.
Drinking is another source of empty calories, Cassalia said. Even though it says "light beer," it still has calories, she said. Being able to drink beer three nights a week can make it difficult for some students to maintain their weight, Amy Bastianelli, Richmond senior, said.
But part of adulthood is learning to live independently and how to use self control, Landphair said.
Richmond used to include physical education as a general education requirement, but with the Weinstein Center there is no need for that anymore, Landphair said.
Even though students do not have to complete a physical education course at Richmond, they are required to complete wellness classes before they graduate, Cassalia said.
"Richmond is ahead of the game compared to some bigger schools," Cassalia said.
Students can meet with nutritionist Carolyn Powell or work with personal trainers, she said.
The opening of the Weinstein Center has inspired students to stay fit, Powell said.
"Just getting to the gym is the hardest part," she said. "Having a new facility, which leaves such a positive impression, definitely helps keep students motivated and keeps them coming back for more."
Seattle University lets students receive a physical assessment and then work with faculty to create a workout plan. The university is working on receiving computer chips that will plug into equipment for students to track their physical progress, said Mclean Reiter, the manager and sports physiologist at Seattle University.
"We are currently working on a partnership with the hospital, where the lab is located, to allow the clients and students to use the Technogym equipment," Reiter said.
"Technogym is an exercise equipment company that interfaces with a smart card."
The smart chip acts as a type of personal trainer that tells students how many sets and reps they need to do, Reiter said. If a student doesn't complete the number of reps set by the chip, it will recalculate for the next workout, he said.
Columbia University's online system called the "100 m.i.l.e. (miles I logged exercising) club," inspires students to workout at least 100 minutes per week, according to the article. Students log the minutes they spend exercising on the internet. "I’ve been more diligent about working out since the new gym opened," University of Richmond sophomore Alex Hogan said. "It has much more availability for machines, space and the times it is open."
One of the most important aspects of college is becoming aware of eating and fitness habits because adults who start putting on weight at a young age have a hard time losing it later, Waller said.