Well freshmen, we’re a little over halfway through the school year, which means you should have gained approximately seven-and-a-half pounds. Right?

A person’s first year of college has now become synonymous with adding at least 15 pounds to our waistlines, forgetting the extra weight from the holidays that have just passed.

Whether you have joined the trend in gaining the weight or not, there isn’t anyone to blame but yourself, when you sit back and look at it.

Most likely, since it is your first year, you barricade yourself in a tiny 10 by 10 cubicle that is classified as a dorm, and are forced to shell out money for one of the wonderful meal plans this school has to offer.

Anywhere from unlimited meals every week to block meal plans, you must choose one. So let’s say you had decided on the unlimited meal plan – after all, who knows when you’ll get a sudden snack craving at 3 in the afternoon? You will then walk down to one of your convenient dining hall locations to grab that desired snack,

perhaps a bowl of cereal or a banana. However, once there, your mind switches and you see all the options you have to choose from.

This is where most freshmen will go wrong, and this is why they will ultimately gain all that weight by the end of the school year. But is this rule of thumb really true, or just a myth?

Upon arriving in one of Iowa State’s dining halls, it doesn’t take long to realize all the available options to eat, and that you can go up until your belt must be loosened prior to leaving.

All the delectable treats offered by the dining halls can turn even the most nutrition conscious people into all-you-can-eat addicts. After all, you must get your money’s worth, right?

Well, we can’t blame the dining centers either. They do a great job of putting up nutrition facts for almost all of their food, which can help many of us who want to keep the pounds off decide what to eat.

Frankly, if you want to ignore the nutrition facts, go ahead — and prepare yourself to welcome the pounds to your waistline, especially if you’re the type to go up multiple times for extra servings.

Well, the freshman 15 is only a myth. Susan McQuillan, a registered dietitian in New York says, “There’s nothing magical about the number fifteen … Some students who put on extra weight may gain only five pounds; others may gain twenty-five.” There are a few things that you can do though to help prevent adding any pounds to that waistline.

She suggests sticking to a regular schedule of meals and snacks around the same time each day because mindlessly eating will only lead to weight gain. Also, making sure to always eat breakfast, no matter what time you get up, is vital to jump-starting your metabolism.

Another suggestion she gives is when sitting down for a meal try to fill up on fruits and vegetables first, whole-grain breakfast foods and side dishes. Then if you are still hungry after your meal and are craving something sweet then indulge in a small treat.

However, if you do enjoy those extra servings, then hit the gym a few days a week and try out one of the exercise classes at the Lied Recreation Center. All you need is to sign up for a free pass and you’re set for the entire semester.

If you feel that you just don’t have the time to head down to the recreation center, well, then instead of grabbing a side of fries, try a salad instead — topped with any of the extras, like carrot slices, olives, nuts and fruit found at the salad bar.

Instead of a glass or two from the soda machine, try a glass of skim milk. You can also try walking to class rather than taking the bus. These things combined can make your meal much healthier and will help keep the pounds off the rest of this semester.

Don’t be afraid to indulge every so often — everything in moderation is alright. So, if you feel like that chocolate chip cookie is calling your name, go ahead and grab it. However, for your health’s sake, try to avoid a third or fourth.

– Justine Hain is a freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication from Rochester, Minn.