Hmm... that cheeseburger looks good...

A couple of months before high school graduation, all of my friends started talking about the Freshman 15: the dreaded weight you put on your freshman year of college. I thought it was pretty stupid, considering I was still going to live at home and the whole deal wouldn’t really affect me. Well boy was I was wrong. In fact, the “freshman 15” should now be changed to the “freshman 20” thanks to me. Yes boys and girls, I have officially gained 20 pounds.

I tried sticking to my diet. I tried to eat fruits and salads instead of bagels and frapuccinos, but Starbucks looks so good in the morning it is almost impossible to pass by. Not only that, but the new food court on campus is absolute heaven if you're into clogging your arteries and increasing cellulite. The new Wendy’s that is being built there is definitely not a good idea. It is already calling my name and it hasn’t even opened yet!

The good thing is that now there are on-campus Yoga and Pilates classes to burn off those unwanted calories. The bad part is that I never have time to go to the classes. I am beyond busy with my schedule and, on top of that, I have the obligation to keep up with my social life. Plus, sleep is always necessary after all of those all-nighters.

Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I haven’t tried to keep up with diets. I tried the cigarette and coffee diet, the “only fruits” diet, the run-your-butt-off-and-eat-six-small-meals a day diet, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and the whole vegetarian diet. The problem is that I can’t ever keep up with them. I’ll try them for a few days and before the week is up, you can probably find me at Einstein’s eating another bagel with cream cheese. I simply can’t help it.

Besides that, I have completely become a caffeine addict. Every time I’m stressed out, I drink coffee. If I haven’t slept, I drink coffee. If I’m hungry, I drink coffee. I think I’ve tried every single type of coffee at Starbucks and that’s just plain bad, considering each frozen drink has more than 500 calories... which could actually constitute as a small meal if my next meal were to be something healthy like a small salad with grilled chicken... instead of a cheeseburger with fries.

There are activities around campus that do help if you are looking to lose weight. One great activity that I recently found out about was this small club called L.I.F.T (Learning Initiatives for Team-building.) They focus on climbing and doing challenging activities that require physical and mental activity. For more information on L.I.F.T, you can go to: http://www.shs.fau.edu/ropes/

Another great thing that you can do around campus to lose some pounds (or just get some killer calves) is to walk everywhere as fast as you can. Believe it or not, the power walk does work when it comes to losing weight, and not only are you working out, but you’ll get to class early.

If dancing is your thing, hip-hop classes are also offered around campus. Not only do you get to work out in a fun way, but you can learn some new moves for the next time you hit the club.

Of course, you can always go to Pilates, which I highly recommend. They are fun, relaxing, and I assure you that with a bit of dieting, you will most definitely achieve that toned body you have always wanted.
For more information on Hip-Hop/Pilates classes, click here.

If you’re still unsure of how you want to lose weight and want a little bit more information, you can also always go to the Today & Beyond Wellness Center (located above the Breezeway Cafeteria on the Boca Raton campus in room 222). They have a lot of information on how to be healthy on campus and on losing weight the right way.

Don’t let the freshman 20 get you like it got me. If you’re really looking to lose weight, start eating healthy and leave all of those cheeseburgers behind. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to let them go. Go out there and get some sun, run a few laps, and don’t forget to do the power-walk when you’re on your way to class. Trust me, after a few months, it’ll be as if those 20 pounds were never there.