The freshman fifteen. That rumored fifteen pounds people gain as a new college student. We all know what it is. We know it’s coming. Heck, Wikipedia even has an article on it.

I didn’t exactly start off strong, either. I totally gained weight in Germany. And, I’m in love with dining halls. Every time I visited my sister’s college, I always asked to eat in the dining hall.

College doesn’t take it easy on you, either. First of all, dining halls are classically all you can eat.

Which means all you can eat cookies…

…ice cream…

Or, technically, frozen yogurt.

…pizza…

…and general junk food.

Dining halls often include healthy dining options as well. But keep in mind: these are options. Options that often look like this:

Secondly, the meal plan at NU works like this: you get, by default, 15 meals a week. If you don’t use your meals by the end of the week, they are null and void. 15 meals might not sound like a lot– about 2 meals a day– but trust me, two meals a day in an all-you-can-eat buffet is more than enough.

Because of this system, I often do this:

Finally, the NU meal plan comes with a set amount of “dining dollars,” or money that can be used at various food vendors near or around campus. My plan comes with $165 a semester. These dollars can be spent at places like:

Taco Bell.

Wendy's.

Three...

...different...

...Dunkin' Donuts.

I love all this. I love food, and eating, and eating at different places. But man, these meals plans make sure, for sure, that nobody starves. A surplus is more like it.

So I’m a little antsy. I fear the fifteen. But I gotta fight it! By doing stuff like:

1. Eating healthy (easier said than done)

2. Working out (goal: every other day! So far: not happening!)

3. Taking the stairs! (Which, in IV, you really have to go out of your way to do. There’s only one stairwell that can be used without setting off the fire alarm.)

This is not going so well. Oh goodness. I’ll try my best; we’ll see in a couple of months.