Eat smart over the holidays and exam periods

A study published in the December 2011 issue of the journal Social Science Quarterly declares what students have been hoping for decades: The so-called "Freshman 15" is a myth.

 "Most students don't gain large amounts of weight," study co-author Jay Zagorsky says in his report. "And it is not college that leads to weight gain--it is becoming a young adult."

In truth, women and men gain only 3 pounds on average during their freshman year of college.

How to avoid the real weight-gain triggers

Now that you know that enrolling in college won't automatically slap a tire around your midsection, you might be tempted to breathe easy and stock up on Hot Pockets. Before you pick up the phone to order pizza, though, you might need to learn a few healthy eating tips to get you through finals, your first holiday season home and the rest of your freshman year.

Check out the following common problems and healthy-living tips from experts in health education and weight loss success.

1. Problem: Eating your feelings

Your French final looms and you remember zéro about verb conjugations. With your tummy rumbling as loud as your fears of accidentally calling your professor a pamplemousse, you head straight to the ice cream aisle to find your dinner companions, Ben & Jerry. This is eating your feelings, and whether it tastes like pizza or cinnamon rolls at first, it always tastes like shame at the end.

Healthy habit: Eric Marlowe Garrison, a health educator at the College of William and Mary, says that his main advice to students is to adopt healthy eating practices.

"Are you eating out of boredom, depression, self-pity, incidence [popcorn and soda at the movies], self-soothing, or are you eating out of hunger?" he asks.

A treat here and there is fine, but monitor the times you reach for a pint of ice cream instead of healthier study snacks or a meal, and you'll quickly learn your bad-mood triggers.

2. Problem: Starving and stuffing

Stuffing isn't just the savory dish on the Thanksgiving table — it's also the act of overeating after a long day of deprivation.

"The biggest holiday diet trap for college students is under-eating," says Jean Fain, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist specializing in eating issues, and the author of The Self-Compassion Diet. "Depriving yourself traps dieters in a vicious cycle of under-eating and overindulging."

Healthy habit: It's much easier to make healthy eating decisions when you're not starving as you drive by a McDonald's after a late-night cram session. Keep healthy "brain food" like raisins, almonds and trail mix on hand, by your desk or in your car. If you're doing the all-day eating marathon with family, fill your plate with healthy options and allow yourself small treats here and there.

3. Problem: Going it alone

College might be all about making friends, but there are going to be times when you're rounding out a full day of studying in the law library with the crushing silence of textbooks stacked up past your ears. At a time like that, you might feel like you're the only one left in the world--and if that's true, nobody will notice you eat an entire pizza, right?

Healthy habit: Garrison points out that many campuses have support systems built around stressful exam times.

"There are resources on campuses everywhere--counseling services, health services, office of health promotion, wellness centers, rec sports--that often host workshops prior to school holidays on these very issues," he says. Hold yourself accountable to a group and breeze through exam season.

4. Problem: Beating yourself up

Dad's jalapeno poppers and Grandma's chocolate chip bars only come out once a year, and once you've spent the whole afternoon watching figure skating on TV and digging into a table full of fatty treats, it's going to be hard to look yourself in the eye when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirrored base of a near-empty tray of cocktail wieners.

Healthy habit: Compassion goes a long way when you're struggling against any obstacle, including overeating.

"Rather than continuing to criticize yourself, take a deep breath and silently tell yourself what you'd tell a good friend who is struggling with food issues," Jean says. "The message is sure to be a lot more compassionate than your inner critic's."

Use the tips above as your first step towards smart study snacks and mindful meals this exam and holiday season. Whether you're heading home to Mom's apple pie or rounding out eight straight hours of calculus studying, you can treat yourself right and stay healthy.

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