Freshman 15 is quite common in India, say students

Sandip.Bal@timesgroup.com

For the uninitiated, it’s about the 15 pounds (around 6.8 kg) freshers tend to gain in the first year of college

The phenomenon holds true for all students

Some students are aware of the term,

Freshman 15

. Business management student Sudarshan Rout, asserted the phenomenon is relevant in India too. “When we are in school, our lives are disciplined. We are under the constant watch of our parents and teachers. We follow a routine and there is a recess, when all students have their lunch. But in college, things are very much different. Here, there is no restriction and students are into so many things. Whenever they get time and feel so, they go to the canteen or a roadside stall and eat with friends. One just finishes eating with one friend, when another calls you. You can’t say no and eat again,” said Sudarshan, adding, “Besides, there are times when the academic schedule gets too hectic and students end up missing their lunch. They spend even their breaks on revision and last-minute assignments. That’s when junk food comes to their rescue. Though it’s convenient to eat junk food, it also leads to weight gain.” He said he had gained around four kilos in the first semester itself.

Sridhi Samanta, a

botany

honours student who shares a private accommodation in Gautam Nagar with three other friends, said they had opted to stay privately hoping that they would cook and eat. But that turned out to be impossible, as all her roommates are into various activities and are preparing for competitive exams. “For long nights of study, junk food feels like a blessing. Since, it’s not always possible to cook, we depend on food delivery apps. The discounts offered by these apps also tempt us and we end up ordering in food. Whenever the apps are not working, we rush to the roadside stalls and start feasting on sandwiches, burgers, momos, masala chat,

gupchup

and

Chinese food

. I have gained around two kilos in the past two months. Even my roommates have gained weight,” she said.

And there’s no time to work out

Many students feel that there’s hardly any time for them to hit the gym. They either feel too lazy or are too stressed out because of a busy academic schedule and the pressure of outperforming others in exams. “I have been planning to hit the gym for quite a while now, but that's turning out to be tough. The pressure of studies keeps mounting, so much so that I hardly get time to do anything else. So, I end up eating anything I get in the college canteen. And who cares for the calories? I have gained a considerable amount of weight and it is showing around my waist,” said Siddharth Shekhar, an engineering student in Patia.

In school, physical training classes and the games period ensured that the students got some amount of exercise, but the scene is not the same in college. “In school, I was very active and fit. But now, my physical activity is restricted to only walking a few steps from the college building to the hostel or canteen,” said Bibhas Parida, a student, adding that the lure of cheap junk food has also taken a toll on his health.

Some students lose weight instead

It’s not that all students gain weight. There are some who lose weight owing to various reasons. Asutosh Lenka, a post-graduation student who stays in

Saheed Nagar

and is preparing for competitive exams, said he had subscribed to a food home-delivery service. “The food is so pathetic at times that one would prefer not to eat it despite being hungry. Who would want to fall ill in a city where no relative of mine stays? I keep chuda, banana, bread or milk as backups. I have lost around three kilos in the first year,” he said, adding that he’s happy to have lost a bit of weight.

Sneha Das, a

biotechnology

student in a city college, told us that she, too, lost a few kilos in the first year. “I love walking and after my classes, I regularly walked home. My residence is around 2 km away from my college. I never take any auto-rickshaw or ask for a lift. I’ve set my timing in such a way that I won’t get late even if I cover the distance on foot. This has helped me reduce weight,” she said.