Expert Tips On Avoiding The “Female 15” — The Best Way To Avoid Lifelong Weight Issues

College weight gain can be the beginning of continuous weight struggles that continue throughout a lifetime. This is a time of life where males and females, whether they go to college or not, can begin to gain weight at a rapid pace, unless you interrupt this weight gain cycle with new healthy habits. Stress is a huge factor when it comes to college weight gain.

USA Today reported that 76 percent of female students and 33 percent of males said they eat when under stress. To make things worse, the female metabolism begins to decline between the ages of 17–19 and continues throughout their lifetime, making it easier for women to gain weight and almost impossible to lose.

Often, they have gained 10 pounds before they notice. This creates another issue: metabolic resistance due to the rapid increase in weight. This flips the weight gain switch on and can last a lifetime due to the metabolic changes that take place.

• Gaining 10 pounds is enough for you to outgrow your current clothing size 
• Most college students walk more than they ever have due to the dorm room to classroom distance, so food is 90 percent to blame, not lack of exercise
• Most people who gain weight in college are less likely to ever lose that weight

Here are three simple, healthy habits that flip the weight gain switch off:

1.  Boost energy and metabolism at breakfast with the right kind of smoothie. Not all smoothies are created equal. In fact, most smoothies you buy commercially cause rapid weight gain because they are loaded with sugar as well as other not-so-nutritious ingredients such as soy or vegan sources. These stop weight loss and cause weight gain. Melt more fat by making your own smoothie.

What’s trending now is “The Dorm Room Smoothie”, aka "The Freshman Fat-Loss Bomb." The recipe is as follows (just mix the ingredients together and drink):

• 2 scoops of a high-quality, metabolic boosting whey like Lynfit's Complete Protein 
• ½ cup of water
• Shake until it’s blended, or you can leave it lumpy 
• Then pour over 1 cup of iced coffee

2.  Pass on the campus diet and choose “thermogenic” foods that flip the weight gain switch off and turn on the weight loss switch. Thermogenic foods are leafy green vegetables, white fish, salmon, as well as turkey breast. These foods create a “thermic effect” on your metabolism, causing it to heat up, so you burn more calories.

3.  Snack leaner and keep it to 1 snack per day. Before you grab that protein bar or bag of chips from the vending machine, stop and read the label. Here is what you should look for:

• Choose snacks that are under 150 calories 
• Contain less than 5 grams of fat 
• Contain less than 25 carbs and have little or no sugar