4C = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ONTHEHILL
MONDAY,AUG.20,2001
For whom the fat tolls
By Dawn North Kansan staff writer
That's F-A-T. Not P-H-A-T.
As a nation, we are getting fatter. And KU students are not exempt.
Take, for example, the freshman 15.
That's a lot of fat!
The freshman 15 is not a new music group, nor is it one of the latest reality-TV shows.
It is, however, the weight in pounds most students gain during their freshman year in college. The University of Kansas admitted a freshman class of about 6,000 freshman last fall who probably gained 90,000 pounds by the end of spring.
College students are not exempt from the chubby fingers of obesity, even though magazine and television ads shout the message, "thin is in." The freshman 15 is alive and unwell. Some nutritionists say it's probably closer to the freshman 20.
She said
But college students are not the only ones packing on the pounds. Initial results from the 1999 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that 61 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Also, obesity and overweight classifications are not limited to females - a 1990 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows 26 million overweight males compared to 32 million females. Eating disorders, like anorexia and bulemia, also are rising in males.
m u c h
beer, a high-calorie and high-fat diet, decreasing physical activity, no parental guidance and loneliess.
While research continues to stack up evidence in proof of the overweight and obesity epidemic and documents the health risks that accompany it, Americans persist in unhealthy eating habits with little exercise, all the while growing bigger and bigger.
Possible reasons for college weight gain abound - late-night pizza deliveries, fast food, too
Whatever the reason, evidence says lifestyle choices made now could affect people for the rest of their lives.
Lindsay Douglas, St. Louis senior, fell victim to the pizza monster and the freshman 30.
ordering pizza late at night in the residence hall became a tradition. She didn't realize that pizza was taking its toll, nor did she grasp the impact of the 20-ounce sodas she drank in her classes. Each soda packs 250 calories and contains 15 teaspoons of sugar.
Before coming to the University, Douglas had been active in
sports had never
and had never worried about her weight. She said that college was a big adjustment.
"You have so many other things to worry about, you let some things go," she said.
Douglas admits that her favorite pig-out food was McDonalds' double cheese-burger value meal - super-sized.
If she could do it over again, Douglas would splurge once in awhile, but wouldn't make it a daily habit – and she would not super-size.
The scales have rebounded since her freshman days, and Douglas is running eight miles a day in preparation for the Miss Kansas Pageant.
an activity, somewhere to go with your friends. And it was cheap." she said.
Fat-me?
So how do you know if you are overweight or obese? Doctors and dietitians recommend using Body Mass Index (BMI) for determining whether individuals are at a healthy weight, overweight or obese.
Dieting for Dummies, by Jane Kirby, makes BMI calcula
tourabeasy. Here's the simplest way to do it: multiply your weight in pounds by 704.5. Second, take your weight times your height (in inches). Third, divide the weight by the height and you have your Body Mass Index.
A BMI of 19 to 24.9 is a healthy weight. A BMI of 25-29.9 is overweight, and those with a BMI greater than 30 are classified as obese. The higher the BMI, the higher the risk of developing weight-related health problems.
Nature vs. nurture
The age-old question resurfaces in regard to weight gain. Is weight hereditary or is it related to environment? Experts don't always see eye to eye. However, most agree that both factors are involved.
Anne Fletcher, nutritionist and author of Thin for Life, said, "It is true that if you're overweight, you're eating more calories than your body needs to maintain a healthy weight."
But she said she thinks genetic factors and metabolism rate can help explain a person's predisposition to being overweight. However, she said, that doesn't mean you can't do something about it.
Joe Donnelly, KU professor in health, sport and exercise sciences, thinks few people have genetic-inherited obesity. Donnelly, who conducts obesity research, thinks obesity is mostly by choice. He said people are eating too much energy-dense food, but most are not exercising - too much energy is coming in and not enough going out.
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