For most of these students, they gain it a few months. Kathleen Wayt Bonnie Gray, a freshman at Wayne State University in Detroit, has already gained 10 pounds this year. Between her classload and job, she's grabbing many unhealthy meals on the run. College weight gain is not only a result of the huge array of foods, but the roller coaster of emotions that most students experience during their first year of college, Litt says. A lot of kids eat because they are sad and lonely.
Food is a friend.
Crazed schedules complicate matters. Students don't want to take the time to eat decently, says Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A consultant with 11 other universities, she has counseled hundreds of students. She says some kids don't get up until almost noon and don't know what meal they should have next or when it should be. They're on the run to classes and eat whatever they can grab.