Your first year in college has been something you’ve been dreaming about for years. You’ve entered an exciting new phase of your life, with unprecedented freedom away from your parents. New challenges and friendships have been exciting and stressful. You’ve been busy attending parties (you haven’t wanted to miss a thing!) and juggling school work. Your usual exercise routines have gone by the wayside.

The dormitory food quickly got boring. But worse than that, you’ve completely lost touch with the concept of serving-size because of these all-you-can-eat buffets. Making the situation worse are all the meals you’ve been eating on the run between classes. Late night snacking has not helped.

All of this has gotten you feeling sluggish and weighed down. Your energy level is at an all time low. Worst of all, you’ve gained weight.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Although it’s been a few years since college, I still vividly remember the gross, heavy, and lethargic feeling I had after the first couple of months in college. I was disgusted by my muffin-top and my jeans had gotten way too tight. I realized the dreaded college weight gain, also know as,”Freshman 15″ had happened to me.

I felt gross. Besides the weight gain, it was the dullness and lack of energy I hated. I stayed up late to study, didn’t get enough sleep, ate too much and poorly. Inevitably, every afternoon around 3 pmI needed sugar and caffeine to get me through the rest of my day.

I made up my mind to get rid of the excess weight and to feel better and healthier. Here are some of the things I did to help me lose the “freshman 15.”

1. Walk or bike to class – I was lazy and lucky to have access to friends who gave me rides to class. It really didn’t save me any time because of the difficult parking situation. On many college campuses, parking is often limited and driving can be expensive when you consider parking, gas, and the occasional parking ticket. So I decided to walk or bike to class more often. This was a great way for me to get some exercise into my day.

2. Minimize the carb intake- I craved the comfort of a big pasta meal that always seemed to be available in the dormitory. I had to work hard to stay away from those and instead shift my focus onto other lean protein options and the salad bar. I also cut out the large bowls of cereal each morning and replaced it with hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and fruit. In addition, I worked hard at limited my portion size. All of this got easier as time went on, but was definitely challenging at first, and I would sometimes cave into my cravings.

3. Bring my ownsnacks- I made a conscious effort to take healthy snacks with me during the day. This involved taking fruits available from the dormitory breakfast mostly. I would also purchase nuts to carry in my backpack. Having healthy snacks available at all times kept me from becoming overly hungry and allowed me to make better choices at meal times.

4. Cleanse regularly- To improve my energy and help me lose the weight fast, I did a fasting cleanse. I loved the burst of energy and the immediate effects of the cleanse on my digestive system. I also like that I quickly lost some of the weight I had gained. I was able to find a cleanse that I could do easily and discreetly even living in the college dormitory.

Even if you eat unhealthily most of the time, you can get back on the healthy track and feel better if you occasionally complete an internal cleanse. Cleanses help your body rid toxins and waste build-up, and quickly lose unwanted weight.

5. Stopped eating after 8:00 pm- It was tough, but I stopped joining in the late night pizza orders. I had to leave the room at first because it was so tempting to have just one slice. But I knew those were extra calories I didn’t need!

6. Drink less alcohol – At parties, I limited myself to 2 drinks, and I have a bottle of water between the drinks. Alcohol is high in calories, especially mixed drinks. But beer can pack on the calories too. A 12 oz serving of beer can be upwards of 200 calories, and it’s high in carbs. I think limiting my alcohol consumption also helped me make better eating decision.

7. Get enough sleep- This was hard to accomplish. It wasn’t that I cut out homework or studying, but I made more conscious decisions about limiting some hanging out time in favor of getting more sleep. Getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night got rid of the afternoon slump, and therefore allowed me to cut out the vicious cycle of needing a caffeine and sugar fix. I felt a lot better and more energetic during the day. Studies show that adequate sleep can really help you keep the weight off.

I’m happy to report that I did manage to lose the college weight / ‘freshman 15’ within my freshman college year, and also made positive and healthy lifestyle changes that continue to be important.