When you head off to school for a new semester, your life can suddenly become exceptionally busy. In your freshman year, this can lead to rapid weight gain – the dreaded “freshman fifteen.” However, with the right diet and fitness tips for college students, it’s possible to turn yourself into the exception to the rule.

If you know the right eating and fitness tips for college students, it is possible to balance your classes, papers, exams, reading and active social life while avoiding weight gain – or at least not fifteen pounds.

You may never have struggled with weight management and wellness before in your life. That said, your new lifestyle can change that very quickly. The last thing you want is to gain weight or give an illness the chance to catch up with you and hold you back.

Use the following diet and fitness tips for college students to stay ahead of the game:

Eat breakfast – even if you don’t get up until noon, make a point of eating a good and nutritious breakfast. It will keep your metabolism going, provide you with energy and control your appetite.

Know proper portion sizes – you might want to start your year with a food log. These diet trackers are available online and great ones will have a large database so you can enter everything you’ve eaten into a diary and see how many carbs, proteins, fats and calories you’re eating every day. It may be eye opening and just the information you need to do things right.

Aim for variety – you may have your favorites available to you at the cafeteria every day but that doesn’t mean you should have it all the time. Variety will help you to know you’re achieving a rounder nutrition and not a rounder waistline.

Stretch several times per day – stretch when you get up in the morning, after you’ve been sitting for a while, and in the evening. Gentle stretching – not like you’re headed out to run a marathon – can encourage better blood circulation and can give you energy and flexibility. It will make it easier for you to move so you will be less inclined to be sedentary.

Ride a bike – if you’re traveling from one side of campus to the other or to a store that isn’t too far away, use a bike. Cycling can get you places surprisingly quickly and avoids the need for cars, parking and bus passes. Plus, you’ll get a few minutes of exercise in every time you head out.

Try a healthful diet pill – TrimThin X700 isn’t a diet plan unto itself but it will help you to control your appetite and boost your fat burning to keep those freshman fifteen just that much further away.