Are you destined to gain the Freshman Fifteen?

Students today are faced with the serious reality of unwanted weight gain as they enter college. A recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week. This is almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults! In the face of such staggering statistics two obvious questions arise: 1) Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate? and 2) How can college weight gain be avoided?