I know what you’re all thinking; You survived your first semester of freshman year without gaining the freshman 15. The rumors prior to entering college of weight gain scared you shittless and you hit the gym harder than ever before. Well, don’t get too excited because you still have to survive the less talked about, but even realer sophomore 10.

Coming from someone who experienced it first hand, here are my tips to avoid gaining the sophomore 10. Which, trust me, can be much more real than the freshman 15, once the confidence sinks in, that’s when you need to be the most careful.

Don’t Indulge in Drunchies

gaining

Photo by Meghan Flynn

Sadly, your metabolism is starting to slow. Whether you’re feeling sad, happy, excited, or, lets be real, drunk, do not order pizza. Stumble your way home from the bars to your bed, not the pizza. As much as people like to think greasy food soaks up alc, eating it at late hours can lead to it sitting in your stomach for a long time, staying there and not getting burned like it should. If you must splurge, chose one of these healthy snacks, or an occasion.

Don’t bring your debit card out

gaining

Photo by Ondrej Nemec

Cash is key. Instead of bringing your card out, which God knows will be swiped more times than the amount of shots you’ve taken, only bring enough cash for a cab. Not only will the scale thank you, so will your bank account.

Schedule your gym times, and don’t back out

gaining

Photo by Lauryn Lahr

No excuses. The longer you wait the lazier you’ll get and convince yourself Netflix and ice cream is a better idea. As soon as you start seeing those love handles you’ll regret missing a day at the gym. You now have established your #squad so set up gym times with them. It’s no fun snoozing your alarm when you know your should-be-next-boyfriend is not snoozing his.

Don’t abuse meal plan

gaining

Photo by Ondrej Nemec

After all it is “fake” money right? Having as much food you want at the swipe of a card seems so great, I promise those Oreos have calories. As goes for any event giving away “free” food,  just cuz it’s free doesn’t mean you gotta eat it. But I mean free pizza brightens the wealthiest’s of people’s days. Remember, balance yourself and don’t buy unhealthy snacks just because you can.

Chasers

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Photo by Ondrej Nemec

Swap out high calorie drinks like Coke and Sierra Mist for something with zero calories. An extra 190 calories a night really adds up when you go out 2, 3 … 4 nights a week. Or, if you want to be the real MVP of the night chase with water. You’ll be gaining respect not weight. There are some chasers in this world you simply need to avoid here.