Don’t Fear the Fresher Five
Sarah Saunders (she/her)
CW: discussion of weight gain and disordered eating
On the kitchen floor of my first year common room, amidst the noodle packets and Nitro stains, lived a pair of electronic scales.
Many evenings I would watch as the residents of my floor stepped on to them, assessing the damage. Some, jokingly remarking upon the effects of daily Uber Eats and no more school sport, wore the number as a badge of pride. Some moaned, and made resolutions to hit the gym with a quiet panic in their eyes.
I sat silently, mentally calculating the calories in everything I had eaten that day, panic brewing in my stomach.
Often, the Fresher Five is brought into our consciousness before we even embark on our own university journeys—an inevitable rite of passage, or something to be unsubtly remarked upon by a rude older relative over Christmas lunch. Multiple studies have confirmed the trend of weight gain among first-year university students, with individuals putting on an average of around 3 kg. This is generally credited to the massive change of lifestyle that university presents—no more Saturday netball games or hours on the football field, a whole lot more alcohol consumption, and an increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods (thank you, J&M).
Commenting on this transitory period in the lives of many young people, Professor of Psychology and Acting Dean of Science at Victoria University, Marc Wilson, states: “There's the freedom that comes from being away from the parental units, and that can set the scene for 'new' environmental contingencies. You have a couple of beersies three nights in a row and your hands are going to feel oddly empty on the fourth night. Old routines have been disrupted, and new ones can replace them in only three days flat.”
Fear of this weight gain had firmly implanted itself into my mind by the first day of O-Week. I began to come up with my own ways of ‘cheating’ the system—eating huge plates of lettuce in the dining hall in lieu of actual meals, working out for hours on end, and turning down invitations to anything that might involve food. I avoided the Fresher Five, but gained a terrifying and powerful eating disorder, which essentially destroyed my entire first year of university and almost forced me to drop out. I watched as my peers had the quintessential first year experience—building meaningful connections, exploring who they were as people, living spontaneously—and wondered why I’d ever decided that being thin was more important.
While no specific studies have been done into the prevalence of eating disorders among students, Wilson states that “international survey-based self-report research suggests that between 4% and 10% of male, and maybe 14% to 25% of female, university students report symptoms indicative of eating disorders.”
Arguably, however, disordered eating patterns are often so normalised that they may not even be recognised as problematic. Behaviours associated with diet culture—calorie counting, fad diets, poor body image—have come to permeate our everyday existence, even becoming synonymous with ‘health’. Dietician Andrea Palmer, of Food Habits NZ, believes that a fear of fatness “holds our culture hostage,” leading to the proliferation and acceptance of disordered behaviours.
So I’m here to say this—don’t fear the Fresher Five. Sure, it’s great to maintain healthy habits as you transition into university life. A variety of food, staying active, and generally looking after yourself as much as possible will help you to get the most out of everything (and not cake it on the bathroom floor of Macdonald’s at 9 p.m. after skipping dinner and then skulling a bottle of Cleanskin). Weight gain, however, is also a very normal part of life, especially after a massive change in circumstance. Your body is not going to look the same as it did when you were 16, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a human. As Andrea wisely asserts—“guilt around food is more unhealthy than anything we can eat.”
Looking back, my biggest regret is missing out on so many things, just because I was so petrified of my body being a little bigger. I wish I could have poured that energy into friendships, memories, and my studies. Ironically, when I finally began to do just that, I finally earned my Fresher Five. It was also the happiest time of my life. I carry those kilos on me today, alongside a healthy relationship with food, and a deeply full and joyful life. Reflecting upon my time as a first year, I just wish I could give my sad, scared self a hug, and show her some compassion. If you’re reading this, take it as a sign—delete MyFitnessPal from your phone, go and order some spicy chips from Camel Grill, throw out the scales, and enjoy every moment of it.
If you’re struggling with disordered thoughts or behaviours, please reach out to a health professional.
You can find Andrea and learn more about her philosophy at https://www.foodhabits.co.nz
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