TL;DR
The “Freshman 15” is more myth than reality. Research doesn’t support that most college students gain fifteen pounds, and the fear surrounding it does far more harm than the weight gain itself ever could. What often goes unmentioned is that some weight gain during the college years is completely normal and expected, since the body continues developing until at least age 21. Treating this natural growth as something to fear or prevent is not only inaccurate but can actively contribute to disordered eating and the development of eating disorders.
Rather than fixating on body size, college students are better served by eating consistently across all food groups, fueling adequately for physical activity, and fully embracing the social and cultural experiences that make college meaningful. Parents can play a powerful role by normalizing body changes, discouraging diet talk, and staying alert to early warning signs of an eating disorder. If preoccupation with food, weight, or exercise begins to take over, specialized eating disorder therapy for college students can help.
Let’s Not Fear College Weight Gain—Let’s Normalize It!
College students throughout the US are heading off to their first year of college. Most are excited and also a little anxious. Among the common worries: Will I get along with my roommate? Will I make friends? Will I be able to keep up with the academics?
Unfortunately, because we are in a fatphobic society, young adults heading off to college may also be worrying, “Will I gain the freshman 15?” It is such a sad commentary on our society that this may be at the forefront of our incoming college students’ concerns.
Is the “Freshman 15” a Myth?
In 2014, Olga Khazan, in an Atlantic article, dispelled the myth of the “Freshman 15.” The “Freshman 10” was first referenced in a New York Times article about Jodie Foster in 1981. In 1989, Seventeen Magazine re-coined it as the “Freshman 15.” However, research has not even supported that the freshman 15 actually happens. Not all college students gain weight.
Is Weight Gain in College Expected?
What none of these articles fail to mention is that all humans are expected to continue to gain weight until at least age 21. Even after reaching adult height, young men and women still gain weight, as indicated by the growth curves. What these demonstrate is a continued upward trend between ages 18 and 20. Your body is still developing.
In fact, as an eating disorder therapist, I have to emphasize that worrying about the “Freshman 15” has been cited as a contributor to eating disorders and disordered eating. This is much more serious and consequential than gaining the expected 3—or even more—pounds.
Instead of fear-mongering around weight gain, we need to normalize that this is important, critical weight gain that one needs to become a healthy adult. We need to lean into body growth and development instead of avoiding it.
Eating Disorders in College Are the Real Danger
College is a common time for eating disorders to emerge or reemerge. Thus, it is important to be vigilant and guard against the development of an eating disorder. This can be extremely challenging when the college environment reinforces fatphobic messaging. Diet Culture messages are all over college campuses, especially in Los Angeles.
What is a Better Course of Action for College Students?
So, the freshman 15 is not a real thing. Rather than focusing on avoiding weight gain, focus on eating enough. Regular eating for a college student should be 3 meals and 1 to 3 snacks per day. Meals should comprise all the food groups. Don’t restrict or diet. If you do, you risk missing out on the joy of eating and socializing.
Ensure you fuel enough for any additional activity and take rest days from sports or exercise. Ensure you get the full college experience. This includes meals with friends, drinking responsibly, and late-night pizzas.
Be aware of messaging that you need to control your body and try to remain the same weight or smaller. These messages may come from peers, institutions, and health professionals. Educate yourself about diet culture and how to stand up to it.
Focus on appreciating your body for its current abilities and what it allows you to do. Fight for the acceptance of all body sizes so that people in all bodies are free from stigma and know their value.
When your body changes, embrace it. Our bodies change throughout our lives, and this is normal. Remember your inner child who wanted to be grown up.
Watch for Signs of An Eating Disorder in College
If you notice that you are becoming increasingly preoccupied with your shape or size, what to eat, and how much to exercise, please seek help. Don’t wait for things to get more serious. Eating disorders can progress quickly. Early intervention at EDTLA can help.
For Parents of College Students
If you are a parent of a new college student, talk to them about the expectation that they will gain weight in a positive way. Normalize it and help them embrace all the things their grown-up body will be able to do. Discourage them from dieting and let them know their body size is acceptable where it is now and where it might go—wherever that is. Watch for signs of an eating disorder developing in your college student.
Join our College Process Group
We are also running a process group for college students with eating disorders.
Is Fear of Weight Gain Taking Over? Eating Disorder Therapy For College Students in Los Angeles Can Help
If anxiety about body changes, food, or the “Freshman 15” is overshadowing what should be one of the most exciting chapters of your life, college student eating disorder therapy can help you untangle those fears and build a healthier, more confident relationship with your body and food. Working with a specialized eating disorder therapist means gaining the tools to push back against diet culture messaging so you can fully embrace everything college has to offer.
You shouldn’t have to spend your college years obsessing over what you eat, how much you weigh, or whether your body is changing. Evidence-based therapy can help you develop a more balanced, flexible approach to eating, challenge the fatphobic messages that surround you on campus, and recognize and address disordered eating patterns before they escalate into something more serious.
At our Los Angeles eating disorder therapy practice, our experienced therapists specialize in supporting college students and teens with a weight-inclusive, anti-diet approach that prioritizes your overall well-being over your body size. And with online counseling available throughout California, getting support is more accessible than ever. Here’s how to begin:
- Contact Eating Disorder Therapy LA directly to talk about what you’re experiencing
- Fill out our brief Google form, and we’ll match you with an eating disorder therapist in Los Angeles, CA
- Start building a college experience defined by connection, nourishment, and body confidence — not fear of weight gain
Other Services Eating Disorder Therapy LA Provides in California
When diet culture messaging and fear of weight gain begin interfering with a college student’s ability to eat freely, socialize confidently, and enjoy campus life, specialized therapy can be a powerful turning point. With compassionate, weight-inclusive professional support, college students can expect to develop a more peaceful relationship with their changing body, break free from disordered eating patterns fueled by fatphobia, and rediscover the joy of eating without guilt or fear.
At Eating Disorder Therapy LA, we provide personalized, evidence-based care to college students, teens, children, adults, and caregivers, offering weight-inclusive treatment across the full spectrum of eating disorders and related concerns. In addition to supporting college students navigating body image challenges and disordered eating, we offer specialized therapy for Anorexia Nervosa, Atypical Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Family-Based Treatment (FBT). We also provide support for Excessive Exercise, Body Image challenges, and Phobias Related to Swallowing, Choking, and Vomiting.
To ensure that flexible, high-quality care is within reach for college students wherever they are, our Los Angeles therapy practice offers both online counseling and group therapy for eating disorders, as well as small group FBT and ARFID consultations, eating disorder education, speaking and training, school programs, and clinical supervision for eating disorder therapists.
We invite you to explore our eating disorder blog and Dr. Mulheim’s published books for additional insight and guidance: When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder and The Weight-Inclusive CBT Workbook for Eating Disorders (available in 2026). To reach our team directly, call (323) 743-1122 or email Hello@EDTLA.com. We’re here to help college students move through this chapter with confidence, nourishment, and freedom from diet culture’s grip.
About the Author
As a passionate advocate for weight-inclusive care and a clinician who has spent her career helping college students and teens push back against the very diet culture messages that fuel fears like the “Freshman 15,” Dr. Lauren Muhlheim brings both clinical expertise and genuine conviction to this topic. As the founder of Eating Disorder Therapy LA, she holds the credentials Psy.D., FAED, and CEDS-C, and has built her practice on the belief that all bodies deserve care, respect, and freedom from the harmful messaging that so often drives disordered eating on college campuses and beyond.
Across her career, Dr. Muhlheim has developed specialized expertise in treating anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and related concerns in clients of all ages, with a particular focus on supporting teens and college students through the developmental and recovery challenges that diet culture so frequently complicates. Her weight-inclusive, anti-diet philosophy is woven throughout her clinical work and her two published books. When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder and The Weight-Inclusive CBT Workbook for Eating Disorders (available in 2026. She’s also created one of the only FBT training courses for dietitians currently available in the field.
One of a select few FBT-certified therapists in Los Angeles, Dr. Muhlheim is a recognized leader in family-centered, weight-inclusive eating disorder advocacy and treatment. She is licensed in California, Indiana, New York, and Oregon. She also holds a telehealth license in Florida, making her expertise accessible to college students and families across the country.