The concept of the “Freshman 15” has been a topic of interest among college students for generations, but according to University of Massachusetts dietician Elizabeth Devine, it is a “colloquial” term that is not accurate.

Devine, who has been a registered dietician since 2010 and has worked for UMass Dining in some capacity for the past four years, said that the food selection at the University provides “a lot of healthy options to students” that should help pave the way for healthy campus living.

“The dining commons have made a huge transformation from the time I graduated to now,” said Devine, an alumnus of UMass who earned separate bachelor’s degrees in 2002 and 2009. “The offerings and renovations and commitment to local produce and sustainability … I would much rather be a student in the dining commons now than in the past.”

The most recent widespread national study on the “Freshman 15” was conducted in 1997 by two Ohio State research scientists. The study, which had 7,418 participants, found that freshmen, on average, only gained about three pounds over the course of their first year. It also was discovered that less than 10 percent of the sample gained 15 pounds or more, while 25 percent actually lost weight.

In the 2008-2009 school year, UMass had its own “Freshman 15” study consisting of 103 participants. The researchers, one of which was Devine, found that the students only gained about a pound on average from the summer of 2008 to May of 2009.

With the all-you-can-eat buffet-style at UMass, new students may be overwhelmed with all of the selections. That was more or less the case for Kathleen Wynne, now a junior Kinesiology major.

“There’s so many options that you get excited about the plethora of food that you can have,” Wynne said.

Devine suggests strategizing, so as not to overload a plate with unnecessary food that may not be eaten.

“You should try to fill the plate with mostly fruit and vegetables, whole grains and proteins,” said Devine. “It’s also good to start with a smaller portion and going back for more if you’re still hungry.”

But then there are also some, like junior political science and natural resource conservation major Harry Armstrong, that suggest students take advantage of the all-you-can-eat setup.

“Eat as much as you possibly can because you’re paying for it,” Armstrong said. “And if you get fat go to the gym because you’re paying for that too.”

While the buffet-style presents a tantalizing variety of food, there are those that enjoy eating in their dorms at all hours of the day, like freshman Jodie Shea.

“Some days I go all day without eating, and other days, especially when I’m studying, I’ll end up eating all day in my room,” Shea said.

A concept, which Devine calls “mindless munching,” can be a contributor to weight gain if the one “munching” isn’t careful with his or her intake.

Devine advises: “Stop to take a snack break rather than mindless munching at night. It’s also good to snack on food that’s healthy and high in fiber, like fruit and nuts. Try to stay away from) the fried foods.”

But Shea is not worried about weight gain, as she said she goes to the gym five days per week on average – another tip that Devine stresses: exercising daily.

“It’s good to try to get at least 30-to-60 minutes of exercise per day,” Devine said. “Walking to class counts, so going across campus does add up.”

Though some freshmen, like Shea, avoid gaining weight, there are others, like Anderson Paes, a third-year graduate student, who said he gained about 10 pounds in his first year at UMass.

“I would pay $10 to come in and eat whatever I want, so I made sure every penny was worth it,” said Paes, who would generally get about four full plates of food and three drinks over the course of one meal.

“I would actually eat from every single food station they had,” he continued.

Paes now has become accustomed to preparing his meals at home, and through the first month of this school year, he said he lost 10 pounds – which he attributed to sleeping more, eating healthy and lifting weights a few times a week.

Taylor Snow can be reached at [email protected]