For incoming freshmen not yet used to the wealth of delectable eats found in State College, the everyday stop into the Berkey Creamery or late-night Pokey Stix binge may still seem like a novelty.

But when the result of such newly-found eating habits manifests itself as the dreaded freshmen 15, students may find themselves wanting to turn back the clock on how they spent their first year of college.

J. Lynne Brown, a professor of food science at Penn State, said she wouldn't suspect that students at Penn State would be any more susceptible to weight gain than at any other university.

But if students live in dorms and eat in dining halls, they are likely to gain weight if they're not smart about food choices, she said.

"I guess there are a lot of things freshmen have to think about," she said. "They need to exert a little self-control, pay attention to that full feeling in their stomach and exercise."

Students can follow Brown's advice by keeping in mind a few lifestyle essentials.

Don't go commons crazy

The all-you-can-eat setup of the university dining commons is the biggest cause of student weight gain, nutrition assistant for Penn State Food Services Jessica Lindgren said. Her staff really stresses that students need to be responsible in their eating habits instead of taking one of everything they see.

"Taking one portion would be better than stuffing your face," she said.

To this end, the commons now include cards to indicate fat and calorie count for every entrée in line.

Entrées that are marked as "healthy" options are guaranteed to have less than 400 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving, Lindgren said.

Students can also look up the menus for what will be served that day so that they can go in and know what they want to eat already, instead of just going in hungry and willing to eat anything, Lindgren said.

"We just want to make them aware so they can make their own decisions," she said. "We don't want to say there are good and bad foods, just good and bad behavior."

Brown said students are more likely to overeat in a "rich food environment" like the dining commons, as opposed to in an apartment.

Find gym time

Adjusting to the college class schedule can be a tough transition period, and hitting the gym may be the first activity that dips below a busy student's radar.

Jill Garrigan, the Penn State strength and fitness coordinator, said college-age students do not have to exercise more than any other age group.

However, this is the age that people start to set up habits, so students should start getting in an exercise routine now, she said.

Garrigan recommends writing down a regular workout plan in a daily planner, just as students would a class or work schedule.

She added that when facing a hectic schedule, students should not ignore the early morning as gym time -- scheduling exercise earlier makes it more likely students will follow through at some point in the day.

"You don't have to be beautiful," she said. "Just get up, barely brush your teeth and get there, and the rest of your day will go better," she said.

For freshmen students who may not be familiar with gym equipment, Garrigan suggested scheduling what she called a "get fit" orientation, in which students can get instructions on some of the harder-to-use machines.

Brown stressed the importance of exercise when trying to avoid the freshmen 15 and recommended students check out the various fitness classes, as well as consider taking part in an intramural sport.

Avoid the late-night binge

Research has shown that people eat more when they're in a group, and Brown said they're usually snacking on fattening foods like potato chips, pretzels and pizza.

And downtown delivery places stay open late, setting up the perfect late-night, high-calorie food binge.

Gumby's Pizza, 300 S. Pugh St., is one downtown eatery known to do a lot of business during late nights on the weekends. Brian Shields, a manager of Gumby's, said students will gladly walk the few blocks to the downtown pizzeria to get their pizza "hot and ready" on the weekend.

Shields added that Gumby's will advertise to freshmen, and he believes that once they try the pizza, they keep coming back throughout the rest of their time at Penn State.

The restaurant's popular Pokey Stix contain three cheeses, a garlic butter sauce and oven-baked bread, but there is no nutritional information readily available online for patrons.

Jordan Francisco (junior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said as a manager of D.P. Dough, 401 E. Beaver Ave., he doesn't know how many calories are in their most popular calzone, but he's guaranteeing it's a lot.

"It's pretty gross," he said.