Holding up a 5-pound medical model of body fat, Penn State Director of Sports Nutrition Kristine Clark said Joe Paterno once asked her where he could buy a similar model.

"It may not be the real thing, but hey, if you want to know where to spend $60 like [Paterno] did, I can show you several places to buy one," Clark said. "It tends to draw a lot of attention."

Clark was using the model as a way to prove her point of the amount of fat a person can accumulate by not eating healthy.

Titled "Get Fit Penn State," Clark and student Stephanie Jablokov (senior-nutrition) held a lecture about eating well and staying fit Wednesday night in Henderson South.

Students that attended the event were offered a free pedometer along with a packet of information providing different ways of eating healthier.

"I wanted to create a program where students learned about what they ate and drank and how it affects their bodies," Clark said. "From what I saw, there is a weight problem here on campus, and I don't think a lot of students are informed on the issues of why they gain weight."

Using PowerPoint, Clark explained to the students how calories play the most important part in maintaining a steady weight.

"It all starts with portions," Clark said. "While calories are essential for any diet plan or eating in general, it is important for students to know the right amount of calories to consume."

Clark went into detail of how calories affect the body, especially after someone overdoes the limit of calories.

"When you overeat, you take in more calories than needed," Clark explained. "Your body then stores these calories into storage and it eventually leads to a buildup, known as body fat."

Clark said that the average 3,500 calories consumed per person come out to be about one pound of fat. It is that fat that can accumulate if the person does little to no exercise to burn off those stored calories.

Jablokov then talked to the students about the amount of calories usually taken in on a typical drinking day.

While a majority of students consume unnecessary empty calories by drinking, it is the "alcohol munchies" where students usually consume the most calories on a drinking night, Jablokov said.

"Imagine you pre-game before you go out, there's 100 calories per shot. Those 100 calories equate to about one mile worth of walking and/or running," Jablokov said. "Now say you take five shots while pre-gaming. Right there, you already dug yourself into a hole of five miles worth of running."

Jablokov then went on to give more information about possible drinks a student may drink throughout the night, such as an 18oz Long Island ice tea would contain 270 calories, a shot of vodka or tequila would have 100 calories per 1.5 oz and a typical 12oz beer would have 150 calories.

While the facts were a bit of shock to the audience, Jablokov said it was possible to still have fun as long as exercise and healthy eating played a key role in a student's life.

Lisa Wandel, director of residential dining, was also in attendance to answer any student concerns about the eating options available on campus.

Wandel said while the transition to provide healthier food options to students has seemed like a "slow one," she feels students will appreciate the benefits as they come.

"I really feel times are changing now with students becoming much more interested in eating and being healthy," Wandel said.

"We had a perception here with students that there were not many healthy eating options available besides Simmons, but slowly we've been making those changes."

Wandel credited some of those changes in areas such as Findlay Commons and Waring Commons, where larger selections of salad bars were implemented.

While there has been some resistance in the past by students, Wandel said that the future looks to be better in transitioning.

"It's just a matter of adapting and educating students early on," Wandel said.