It’s 3 a.m. and you’re out with your friends. Someone mentions a late night In-N-Out run.

You drive by and it’s closed.

You think maybe it’s a sign, maybe I should just go home now, but does that thought stop you from going to Raising Cane’s or Whataburger?

Of course not.

Shelley Smyth, a nutrition and exercise consultant at the Fort Worth Medi Weight Loss Clinic, found herself unable to say no to her late night cravings.

Smyth ended up gaining a total of 30 pounds throughout her freshman year.

Smyth’s biggest problem was that she didn’t consider the consequences of late night eating.

“You see yourself driving through In-N-Out burger,” Smyth said.

For most first-year students, college means one thing: no limits.

Many 17- and 18-year-olds heading off to college are free of their parents’ rules for the first time.

They are so overwhelmed by everything they can do that they are not thinking about packing on a few extra pounds.

But the phenomenon, known as the “Freshman 15,” is such a common occurence that students should be aware of why it happens and, more importantly, how to prevent it from happening to them.

It is a combination of being in a new environment, not understanding healthy eating, a lack of exercise and too much drinking, according to Smyth.

Smyth knows how easy it is for freshmen to succumb to the “Freshman” 15 and has designed a plan to avoid it.

“80-20 is the key,” Smyth said.

For 80 percent of your week, Monday up until 5 p.m. on Friday, you follow a strict eating and exercise plan.

Then after five on Friday until Monday morning you can indulge.

Smyth’s 80-20 plan is easy to stick to because it’s a diet without the feelings of deprivation. It allows freshmen to still have fun on the weekends.

Smyth says throughout the week you should be eating a restricted calorie, low carbohydrate and high protein diet.

This means stocking your fridge with food.

A big factor involved in weight gain is not just late-night eating, but eating out in general.

Smyth suggests keeping lean cut deli meat, microwavable chicken and low-fat white cheese in your dorm room.

Instead of chips and salsa, students should buy carrot sticks and hummus dip or low-fat ranch dressing.

Load up on fruits and vegetables and if students do eat out try to say no to all bread, rice, potatoes and pasta.

“Since there are more fast-food options on campus than health eateries, if you must get a hamburger, skip the bun and grab a fork,” Smyth said. “Be the high- maintenance patron.”

To further ensure you keep on track, Smyth says it is important to keep a journal of everything you eat each day.

“You are less likely to eat that Oreo cookie if you have to write it down and admit you ate it,” she said.

Students have to exercise to stay in shape.

Smyth also says it is important to find an activity you enjoy doing and bring a buddy along to keep you accountable.

Penny Shumway, a SMU incoming freshman, is already on the right track to avoiding the “Freshman 15.”

“My roommate and I are going to try and work out at least three times a week,” Shumway said.

Shumway has seen friends come back from college with a few extra pounds and is aware that it can happen to anyone.

“I didn’t think I would get the “Freshman 15′,” senior Julie Amundson said.

It was a gradual process that happened over two semesters and it took her eight months to get back in shape.

Although the experience has taught Amundson how to take care of herself and be more health conscious, she believes all incoming freshmen should start off college making responsible eating choices and know that the “Freshman 15” really does exist.

For more of Smyth’s tips and advice visit The Daily Campus Health and Fitness Blog.