Plumped freshman? Feign obliviousness

LITTLE ROCK — What should you say to your college kid when he comes home from college having all too clearly gained the notorious Freshman 15?

Not. One. Word.

So says Daphne Oz, author of The Dorm Room Diet and daughter of celebrity cardiovascular surgeon Mehmet Oz. Daphne Oz knows what it’s like to be an overweight adolescent in a health-conscious family. But she lost weight when she went to college.

Oz, 24, insists that silence in the face of the Freshman 15 is a parent’s best strategy, no matter how stressed or uncomfortable it makes you. “This is your child’s first time at home since leaving. They want to come back to their comfort zone.

“You will end up in a massive family feud if you get on their case for packing on a few extra pounds,” Oz says.

Jane Jakubczak, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at the University of Maryland at College Park’s health center, agrees. “Have your child lead the conversation,” she suggests. “She will probably bring it up.”

Several studies have found that when first-year college students gain weight it’s typically more like 5 pounds, not 15.

“Don’t worry too much,” Oz counsels. “Most kids lose it [the extra weight] second semester or next year.”