When Leitchfield freshman Renee Pinkston first stepped on the Hill, she weighed 254 pounds. The 5-foot-8-inch Pinkston said she has struggled with her weight for almost all of her life.

Pinkston, like many Americans, is obese. Her body mass index is about 13.7 percent over what her weight should be for her height.

She is not unique in her situation. About 31 percent of Americans suffer from obesity, according to the American Obesity Association. This number has risen from 23 percent in 1994.

This percentage includes college students. However, experts on diet, fitness and the obesity epidemic say that simple things can help college students maintain a healthy weight.

When Pinkston got to college, she wanted to stop being part of this obesity statistic. She wanted to make a lifestyle change, she said.

“One of the reasons I came to WKU was because of the Hill,” she said. “I thought, ‘wow, that could help me.’”

Pinkston now tries to eat smaller food portions and walk around campus more. She avoids the campus shuttle unless she is in an absolute hurry.

Pinkston has made walking part of her daily fitness routine.

Before, it took Pinkston 25 minutes to walk from Downing University Center to the Environmental Sciences and Technology Building, but now it takes her seven minutes.

She also walks up and down the halls of her dorm before she goes to bed.

“If you want to change you have to work for it,” she said. “You have to take little steps because it’s not gonna happen overnight.”

The size 22 jeans she wears are fitting looser, and she believes she has lost at least five pounds and dropped a size in clothes.

Pinkston isn’t a slave to the scale though.

She said she stays away from the scale because she knows she has lost weight after going from a double extra large to an extra large in T-shirts.

More than clothes seem to fit Pinkston better now.

One day in Spanish class, the desk seemed really huge and not as confining as before, she said.

She knew the desk size has stayed the same, and attributed the more comfortable fit to her weight loss.

Pinkston is not the only obese student making healthier lifestyle changes.

Bowling Green junior Brad Henning has struggled with weight since he was 8.

Henning grew up with an obese mother, grandmother and aunt. He weighs 290 pounds and is 5 feet 9 inches tall.

Henning said he has kept his weight steady since he came to Western.

Stress holds him back when it comes to weightloss, Henning said. He said his weight fluctuates five to 10 pounds when he’s stressed,

He tries to eat healthier by eating pasta with lots of vegetables or vegetarian foods like the Boca Burger served at Grill Works.

Henning admits he finds it difficult trying to live a healthy lifestyle.

“They lower the prices on unhealthy foods and raise the prices on the healthy foods,” he said. “And I haven’t eaten meat on campus in about a year. It’s really disgusting up here.”

He also struggles to make wise choices when eating off campus.

“The portions are big and you feel obligated to finish it so you aren’t wasting any food,” he said.

Kathryn Steward, health education coordinator at Western, reccommends students read “The Dorm Room Diet” by Daphne Oz if they want to lose weight while on the Hill.

Oz struggled with weight for years. Her father is Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has been on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Steward said.

According to www.dormroomdiet.com, Oz was able to lose 10 pounds her freshman year and maintain a healthy weight during college with the eight-step program she outlined in her book.

James Hill, an expert on obesity from the University of Colorado came to Western on Sept. 11 to speak about the obesity epidemic in America.

Hill stressed that walking around campus is an essential element in helping college students lose weight while at school.

Besides healthier eating habits and walking around campus, Hill also recommends that students eat breakfast.

He said people who eat breakfast tend to lose weight easier and be successful in maintaining their weight loss.

The Preston Center offers several programs that can help students lose weight.

There will be another similar program offered in the spring, said Laura Hall, Preston fitness coordinator.

Hall said Preston can be a tremendous asset to students who want to get fit. She also works as a personal trainer and said personal training could be beneficial to someone who is obese.

At the Health and Fitness Lab, students can have their body fat percentage calculated to within 5 percent using the caliper test, Hall said.

Knowing a person’s body fat percentage will give trainers in Preston an idea for an individual workout plan for the person.

“They would be more apt to come and work out,” Hall said. “With guidance of a personal trainer and learning to do the exercises the right way, someone who is obese would find the one-on-one atmosphere helpful.”

Reach Katharine Greene at diversions@chherald.com.