For all students about to face newfound freedom and all-you-can-eat buffets, it's time to cram.

Karrie Bach, a registered dietitian with the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, took a stroll through a University of Colorado dining hall and the university's recreation center during last month's final summer session to offer an initial study guide. Here are her dining-hall survival tips:

• Do a once-over. Then go back and make choices.

• Think about portion size, variety.

• Balance meals with protein. Without it, brain power and immunity will suffer - a bad thing with all those exams ahead and those new close-quarter germs. Protein also makes you feel satiated for longer.

• Eat seven to nine servings of vegetables/fruit a day, which will help fend off illnesses and hunger. Vary choices by color, which supplies different nutrients.

• Eat a hamburger if you want it; just forget the cheese and fries.

• Eat cheese sparingly, and use the 2 percent milk variety, which has about 60 calories per serving, compared with 100 calories in regular.

Fitness factor

Pizza and all-you-can-eat buffets aren't the only culprits in college weight gain. Students leaving high-school sports and physical education classes behind might fall into a sedentary, study-and-socialize-only routine. Simple changes, like trading bus passes for bicycles, can prevent those extra pounds.

More advice from Karrie Bach, registered dietitian with the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine:

• If you haven't been exercising regularly, set a goal of 30 minutes of activity a day and work up.

• Include weight training (muscle increases resting metabolic rate, which means more calories burned, even at rest).

• Meet at least once every six weeks with a trainer to develop a weight-lifting program specific to current fitness levels and goals.

• Walk as much as possible, on and off campus.

• Don't get caught up in the numbers: If a 10-minute walk is all you can fit in, do it and feel good about it.

• Recreation centers allow students to find exercises they like and try new things, whether it's weight-lifting or rock-climbing, in a safe environment.