Is floor nursing making you fat?

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

Because you aren't eating while you run around. So your body holds onto calories because it thinks it's starving. Then you make up for it at the end of the shift by FINALLY eating. And your body holds onto all those calories because it thinks tomorrow it's going to starve. Nursing can really jack up your metabolism.
I think it was the second post that was right. You've got to graze while you're working.

Then it would follow logically that it isn't floor nursing that is "making [you] fat" per se, but more one's food choices (or lack thereof) before/during/after working the floor due to the pace.

wooh, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

Depends on if you're able to graze or not. If I can't get away from the floor long enough to get a snack, I can't graze. It's easy to blame food choices. But it's more than calories in/calories out. I've seen people doing P90X, Insanity, etc. and eating super clean that aren't losing weight because they aren't eating enough calories.. 20 minutes on the elliptical at the exact same pace can burn VASTLY different amounts of calories depending on one's metabolism. Running around constantly without eating will shut your metabolism down to where you burn bare minimum calories to make it through.

This isn't even getting into the stress caused by the running around that shoots up your cortisol levels.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

I lost 8 lbs since starting my new job, which includes night rotation. I figured out how I did it:

I graze during the day; I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Lots of protein or fiber snacks, fresh fruits, veggies, salads, wraps, variation of meats and beans. I also prepare most of my food at home, and if I do sneak off to a greasy meal, it is once every two weeks. I also drink lots of water, smoothies, and tea, and don't excess over extra salt, sugar or caffeine; moderation.

I meditate. I've meditated since PN school, because of my test anxiety, and found it beneficial for the rest of my life, lol. I pick and choose my battles, and can only control my actions. I leave work at work and look ahead; if one looks at life as a constant problem, then satisfaction an happiness will seem unattainable. I'm not saying my life is sunshine and rainbows, but my experiences on problem solving have evolved, reflect, process, reprocess, store and rebuild, and move on.

I stay active with cardio, strength and yoga.

Stress is NO joke, and can wreak havoc physically and hormonally. Striking a balance to take care of oneself is a great key in staying healthy.

hp79 · Apr 3, 2013

I've never been overweight, i just know about where my body feels best, healthiest. I graze a lot too. On the days I work (3 12-14 hour shifts a week) I eat 6-8 mini meals a day. Lots of proteins and healthy foods, it just seems to be what I gravitate toward, not really even a decision per se. On one of my days off, I "fast" by only taking in about 500-600 calories. The other days off, I eat what I want. I think because of my changes in eating habits at work as well as my fasting day, it seems that on the days I eat what I want, I want healthy stuff! I've lost 15 lbs since January and I feel better.

kht124 · Apr 4, 2013

Being in nursing school is making me fat. I think it is the stress, the fast food, energy drinks, late nights studying and snacking, lack of exercise and decrease of care in one's appearance d/t... well, aint nobody got time for that in nursing school...lol. I usually get quite fit in the summer since I actually have time to work out ( and want to work out) and care for myself. But, as soon as nursing schools starts, the weight will start to creep back in about 2 weeks. Apparently, according to people's comments on here, it's not going to get that much better once I am a nurse. -_-

SuzieVN · Apr 4, 2013

Depends on if you're able to graze or not. If I can't get away from the floor long enough to get a snack, I can't graze. It's easy to blame food choices. But it's more than calories in/calories out. I've seen people doing P90X, Insanity, etc. and eating super clean that aren't losing weight because they aren't eating enough calories.. 20 minutes on the elliptical at the exact same pace can burn VASTLY different amounts of calories depending on one's metabolism. Running around constantly without eating will shut your metabolism down to where you burn bare minimum calories to make it through.
This isn't even getting into the stress caused by the running around that shoots up your cortisol levels.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Being under intense pressure ought to make you burn calories- but it does have the opposite effect- no matter how hard you have to work.

SuzieVN · Apr 4, 2013

I lost 8 lbs since starting my new job, which includes night rotation. I figured out how I did it:
I graze during the day; I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Lots of protein or fiber snacks, fresh fruits, veggies, salads, wraps, variation of meats and beans. I also prepare most of my food at home, and if I do sneak off to a greasy meal, it is once every two weeks. I also drink lots of water, smoothies, and tea, and don't excess over extra salt, sugar or caffeine; moderation.
I meditate. I've meditated since PN school, because of my test anxiety, and found it beneficial for the rest of my life, lol. I pick and choose my battles, and can only control my actions. I leave work at work and look ahead; if one looks at life as a constant problem, then satisfaction an happiness will seem unattainable. I'm not saying my life is sunshine and rainbows, but my experiences on problem solving have evolved, reflect, process, reprocess, store and rebuild, and move on.
I stay active with cardio, strength and yoga.
Stress is NO joke, and can wreak havoc physically and hormonally. Striking a balance to take care of oneself is a great key in staying healthy.

Robert Slap - Eternal Om (Eternal Om) - YouTube

A favorite.

MotherRN · Apr 4, 2013

Then it would follow logically that it isn't floor nursing that is "making [you] fat" per se, but more one's food choices (or lack thereof) before/during/after working the floor due to the pace.

I think the main point here is that nursing, by nature, prevents you from keeping a healthy schedule so you can eat right/on time etc. Because nurses are so overworked, the aren't given the reasonable resources needed to care for themselve while they care for their patients. So, yes, nursing is making you fat!

But, it is possible to combat the lack of time to eat properly through better planning and better choices. Still, some will not be able to prevent the pounds due to their individual body chemistry while others may be thin no matter what is thrown at them due to genetics.

The average response is really the one being discussed here.

MotherRN · Apr 4, 2013

Depends on if you're able to graze or not. If I can't get away from the floor long enough to get a snack, I can't graze. It's easy to blame food choices. But it's more than calories in/calories out. I've seen people doing P90X, Insanity, etc. and eating super clean that aren't losing weight because they aren't eating enough calories.. 20 minutes on the elliptical at the exact same pace can burn VASTLY different amounts of calories depending on one's metabolism. Running around constantly without eating will shut your metabolism down to where you burn bare minimum calories to make it through.
This isn't even getting into the stress caused by the running around that shoots up your cortisol levels.

When I first started working LTC at a facility that didn't let you have your lunch and ran your legs off (you had to wear a beeper and were times on how quickly you answered the call bells), I started to lose weight due to not eating and running around. But, soon enough, that stopped. I just stayed where I was in weight and felt like crap because I was not getting enough sugar to my brain because I wasn't allowed to eat. I then looked at a co-worker who had been on the job 4 months longer than me. And noticed, inspite of running around, she had a fat *** and the unit manager, also running around, had a fat *** so I came to the opinion that your body adjusts to the stress and lack of fuel by holding on to what it has. We, too, were not able to graze on the shift. Eight hour LTC shift aren't long enough to even allow you to go to the bathroom most days!

MotherRN · Apr 4, 2013

Being in nursing school is making me fat. I think it is the stress, the fast food, energy drinks, late nights studying and snacking, lack of exercise and decrease of care in one's appearance d/t... well, aint nobody got time for that in nursing school...lol. I usually get quite fit in the summer since I actually have time to work out ( and want to work out) and care for myself. But, as soon as nursing schools starts, the weight will start to creep back in about 2 weeks. Apparently, according to people's comments on here, it's not going to get that much better once I am a nurse. -_-

EXACTLY what happened to me in nursing school. The first summer off, I lost 20 lbs through exercise and diet. Within the first semester, I had put back on 10. Then, in the winter months, back came the other 10 plus more. The second summer, I joined Weight Watchers and again, lost 20 lbs. Then, you guessed it, school started again, and it was the final killer semester, and oh yeah, that weigh flew back on!

When in school, you don't have the autonomy to truly plan your time-they decide EVERYTHING- it's their way or the highway. The assignments are too many and the days too long, not to mention the marathon study sessions that made me fear I would develop a DVT for not moving from a sitting position ofter enough! STRESS! And, it's ugly step-sister-pounds of fat!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2013

But, it is possible to combat the lack of time to eat properly through better planning and better choices. Still, some will not be able to prevent the pounds due to their individual body chemistry while others may be thin no matter what is thrown at them due to genetics.

I should also mention that I have a slower-than-normal metabolism due to hypothyroidism, which is a disorder I have had since 2005. I end up having to be more vigilant about my food choices and work harder than the next person in order to maintain or lose the pounds.

I recall one month last spring when I jogged for 60 minutes daily and maintained a clean diet with an intake of about 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, but did not lose any weight after 30 days. That was discouraging and disappointing.

Tait, MSN, RN · Apr 4, 2013

People at work used to make fun of me because I would bring applesauce in those little kid packets to work. Ease of it was it was quick sugar, fruit, and didn't require a spoon!