Is floor nursing making you fat?

Nurses Stress 101

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Specializes in Med/surg, Tele, educator, FNP.

I have been working in the hospital, 12 hour shift setting for many years (13yrs).I have gained about 40 lbs since. I feel the stress and overload of work, unable to eat in a timely manner ect has contributed to this weight gain. Do you feel the same? Or is it just me and my bad eating habits? After work I tend to binge eat especially if I did not get a full lunch.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Some floor nurses are slim with normal BMIs. Other floor nurses are badly overweight. You'll see a mixture of body types on the floor where I work.

I notice that my slimmer coworkers tend to graze on food during the shift as needed. They'll munch on crackers, nuts, fresh fruits, soups, raw veggies, yogurt, and other light food items every few hours.

On the other hand, my heavier coworkers tend to wolf down a couple of large meals each shift, and many admit to stopping at a fast food joint to get something to eat before arriving to work or going home.

I gained almost 20 pounds after a few months of working 12-hour night shifts. For some reason my stomach always felt like a bottomless pit of hunger while working late hours. Also, I am a stress eater. To combat this, I started exercising at least five times per week and changed my eating habits. To keep a long story short, I lost the weight.

Thank you. Nursing makes you FAT! After going home for Mom's funeral, and then realizing that most of my childhood pals had already died of heart disease, diabetes, etc: I decided to heal myself. Five years have flown by- I'm in better shape than high school, alas...now I have to fight to get back into the working class, since I've been unemployed so long, and being unemployed is frowned upon- uber fit and healthy or not, be damned? In fact, I'm scared to go back- I do not WANT cookies, and that stuff shoved at me. It is not my idea of being 'appreciated'.

"Graze". I'm loving it. I won't even say what type of domesticated animal...grazes. Thanks for the chance at levity!

-Fitness Buff

Never have understood how running around like a crazed herd of buffalo for 12 hours straight could make anyone fat.

I suppose metabolism varies widely, but still!

Specializes in Med/surg, Tele, educator, FNP.

True, running around all day then eating a huge burger with fries and a diet, then crashing for the night! LOL?. I wish I had more self control! I know there are fit nurses out there. I guess I set myself up for failure by not planning better.

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Never have understood how running around like a crazed herd of buffalo for 12 hours straight could make anyone fat.

I suppose metabolism varies widely, but still!

Humans are programmed to hold ON to fat, to store it, in preparation of lean times, not to BURN fat, even in times of plenty, or in times of excess excercise. It it very hard in this day and age to burn fat. When your are trapped inside, with people giving you sweets, to thank you for your efforts...it's really a losing proposition...

Specializes in ED.

Yes, I feel fat but because I am fat lol. I want to stand up and raise my hand and say "Hi, I'm twinmommy+2, and ...I'M FAT"

I reciently had the come to Jesus moment when I finally realized, that I'm 37, I have a hard fought thyroid disorder, have two jobs, 4 kids, and school. Severe dieting doesn't work for me, so I exersize at least 2-3 times a week when I find time and realise that hey, I'm ok. My husband loves me and for some reason thinks I'm sexy, my kids think I'm beautiful, so I try and see myself through their eyes.

Specializes in ED.

What I meant by all that through my night shift haze, is that i don't think nursing did this to me, or floor nursing. It is what it is.

Specializes in PCCN.

yes. guilty. Poor hours, poor diet, severe stress -too exhausted to do anything but attempt to sleep and then go back to work.

Was driving home the other day(another 14 hr-12 hr shift) and thinking how the life is being sucked right out of me, only to be replaced by fat.

Throw in that middle age female thing, and voila-recipe for fatness.

Specializes in PCCN.
I know there are fit nurses out there. I guess I set myself up for failure by not planning better.

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My coworker is fit, runs minimarathons,but does shift work, and she just got sent to ED for sbp>190.Its the job...........

makes me wonder- so she eats correct, prob has bmi of 20, runs cause whe enjoys it, but still gets screwed from all the stress.

See? exercise and diet still dont help. removing the cause of stress might help, but who really knows.

I don't know. When I worked on the floor, well, we all ran our butts off, and none of us were fat. Course I've always been a bit on the hyper side of things.

Sure it's not a mid-age shift in metabolism--at least in part? Exercise and eating good stuff. . . maybe check thyroid, other relevant hormones. I've worked busy places, and I still say not taking lunch breaks should be the exception and not the rule. If this has become a trend, it's time to have a meeting with your manager--staffing or something is wrong.

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