Nursing School Weight! Help!

Nurses Stress 101

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Specializes in Medical/Surgical, L&D, Postpartum.

Hi everyone! I just graduated NS and am taking the boards on 07/15. I am soooooo nervous. Before nursing school I weighed about 140 lbs and I am 5'5, I am comfortable at this weight. However 2 years later I am at 154 lbs. EEEKK!!! I can't believe I have put on this much weight!! I blame it on the stress and my tendency to overeat when I am stressed. I am hoping that after I take the boards this Tues I can focus on me and get my body back into better shape. I have tried weight watchers and almost every diet you can imagine. I was just wondering if there is anyone out there who has had a similar situation and what did you do?? Any tips on losing all this "nursing school" weight!! HELP!! LOL

Erika Ann

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Erika,

This is so common. I agree, it's all about stress & also picking up bad habits like snacking while studying or, in my case, knowing I'd be too tired to cook when I got home so fast food called my name, several times a week. I gained 20 lbs & I was already overweight.

It is now 9 months later & guess what? I'm still carrying most of that 20 lbs. The new job is just as stressful! I also had some heath problems & for the first time in my life was told by my doctor that I was not allowed to lose weight. I'm past that point in my treatment & still haven't lost much of it, maybe 6-7 lbs.

I think we just have to be very careful about food choices made. At work we have a drawer full of crackers & goodies for the nurses to snack on. I made a conscious choice to never open that drawer & to refuse if offered any of those goodies. It's helping.

Good luck!

Dixie

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

I weighed about 160 pounds at the start of my LVN program in 2004. One year later, I had gained over 40 pounds due to the sedentary lifestyle, eating fast food meals on the run, and spending plenty of time sitting on my butt in class and while driving. I felt disappointed because I was at my largest weight ever.

I had to lose the weight the old-fashioned way, through exercise and limiting my caloric consumption.

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Specializes in none.

omg!!! before i started nursing school, i lost 20 lbs. during school, i gained that back plus about 15 more!!!!! 35 freakin pounds!!! i have lost about 8-9 of it since, but i'm working on it. it's a daily struggle for me. when i lost the 20, i did the maker's diet. now i'm doing the perfect weight. both of these are from dr jordan rubin who has an amazing story about his own health issues. go to jordan rubin.com & get his info from there.

good luck on the weight loss and on your boards. i'm a retaker...failed the 2nd time last week. i'll get this time!!!!! praying for you!!!:redbeathe :)

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Thank you to all of you for sharing your insights on this. I am a nursing student going into my first semester, and this is one of the things I was concerned about. I am comfortable with my current weight (135 at 5' 7'') and do not want a weight gain to make me lose my focus.

I am planning on preventing the weight gain by following what TheCommuter has done. I am also lucky that my college campus has a gym and I have a break in my daily schedule to work out between classes.

Good Luck to all of you

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Specializes in ICU, Psych.

I had lost 40 pounds in my first two semesters of nursing school...the foundations stuff where I only had class one day a week and was at the hospital maybe four times in the semester and everything was just easy and low stress.

Enter med-surg and two days a week at the hospital for school plus working plus stressing over grades and not killing my patients and now, two weeks before graduation...I've gained every single freakin' pound back.

Grrrrr!!!

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

weight watchers. it works.

i gained 15 pounds during nursing school from stress, making poor eating choices while studying and having no time for exercise.

i dont attend meetings, i just have the books and i count my points. everytime i lose 3 pounds i change my points allowance so i don't plateau. it is super easy once you get the hang of it because really you can eat anything you want, including fast food, as long as you stay within your points limit--and if you dont, you get "emergency" points for the week.

im down 7 pounds, and ive only been on the program for a little over a month. slow and steady... but its working.

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Specializes in CVICU, ER.

Oh my goodness! I had lost 20lbs before going into nursing school. I thought those girls who warned of the weight gain were just the exception. I don't know if I just let their little comments telling me to expect to gain weight linger in the back psyche, but I did. I am not even done with nursing, still have 2 semesters to go, and I have gained all of what I'd lost plus 15 extra... :cry: Putting me at my highest weight ever. I am beginning to have problems sleeping with the added weight. I am MiSeRaBlE, if there ever was such a thing. I am going to the NP Thurs. to get some phentermine, and take that along with a high protein/low carb. I really know no other way to get started. School starts back up in about 3 weeks, and to tell you the truth I am almost embarrassed :imbar to go back to school with all this extra weight. I figured I'd lose some through the summer, but no, I have worked and not made the time to lose it. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Even though I know it is not long term, I have to get some of this weight off.

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I'm starting Monday and not only am I scared about that in itself I'm scared about weight gain. I lost about 32 with WW but I know when I'm stressed I turn to pizza and everything else I love. UUUGGHHHH, I've been plannign ahead on what snacks I can take to school for the long hours. Those diet meal bars keep me satisfied for about 1/2 hour so that's no good.

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Specializes in CVICU, ER.

i am happy to report that i went to the dr, and have already lost about 9lbs :yeah: i'm excited, and more motivated than ever! i start classes tomorrow, and i am planning on carrying a small playmate cooler with water, and something healthy to eat, and stay away from the vending machine. if i can give any advice, just be aware of what you are doing. don't blindly think, "oh, it's just this once" and put your money in that vending machine anyway. every time i would go to get a diet drink, there was the snack machine sitting right beside the drink machine saying you're gonna need me during that long lecture... this time, i am going to take my own drinks, and stay away from that part of the cafeteria. just be conscious of what you are doing and you'll be fine. there are girls who i started with who haven't gained anything. you will be fine. good luck!! :wink2:

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

When in doubt... eat less, move more.

I know, I know. Easier said than done. :D

Good luck everyone.

Best,

Diane

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I also gained about 15 pounds during the program. I just started my diet on yesterday which includes eating 5 times a day and working out for about an hour. It is so easy to gain weight while in the program because you eat on the run and it is usually the wrong thing to eat. Also, eating while studying late at night also helps to put weight on.

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