Chubby Nursing Student****

I gained around 10 lbs last semester, but I am a stress eater and Algebra nearly did me in. I stick with my weightwatchers.com points now and can see and feel the difference.

Check your Thyroid easily missed thing would explain the weight gain , good Luck bryan

Whether you realize it or not you may just be eating more. Do you tend to be up late studying? Ever snack while doing this? If so, you may have found your culprit and it's not one to easily brush aside. (BTW, this is the culprit for my 15-20lb. gain in NS) Your brain needs fuel to work and so you are eating when up late studying, but it's late at night, your metabolism is slower and you are going to bed to try to catch a couple hours of sleep before getting up to start your 20 hour day all over again.

I don't want to be a downer, but I always loose some weight during breaks (winter/summer), and I always gain some weight during the semester. I'm not snacking on chips or candy - fruits, veggies, etc, but it is still food at a time of day when I would not normally eat, and it's probably more than I realize. I'll eat just to get my mind off of my stomach and back onto whatever the nursing topic is that I am SUPPOSED to be studying.

Hang in there...I'm told it gets better and that you can lose the weight after school...or so they say.

Sounds like a nursing student to me

I've gained too, so I totally sympathize. I was 15 pounds from my goal weight when I started NS this past fall, and now I've gained 10. I planned to buckle down and workout to get it off over the break too, but I was so tired and had to work my job so much that it never happened.

I know that my problem is lack of exercise while school is in. I went from religiously working out 3-4 times per week to about once or twice per week by mid-semester. I don't late night snack very often, but I do it sometimes and I know that adds up. Plus, I work 3rd shift at my job, so that's an additional source of stress and weight gain.

Kuddos to you for buckling down and working out over the break. My goal for 2010 is to loose and get to my goal weight again, but I will honestly be just as happy if I can maintain and not gain anything by the time we are pinned in December. Good luck with everything, we can do it!

A few things, keep a food diary to actually review what you are eating. Sometimes we think we are eating much less than we really are. Whenever I do this, it is very enlightening. another thing, if you are in a constant state of stress, your body will hold onto that weight and not let it go. the other thing, eat small meals reguarly. don't go all day without eating as your body will also not want to let go of weight. the final thing is to go to the dr if you feel you are gaining despite your best efforts.

Size 10 and you think you're a blimp? Well I'm a size 13, so I guess I'm Venus. Anyway.... have you tried low carb? This is what I do (and recently started up again). I do this in between kids and the weight almost comes right off. I'm not into exercise (bad I know) so this works for me and I personally don't gain it back. It's amazing what bad carbs do to us. :/

I also agree with erbryan.....I have hypothyroidism and it's a fat making disease. Being funny, but seriously get it checked out, it's a simple blood test.

Thanx for the tips....... I luv the idea about the food diary!!! & the small frequent meals. I am very guilty of going w/ out eating for long periods of time and then probably overdoing it because I'm starving. I am also guilty of not eating breakfast, I usually just pack a health bar tho. I think stress is a major factor, it could be a thyroid problem (I never would have guessed). BTW I know that for some a size 10 isn't much, but on a 5'2'' frame it's not flattering as opposed to someone thats taller.

Hey there... I gained 25 pounds my first year... I couldn't believe it until I tried to squeeze myself in a pair of jeans and literally ripped the belt holders off my jeans ( )... In addition my mom told me my behind was way too wide (MEAN) I put myself on a STRICT regime. I used to run about 3-4 miles 4-5 times a week and was barely doing it 2x a month. So I CUT TV out of my life!!! Went to bed earlier, walked to the train station 2x a day (about 2.5 miles total)... cut the late snacking!!! If I was studying late, I MADE SURE that I only drank water (and lots of it) and if I felt very hungry I would snack on carrots, small fruit, or salad (no dressing). In addition, I made it a must to go to the gym on the weekends (bright and early) and I would come home and relax (SLEEP) and continue with the things I had to do... ALSO... I made breakfast my biggest/heaviest meal! This really helped me and sustained me till i had lunch. I stayed as far away from the vending machine as possible!!! I couldn't afford a new wardrobe, so I HAD to lose the weight... the only thing I bought myself were about 2-3 pairs of BLACK pants in case I couldn't wear my sweats.

Good luck to you and remember you will lose the weight just stayed focused.

You should be eating meat. Protein is the best source of energy and you will loose lbs if you replace bread/carbs with protein. This is the only thing that worked for me and I dont even excercise that much. good luck.

Keep a diary of everything you eat. I know that sometimes I eat more than I thought I did.

I have to respectfully offer a contrary point of view to the poster who suggested you need to eat a lot of meat...just like anything, eating too much protein will also be stored as fat. What happens when people switch to a high-protein diet is that it often fills them up more than the empty-calorie items they used to eat, so you simply just end up taking in fewer calories which leads to weight loss. Plus, we are all aware of the health problems associated with eating a diet high in animal fat.

Your body actually uses carbohydrates for its primary energy source, so go with tons of veggies (around 5 servings a day) and try to curtail your intake of processed foods. Enjoy a varied diet so you never feel deprived, and eat only when you're physically hungry... the key is to stop eating when you're not hungry anymore (not when you're full).

Good luck...I know it's tough to keep the weight off when we sit on our bums 12 hours a day studying. Have you thought about going for a walk or run with classmates before class? I started running again over the break and I'm almost up to 4 miles...I am hoping to keep it going throughout the semester.

You can do it :-)