Did anyone lose weight AFTER becoming a nurse?

lakerette01 · Mar 7, 2007

I did lose some weight, but I call it my "anxiety" diet. I have began to workout again, and that helps with both the anxiety and stress as well as keeping the weight off.

lauron9 · Mar 7, 2007

I had gained about 15 pounds my last two semesters of college. I guess it was from all the stress but mainly my eating habits. My classmates and I would eat fast food about 3 days a week after clinicals and then eat in the school cafeteria the other days. There also wasn't much time for exercise. I started working night shift in June and by October, I had lost 30 pounds. I attributed the weight loss to not eating out every day and getting a little bit more exercise while working. Our cafeteria at work is only open 6:30am to 6:30pm, so the temptation to eat greasy food isn't there.

crb613, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2007

I've lost about 10lbs so far....I think its working noc's. I run my butt off, rarely get any supper breaks, & am just too tired to eat when I get home.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2007

:roll
LMAO, I feel the same way. When my coworkers tell me they are going to gym after work, I say YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! Repositioning your 300+ lb plus patients Q2hr hasn't been enough lifting for one day? The 5 miles of very fast walking you have done in the last 13 hours hasn't burned enough calories for you? The last thing I need after work is to go to the gym!

Can you please explain this to my folks?

They are absolutely livid that I'm leading an unhealthy lifestyle! "All you do is sleep all day" (uhh, I work 5 nights a week?) and "you don't get enough exercise! All you do is watch TV when you get home!" (yeah. I sit on my butt all night long...) :uhoh3:

Seriously, they don't seem to be able to comprehend why I feel "tired and zoned out" after a nights worth of work. I am sometimes tempted to tell them to "please handle my 7 patients and their families for one night and then give me lectures" but I hold my tongue. They seem perplexed by the fact that not only am I physically tired but mentally too...

cheers,

blueiwahine · Mar 7, 2007

Once you start working...you'll drop some pounds...I know I've lost 10 lbs off the 30 I gained while I was in nursing school. I hardly ever get a chance to sit down and have lunch at work and I'm constantly walking most of my shift...

ZootRN · Mar 7, 2007

Um..you guys gonna laugh..gained 5 pounds while in school, lost them immediately after plus 3 more, and my weight hasn't changed since then.

kstec, LPN · Mar 7, 2007

I did it backwards. I lost 17 pounds in the 11months of LPN school. I looked like an Ethiopian. Now I've put that back on and then some. I think I've put on weight because my stress level is lower and all I do is eat. When I was in school I never ate.

jill48, ASN, RN · Mar 7, 2007

I WISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :no:

pcicurn7 · Mar 8, 2007

i lost 38 lbs during nursing school. i joined weight watchers my 2nd month into NS, and never looked back. yes, it was a sacrifice, but totally worth it, and i'm really happy i didnt wait until graduation to start, otherwise i would have had A LOT more weight to lose.

i went to the gym, about 4 times a week (on and off, sometimes i was too broke to afford the gym...lol). I went in the mornings, before going to work (i worked from 9-5 pm, school from 5:30 to 10:30, 4 times a week). It CAN be done, its just a pain.

BUT the results are SOOO well worth every single sacrifice.

i did gain about 6 lbs between graduation parties and studying for the NCLEX, though. I've been on WW for 3 years...i'll always be on it, even when i start my new job

gr9153 · Oct 15, 2011

Im a new grad and have lost about 10lbs since i started work about 2 months ago. Like others have said, I always pack lunch from home, that way I have no reason to waste money on ordering food from the cafeteria. Also my 12 hrs are so busy and stressful that sometimes I only get to eat lunch around 2pm...and my last meal was at 6am. By then, I don even have much of an appetite but I make myself eat it to prevent getting malnourished. After work, Im starving but again, Im so exhausted that the only energy I have goes towards showering and I usually end the night with a small cup of soy milk or some fruit. I noticed that even on my days off, my appetite remains small....and I think it is bcos my stomach has shrank. I'm only 5'2 so that 10lbs off shows real well and honestly, I love it! Oh n no, I have yet to hit the gym. Stay healthy my fellow nurses!

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2011

Unfortunately, studies have shown the stressful environment actually causes weight gain.

I did lose weight when I was on the midnight shift. Think I didn't eat because I was so out of synch with that shift.

Packing healthy lunches is a great idea, as it is tempting to eat fast food or (worse) cafeteria food.

Good luck.

beckster_01, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2011

I have lost 15 lbs of the 20 that I gained in nursing school. Without even trying! I was pretty unhealthy in school though...during finals weeks I would literally spend 12 hours+ writing papers/studying, and I would eat the whole time. Now I eat normal meals, don't have time for more than 1 healthy snack during the day (if I'm lucky). I also got a dog as soon as a started working (add 3 miles of walking a day to whatever I do at work). I can't even afford to buy food at our cafeteria. $10 a day for a sub-par meal, especially when it takes 15 minutes out of my precious 30min lunch break? Noooo thank you.