gained alot of weight as a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Respiratory, Cardiac, ED, Maternity, Ped.

I have been a nurse 4 years. I have been a nurse in Labor and Delivery a little over a year....in that year I have gained 22 pounds. I started out at 135 and now weigh 157. I am so upset about this and am feeling really disappointed in myself for letting this happen. In the past I have gained 5 or 10 pounds in the past and lost it easily, this time I am having a tough time. I am only 5 ft. tall so I feel huge at this weight! I have always had a butt and thighs but this weight is in my stomach and I am so embarrassed! Every day I hate having to pick out an outfit because I feel like I look awful in anything. I am wondering if anyone else has gone through this and if anyone has any advice?

Start counting calories, 1200 a day.

Start walking.

Was just thinking about this subject today when I noticed a Medscape email titled 'assessing adiposity'. I guess nurses end up assessing their own adiposity sooner or later. Just be glad you are not talking about 80 or 100 lbs yet.

If you're working nights, get off as soon as possible.

Your body is trying to tell you something.

People might tell you, nights'll get better, you'll get used to it eventually - well, I did nights for years, and looking back, I don't know how I did it. It was like being in hell. Of all those years, I can remember a bare handful that was not a torturous struggle to stay awake. I gained weight, I was depressed and irritable all the time. I'll never work another night shift, I don't care how much they offer me.

Of course, if you're not working nights,disregard everything I've said. Just stop eating so much.

I am 5 1/2 half months post partum. I am about 5 feet tall and gained 60 IBS during my pregnancy! I have lost all but 10. As you know after having a baby you have a belly and I know how you feel, it's embarasing.

Don't try and starve yourself because that will only make you crave more. The best advice I have is to keep a food diary for 2 weeks and dont cheat! Be honest with yourself about what you eat, how much you eat(serving sizes according to labels), and why you are eating. Write it all down. Then after 2 weeks see how many calories you have been eating per day, what kind of food you are eating, and why you are eating(stress, boredum, habits)

Next assess your food preferences and determine what healthy foods you like. The unhealthy stuff limit to once or twice a week as a treat.

Then you have to make time for excersize. Walking is a great way to start. I used Leslie Sansone videos. They are fun and great for beginners but they get your heart rate up.

Finally, do NOT weight yourself more than once a week or you'll find yourself obsessing and getting frustrated.

Good Luck.

Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.

I know your pain, here's one of my first AN posts. We need a weight loss group on this site. LOL!

https://allnurses.com/nursing-humor-share/my-job-making-559615.html

Good Luck to you and me! :)

I forgot to add that the food diary will help you see why you eat. If you find you use food to help you de-stress or eat when your bored or late at night then you should try to do something else instead. These times would be a good time to excersize with music. Also, have sugar free mints on hand help fight cravings.

Another thing you need to do is learn to day no to unhealthy food. It sounds silly but you need to look at your favorite foods and say I don't need you. Or limit yourself to 3 bites of your favorite food instead of the whole thing.

Specializes in ER.

I bought myself a bodybugg - same as what they use on Biggest Loser (so I've heard, haven't actually seen the show). It's a small device on an armband; not too noticable under my scrubs. I also bought the little tracker device with it. SO what it does is calculate your steps, your activity level, all that stuff. You also then go to the website and enter in every single Calorie you took in. This thing is amazing - shows exactly how many Calories burned versus consumed. After all, it's just a balancing act to lose/gain/maintain weight.

Don't forget to look at the quality of the food you're eating. You will go miles further with better quality vs quantity of food. Sure you can eat 50 rice cakes in lieu of a few ounces of healthy, unprocessed meat with a few raw veggies here and there, but what type of fuel are you giving your body? I gained over 100# during my pregnancy (due to MANY factors....I hate like HELL). It has taken me 6 years to lose the 100+ # and I did it be eating good quality food and completely altering my eating habits. I was always a bored eater, and I ate because, well, there was food available. I make food available to me when I know I will need it so that I'm not looking to finish the task at hand ASAP so I can find some horrible carb laden snack to satisfy me. I eat things like almonds, raw vegetables, fruit, basically unprocessed food and limit myself on any carbs that are not in their original form (i.e. bread, snack "cakes" -even the touted 100 calorie ones, and even weight-watchers type frozen meals). To be honest at first I felt very deprived and upset because I wasn't eating like I was accustomed to, and then, after a few weeks of a little up, down, and back up again- I realized that it was getting better and better. I do not count calories but rather snack consistently throughout the day (10 almonds here, a few slices of deli meat there, a cheese stick and hummus, etc). That is not to say that you'll lose weight eating 3,000 calories of "healthy food" but I definitely took a look at the bigger picture rather than strictly "calories in, calories out". I do cook as much as I can at home but really, who has the time anymore? I buy pork chops/chicken breasts at the store and get canned veggies like asparagus/green beans, corn, etc at home. Makes for quick meals and no time to eat dinner while you're fixing it to accidentally get that extra helping in. Oh and I HATE water-----but I fixed the habit I had of flavoring it all the time because I realized I was spending $$$ to make it taste good. This took a little over two years for everything to become "habit". But I went from 280 to 180, and the way I feel makes everything worth it. It's a long term change but it's a long term fix, not a crash diet but something that I know will stick with me for a very long time.

Sorry for the novel of a post!!!

Specializes in SICU, MICU, CCU.

If you work nights it's gonna be harder to lose the weight but you can do it. Here are a few things that have helped me shed a little weight.

1) Do not ever go to bed after eating a meal. I try and eat an apple or almonds/cranberries on the way home from work, shower and get in the bed.

2) You have to make time to excercise. I struggle with this all the time. I can say I did really good when I was training for a marathon: It forced me to run/jog/walk every off day. You know the whole have a goal thing. Im currently training again.

3) Really watch what you eat. The older I get, the harder it becomes for me to lose weight. I really have to monitor what I put in my mouth and at what time.

4) No pop/soda, excessive juices. Drink lots of water( flavor with limes, splash of cranberry juice for flavor, etc Also, watch the amount of creamer you put in coffee.

Esme said it..I think we should start a weght loss forum. That way we can support each other! Good luck though.

Hi,

I gained about 50 lbs in total over my 5 years as a nurse. There were a few ups and downs, but mostly slow ups. I gained 20 lbs in the beginning of my LVN program, lost 30 then up, up, up, up to a top weight of 220 lbs on a 5'1" frame. At 22 years old, I was on atenolol. F'real.

Oy.

I realized I am a very emotional eater, and nothing got me more emotional than being a nurse. This year, I got sick and tired of being obese and dysfunctional in my coping so I made some authentic changes. No diets. No crash exercise regimens. Just a slow weight loss and sticking with the changes even during stalls (like the one I am experiencing now, bleh). I make a point to journal and destress, sleep well and accept my limits. I am much happier and healthier, minus 47 lbs and atenolol. :D

I hope you find health and happiness very soon!

Specializes in LTC, Palliative.

I have been a nurse for the past year and noticed that I've put on a few pounds as well. I think most of it has to do with shift work. 8 hour days and evenings. I'm okay on day shift, but switching to evenings is difficult as it interupts with my regular routine and eating habits. So I've tried a few things. I always pack a baggie of plain almonds with dried cranberries. That way, when I want something to munch on or something sweet, I won't be counting my pennies at the vending machine for a bag of chips. I also do more walking. When I clear the dinner tables (LTC nurse) I leave the dirty dishes cart at the front of the dining room so I walk back and forth to get a few extra steps.

I've been thinking of investing in a BodyBugg or pedometer just to see the difference between my day/evening shifts.

Best of luck to you! We're here if you need us. :D

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