Healthy Fit Nurse navigating potlucks.

Nurses General Nursing

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History, lost a lot of weight recently and keep doing so. This time around it's about not only motivated but determined

. Fitness has become like a game with a prize at the end. It's become a devotion and I crave to be the better me. It's hard. Its not always fun. Although physically I still have a way to go, mentally I consider myself fit and healthy.

I do aspire to have tone and definition but that takes time and it's okay. It takes time and hard work.

Anyway!

I've only ever worked in nursing/health care in acute care and no other industry my whole life.

Is it common for other workers to also have frequent unhealthy pot lucks and engage in unhealthy eating habits at work?

Not one stretch goes by where I'm not witness to fast food, catering, or some pot luck with carb and fat heavy foods.

It it takes a lot of will power to resist those foods, and if anything ... if I get a bad enough craving I attempt my best to fit it into my macromolecules for the day.

Apps where you can scan barcodes or search foods and add to your log are a GOD send!

Anyway, any of you worked other industries? Were bad eating habits also common?

Teachers? Cops? Engineers? Retail? Administration?

allnurses Guide

NurseCard, ADN

2,847 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I used to work for a printing company as a graphic artist, way back in the day.

The employees would order out, pizza, fast food, Chinese, whatever, just about

every day.

After that experience, and before starting nursing, I worked as a counter

jockey in a convenience store. Plenty of junk food at my disposal. Not

just potato chips, candy bars, Little Debbies, oh no... expired donuts,

hotdogs on the roller grill thingie... Yum.

So to answer your question... yes of course, people in other professions

pig out on junk food! :)

klone, MSN, RN

14,790 Posts

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Only nurses are fat and unhealthy. Sad.

K+MgSO4, BSN

1,753 Posts

Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Cops and ambos eating on the run between calls.

Hospitality eating after clean up both as a waitress at functions and barmaid after close....kitchen would leave us whatever was not served and LOAVES of bread and wedding cake that was cut up but never served.

Friends in allied health weekly morning tea nominated person will cater. Quality and finance-we used to share a floor monthly bake offs.

Specializes in Critical Care.
Only nurses are fat and unhealthy. Sad.

Sarcasm? Lol

Specializes in Critical Care.

I see it's pretty much everywhere! It's difficult when it's constant and in your face lol. That's where you gotta really practice some good willpower!

Munch

349 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg/Neuro/Oncology floor nursing..

Yeah we order out a lot. We also celebrate a lot of occasions and I feel like every other day we have a cake on the unit for some reason or another..birthdays..our favorite resident became an attending you name it we celebrate it. Luckily though I work in the biggest city in the world so its easy to find something healthy. If you aren't as lucky as I am why not bring your lunch? Its easier to resist junk food when you aren't starving. Its not always fool proof I know the vending machines are always calling my name and frosted honey buns are my weakness. I try and bring my own snacks with me granola bars, special k protein shakes, fruit salad are some good options.

JKL33

6,777 Posts

I hate full meals at work (or snacking enough to feel full at any given point).

Do you work night shift? There can be a a weird almost food insecurity phenomenon that happens on night shift; I think it's because in some places things shut down at night and we can't imagine how we'll survive if the cafeterias close down their various services/offerings and we're stuck there. So people start bringing in crock-pots and planning potlucks etc. Maybe I'm alone in my observations, but it seemed pretty easy to get into this mindset that while a simple sack lunch or a few healthy snacks will suffice for a day shift, that just doesn't seem like enough food for being stuck somewhere 12 hours overnight. Weird. maybe we tend to feel more stuck/trapped/isolated when the world winds down a little at night?

Speaking of apps. I use one to maintain normal weight and to avoid waking up 20 years later in a bad situation. Bring your own food and log all of it prior to going to work. Two things: It feels "free" when you do eat it (because it's already accounted for) and you also know that anything else you put in your mouth will wreck your plan. Everytime you eat something you've already logged, your plan is reinforced and you feel good about staying on track. This also avoids eating 10 pieces of candy on the fly and conveniently not having time to log any of them in real time. Because...busy.

As to your actual question - you can unload anything, practically anything...in a teacher's lounge. And probably lots of other places too. I would think there aren't many sectors of our society that are untouched by these issues.

It's great that you've made so much progress!

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Maybe not an apples-to-apples comparison, but my only regular job prior to healthcare was a church organist. A small-town, rural farming, Norwegian Lutheran church. :laugh: Every Sunday in between the two services was fellowship in the narthex, with 3 or 4 tables laden with cookies, bars, lefse and butter, and coffee. (That was where my coffee habit was born!)

Although to give credit where it's due, they also served pickled herring. Go omega-3's!! :laugh:

Getting off my memory lane tangent.

Sweets are my kryptonite. I try to have a personal stash of low-carb sweets on hand, such as a sugar-free almond flour mug cake...fro-yo pops (I make them with either plain Skyr or Greek yogurt, stevia, and some frozen berries or banana mixed in)...flavored almonds (dusted in plain cocoa powder or cinnamon.)

I get a lot of ideas from lowcarb/keto food blogs.

If I want something savory I like some of the commercially canned flavored almonds (I read labels and skip the ones with a lot of added sugar)...homemade beef jerky without the added sugar/carbs of the store brands... homemade pickles or pickled eggs... homemade veggie chips etc.

But anyway about the sweets, if I have something sweet it's much easier to skip the cupcakes and donuts.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I eat jerky from my nutrition store. The macros are great. I have BBQ and Teriyaki, they're great after a work out. I'll eat two, and it'll only cost me about 180 calories, for me that's great!

I always take Greek yogurt or Nosa yogurt to work. I eat town of berries. I love berries. Blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries.

I'll eat banana or apple before cardio.

I'll take pistachios to work. I also love cucumber with hummus, it saves you the carbs from pita bread ... TRY IT!!!

I also like hummus sandwiches with pumpernickel bread.

Yes this has been a huge lifestyle change for me. I've always been motivated for the wrong reasons in the past, and finally I'm not only motivated but determined... and that determination is the KEY!

Plus, I'd love to be a wellness NP. I sometimes daydream of owning a wellness clinic (NOT weight loss) but wellness. With a nutritionist, kitchen, gym, exercise specialist, and massage therapist on site. It's a daydream not a plan lol. ;)

Motivation - "I'm so excited let's DO this"

Determination - "I'm about to work 12 hours and I wanna sleep more and this sucks bad but I'm gonna work out, because I'm determined despite my lack of ambition right now"

Motivation waxes and wanes.

Cat365

570 Posts

It was a family joke at my old job (non-nursing) that my coworkers would eat anything. Two of them actually convinced me to bring in homemade dog biscuits because I told them I made dog cookies over thanksgiving. They ate them.

Of course so did my brother. He saw them sitting on the counter and ate one before we could inform him they were the dogs. I'm not sure my dog ever forgave him.

casa_bella, NP

34 Posts

I am considered very "fit" I would guess. I used to do physique competitions and I have been a trainer on the side now for about 16 years.

I have learned over the years that there are no foods in small quantities that make you gain weight. None.

I eat whole foods and what people would consider "healthy" most of the time, keep very active, and when there are potlucks and treats that look amazing at work I take a few bites. And move on.

If I feel like eating a lot more, then I do. And I just eat a lot less for dinner or whatever the meal at home may be.

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