Weight loss for nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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I will be a newly graduated nurse come May and am probably 100 lbs overweight. I was hoping to be working out and eating healthier and have lost some weight by the time I start my career but nursing school has proven to be a horrible time to try and focus on healthy eating and cardio...go figure.

Does anyone have any special tips for trying to lose weight and focus on one's own health while helping others heal? Here's to hoping a physically demanding profession will help my endeavors!

Additionally, for others overweight, do you notice patients question your education or work ethic and if so how do you overcome that?

Thanks!

Are you on any medications causing you to gain weight or working to prevent you losing weight? If no medications...

Do you have any psychological issues tied to food? If food isn't your poison...

Do you have any known or possibly unknown metabolic conditions? If you're generally healthy...

Pick out the obvious stuff. Drop sodas for water and coffee. Trade restaurants/fast food for home prepped meals with simple ingredients. Pair complex carbs with good amounts of fat. Make it easy on yourself... 15 minutes to hard boil 2 dozen eggs and you have a quick-grab breakfast for a week. Use or learn how to use a crock pot. 20 minutes of prep and 12 hours on low, you have stew for a week. Eat a scary amount of green vegetables, how long does it take to make a salad?

For me, I budget my money every month and spend 160 or more hours to make that money. I budget my calories every month and spend 20 hours to make that food. It's not a time issue, it's a priority issue. I make it a priority, then work on using the least amount of effort to accomplish the best possible results.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

There are some simple tips that can help. Firstly, CICO is a thing (calories in, calories out). Yes, there are more scientific ways of looking at metabolism but this is the easiest. If you combine that with a keto diet (low carb) then you'll see big changes. Firstly, work out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). There are tons of apps to do this....just search google for TDEE. Then, you detract 500 calories a day from that. For example if your TDEE is 2200 calories, minus 500 is 1700 calories. A 500 calories deficit a day is half a pound a week lost. If you do a deficit of 1000 calories a day, that's a pound a week lost. If you add in exercise, anything you burn will add to the deficit. Use a calorie counter app like My Fitness Pal and log everything, I mean EVERYTHING, you eat. Weigh your food. Be accurate. Walk every day, and each week add some distance or time. Add weight training. Give it 4 weeks and see if you have a difference. Take pics of yourself every week and compare. Sometimes the scale doesn't reflect the loss. Get on Reddit and search for r/loseit or r/xxfitness. Watch some YouTube videos (search for fat to fit transformations). Get inspired and motivated. I work full time and I'm in grad school and I do two days clinicals and I'm up every morning at 4am to go to the gym. No excuses. The only thing that will happen if you do nothing is.....nothing!

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Specializes in ICU, trauma.

After working as a nurse for a year I actually gained a lot of weight. :yawn: This is the heaviest i have EVER been. I blame it on my irregular schedule and skipping meals with less time to go to the gym...

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Specializes in IMCU, Oncology.

So as you can see from all the comments, different things work for different people! I studied nutrition and nutrition consulting and gave it up because it is so frustrating. Dieting doesn't work, ultimately you will regain any lost weight plus more especially if weight is a life long issue. There isn't a one size fits all answer for anyone!

Just eat real food as much as possible, exercise in a form you can enjoy and move to be healthy. That is the best example you can be to your patients and for yourself. If life revolves around diet and exercise, then that is no life! You have to enjoy your food in as real a form as possible and enjoy your exercise!

Relieve stress as much as you can and that is a significant factor to health! I NEVER diet. I only eat healthy in a way that I can maintain and exercise in way I enjoy so I stick with it and focus on relieving stress. I am not skinny, but I am ultimately healthy! I have watched so many people diet and diet over and over again just to lose weight and regain. Dieting isn't maintainable because it has to be something you can do for life. If you cut calories too much then you are hungry all the time and then all you do is think about is eating. What is the point in that? It won't last!

Eat real food that you enjoy, and do exercise you enjoy! Reduce stress! Those are my keys to health although not being skinny. But I am accepting myself and others around me!

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Specializes in Cardicac Neuro Telemetry.

I am a new RN as of January on a Cardiac/Neuro Tele unit. I gained over 30 lbs during nursing school in the course of a year. I did an accelerated BSN program and the mounting stress was a lot for me. I started in January 2016 and graduated December 2016. I did two night shift clinicals a week with my preceptor and ate like crap. Combine this with the fact I didn't lose all of the weight from having a baby in August 2014 and well, you do the math.

Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, or form affiliated with beachbody. I'm just a happy customer.

Have you ever heard of beachbody? They have a great diet program called the 21 day fix. You can do as many rounds as you need. It's basically eating real food, but clean food. I also stream their workouts from the comfort of my own living room. My current work out is 22 minute hard corps. This works well for me because I hated getting in my car and going to the gym. I also like the privacy of working out because as someone who is currently overweight, I am self conscious about working out in front of others.

I am obviously overweight but have yet to have a patient question my work ethic because of that. I'm not morbidly obese but knowing how some patients can be, I could see some being this way. Having said that, don't lose weight for what a patient may or may not think. DO IT FOR YOU. I decided to take care of myself in addition to my family and my patients.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I gained back about 40 lbs I had lost previously during nursing school, and while I don't care what I look like, I've thrown my back out twice now since starting my job in August.

Stay away from the break room sweets and bring healthy alternatives. Plan ahead and pack healthy meals to eat and don't wait until you're so hungry you eat candy from the vending machine.

Thats my .02 anyways, not that I've taken my own advice ;-)

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I'm firmly in the obese category. I have been toying with getting weight loss surgery for a while now, but don't actually qualify for it (not obese ENOUGH, by a smidgen) and don't have any co-morbidities to push me over the proverbial insurance qualifying edge, so here I am, trying to do it on my own. I have been obese for 20 years. I know what got me here and I know how to get me out of here, it's a matter of sticking to a program. Mind over matter, if you will. Like the PP said, I'll always be a fat person, no matter what, and I have to live my life that way.

I have lost 14 lbs. on Weight Watchers, all on my own, no meetings, and I work night shift. I did it by using an app and by being careful about bringing healthy meals AND snacks with me to work, and making sure to get enough protein. I also made sure to stop drinking my calories (I'm looking at you, Starbucks). I try to exercise 3 times a week, but don't always make it. I have chronic and acute pain right now that is making life extremely difficult, so I exercise when I can. I keep my phone on my person at work and log my steps using the Google Fit app (put your phone in the butt pocket of your scrubs). I have been involving my spouse, my kids, and my dog in my fitness efforts to keep me motivated and accountable.

I chose Weight Watchers over something like the Keto diet (which would probably take the weight off faster, if we're honest), because I have an existing eating disorder that is triggered by feelings of deprivation. I need to be able to have absolutely NOTHING on the "do not eat" list, and the program that fits that description is Weight Watchers. I can still have Starbucks sometimes, or a candy bar or pizza or WHATEVER, I just have to shuffle my points around and/or exercise to make up for it. I have to be a grown up and make healthy choices. ;)

Last but not least, I have a cheat day once a week, because my bariatric doctor absolutely INSISTS this is necessary. A lot of what I've read backs up his claim, so I just go with it. I don't go nuts and run to IHOP and order the all you can eat pancake platter or get 3 dozen doughnuts or anything, but I let myself have what I want, within reason. It quells the urge to binge, and knocks out cravings. I also make sure that a cheat day is not on or before a work day.

YMMV, hope this proves helpful.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I am in the weight loss surgery camp. I am over 50, have DM2 and nothing worked. I had surgery 2 years ago and have lost about 70 pounds. I fell great and it teaches you how to eat. It is non-negotiable. I don't miss bread and pasta as I know the consequences. No soda, no alcohol. High protein low carb. you can do a high protein/low carb diet without the surgery, but the cheating is a little easier. I have no wiggle room to cheat. I was only out of work 6 shifts.

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Here is how you maintain a healthy body weight at any age:

1. Eat normal portions.

2. Only eat enough calories for your BMR

3. Go to the gym regularly

4. Stop using eating as a coping skill

There is no secret about any of this. It only requires discipline. If you have hypothyroidism, take synthroid. If you are on some chronic steroid or whatever, then just do your best. I'm not fat shaming here, but being fit is not some crazy secret formula. If you have a healthy lifestyle, then the pieces will fall into place.

Regarding bariatric surgery, come on people. You want to change your anatomy because you can't lose weight through diet and exercise. This is an extreme solution. If someone loses 100 lbs through bariatric surgery, they are getting the same weight loss benefit of someone losing 9 lbs per month for a year.

Best of luck to everyone trying to lose weight, it is hard but worth it.

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Here is how you maintain a healthy body weight at any age:

1. Eat normal portions.

2. Only eat enough calories for your BMR

3. Go to the gym regularly

4. Stop using eating as a coping skill

There is no secret about any of this. It only requires discipline. If you have hypothyroidism, take synthroid. If you are on some chronic steroid or whatever, then just do your best. I'm not fat shaming here, but being fit is not some crazy secret formula. If you have a healthy lifestyle, then the pieces will fall into place.

Regarding bariatric surgery, come on people. You want to change your anatomy because you can't lose weight through diet and exercise. This is an extreme solution. If someone loses 100 lbs through bariatric surgery, they are getting the same weight loss benefit of someone losing 9 lbs per month for a year.

Best of luck to everyone trying to lose weight, it is hard but worth it.

I'll just kindly refer you here.

https://allnurses.com/health-stress-management/is-weight-loss-1031325.html

You have no idea, NONE, what is going on with my body and what my 30+ year eating disorder has done to it and to my metabolism. You have no idea what kind of medical testing and procedures I have undergone, what kind of medical conditions I have, what kind of disease processes I have going on inside my body, what kind of psychological damage I have suffered at the hands of loved ones. All of that.....ALL OF THAT....contributes to weight gain, and the problems I have had with losing it. Part of it is mental, part of it is physical, NONE of it is "simple." None of it "only" requires discipline. But hey, fat people are fair game to be judged, and harshly. That much I know is true in our society.

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Specializes in ICU.

Cooking from scratch is always a good idea... if you have the time. Full time work and school means I don't have any free time, so I don't cook.

Prepackaged foods are not always the devil as far as weight loss goes. Just make sure whatever you eat, you eat fewer calories than you need. Figure out what your BMR is and eat pretty close to that - you'll lose weight. I try to eat around 1200 calories per day when I'm serious about losing weight... and sometimes, that intake looks like a slice of cake, three beers, and then some mostly water vegetable soup the rest of the day.

Note: Metamucil in water is very, very low in calories... but actually makes your stomach feel like you ate something for about an hour. Good trick for "breakfast" right before I go to bed after working a night shift.

I very successfully lost weight on Weight Watchers a while back (about 30 pounds) eating just like that - a slice of cake per day, frequent alcohol consumption... and then I spent a lot of time hungry, which sucked, but I ate what I liked (which I considered worth the trade off of being hungry, but that's a personal choice). Their new program doesn't let you eat those types of foods anymore, so I don't use WW anymore.

I make no promises about my triglycerides/liver enzymes/etc. (nobody said being thin always meant being healthy, because it doesn't), but if we're just talking about weight, your body doesn't care what type of calories you eat as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn.

Now, if you want to be healthy, too, that's a whole different story.

Note: I'm a big fan of the Quest protein bars for meals. 20-ish grams protein, 15-ish grams fiber, negligible net carbs, low fat, mostly under 200 calories each. Not all prepackaged foods are bad for you. :)

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I'll just kindly refer you here.

https://allnurses.com/health-stress-management/is-weight-loss-1031325.html

You have no idea, NONE, what is going on with my body and what my 30+ year eating disorder has done to it and to my metabolism. You have no idea what kind of medical testing and procedures I have undergone, what kind of medical conditions I have, what kind of disease processes I have going on inside my body, what kind of psychological damage I have suffered at the hands of loved ones. All of that.....ALL OF THAT....contributes to weight gain, and the problems I have had with losing it. Part of it is mental, part of it is physical, NONE of it is "simple." None of it "only" requires discipline. But hey, fat people are fair game to be judged, and harshly. That much I know is true in our society.

I'm sorry you have had a rough go of it. I wish you the best in life and hope you can live as healthy as possible.

However, for the majority of healthy people, who are only over weight due to lifestyle choices, my post remains accurate. Again, I'm sorry for what has happened to you and wish you the best :-)

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