Why are RN's so fat!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was told by a nanny last night that her employer just had a baby, and she commented on how fat the RN's are at the hospital (Her employer is thin).

Her employer stated that "being RN's shouldn't they know how to control their weight"? I told the nanny that yes, but RN's have a very stressful job. They are over worked, have odd hours, and tend to eat bad food to comfort themselves because the amount of stress they are under. Usually we are understaffed and don't get breaks, and when we do leave work normally we as RN's tend to reach for junk, because high sugary foods bring up the blood sugar the quickest. I was quite offended at her comments, not because I am fat (I am not exactly slim either), but because it is a generalization of the profession. I don't know what her point was to even repeat what her employer said. However, I'm determined not to fall in that category, because I once was fat (I lost approx 61 lbs & still want to lose about 30lbs). Does that comment offend you?

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
"Lazy" has a negative connotation, Ben. I can only assume that you have never had to face a huge, overwhelming problem in your life, such as addiction or something else that was extremely hard to overcome or impossible to overcome. It's not that no one besides overwt people has these issues. It is your insensitive, unhelpful attitude to which I take exception. Try to comprehend the pain of having to deal with these issues if you want to help others gain mastery. Maybe we are lazy but we need help, not criticism. We need friendship and encouragement, not derision and you looking down your nose at our weakness and failure. We already feel horrible and we don't need you to add to it.

Good point.

"Lazy" has a negative connotation, Ben. I can only assume that you have never had to face a huge, overwhelming problem in your life, such as addiction or something else that was extremely hard to overcome or impossible to overcome. It's not that no one besides overwt people has these issues. It is your insensitive, unhelpful attitude to which I take exception. Try to comprehend the pain of having to deal with these issues if you want to help others gain mastery. Maybe we are lazy but we need help, not criticism. We need friendship and encouragement, not derision and you looking down your nose at our weakness and failure. We already feel horrible and we don't need you to add to it.

I by no means am trying to be insensitive or unhelpful. That is the reason I first posted was to answer the question, which I did and explained.

Since you asked for help this is what I recommend.

For exercise it doesn't have to be going to the gym on a stair climber. It can be anything. I prefer martial arts myself. Which will get u in great shape, u will learn self defense and meet some new friends. Mix it up alittle bit. If u don't have time to go to the gym or martial arts put dance music turn it up and dance by your self as u are cooking dinner. They have kickboxing on tapes and what not. The hardest part is getting motivated to do it. Most of us work only 3 or 4 days a week, so you don't have to do something 7 days a week, but 5 would be good. So on your off days get out there and do something. People say how this is a car driven society. Well do little things like park farther away. Take an afternoon walk with your boyfriend, husband, and or kids. Go to the park with the kids and we all no that it is alot of exercise chasing after them. As for diet take small steps.First, say no soda. Then carry bottled water where ever you go, get it at the grocery store in bulk and you will save alot of money. If you get thirsty just grab a water. I drink lots, I put some extra in the car and locker at work. If you go and eat fastfood get the chicken instead of the bigmac. Eat in the morning, not bacon but a bowl of cereal and a glass of Oj. For snacks eat those ready made health bars. Don't skip meals. Eat and void at work don't skip like so many people do. I say unless it is an emergency i am eating. Bring your lunch to work, buy carrotts the little ones already cut bring a piece of fresh fruit. and turkey or ham sandwich. At dinner eat in proportions. If u go eat a restruarant they give you huge portions. Have the self will to i am eating half and the other half is coming home for another meal. Plan ahead for what your meals will be at home that way when you go grocery shopping 1 day a week you are not discouraged on your way home to go and pick up mcdonalds. What my wife and I do is I cook 2 days a week, she cooks 2 days a week, 1 day we go to a nice date dinner, one day we eat at a fast food pizza or subway(usually tuesday because we can both eat for like $7 they have 2 for tuesday), and on sundays we eat at her parents house. So no matter how you look at it I only need to prepare 2 meals a week. So I plan ahead I have everthing ready and yes it might take 45 minutes or so to cook but hey i only have to do it one more time in the week. I hope i have given you and some others some good avidce. Good luck.

Ben

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.
I give full credit to any RN who is still standing and breathing (and smiling?) at the end of her shift. The size of her scrubs means less than nothing.

:nurse: :pumpiron: :saint: :yelclap: :yeahthat:

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Please remember if thread is to stay open that we respect one anothers opinions.

I removed a couple of posts to keep the thread open and friendly. It's on the verge of being closed for review.

Also, please note if one does a search of this forum, you will find dozens of pages saying the exact same things as this thread. Do we really need to drag this on further?

Carry on, if you care.

Thanks so much.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
I hope i have given you and some others some good avidce. Good luck.

Ben

Good advice Ben. We have an ongoing thread here: https://allnurses.com/forums/f240/healthier-living-thread-part-iv-208834-8.html#post2095485 You should join us there and share your advice and what you're doing on a daily basis. It will be well received, and you can even call me lazy if you think so, it might motivate me.

I realize not everyone wants to hear my advice on wellness, so generally I don't give it on the general forums and these threads.

I never said ALL, but generally speaking yes.

Some of the hardest working people I know are overweight, so I totally disagree. Many nurses work fulltime, and also have young children to care for, a house to keep, and no free time to devote to an exersise program. They need to drive everywhere because of how our society is set up, and sometimes they need to rely on fastfood because of our fastpaced lifestyle.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Some of the hardest working people I know are overweight, so I totally disagree. Many nurses work fulltime, and also have young children to care for, a house to keep, and no free time to devote to an exersise program. They need to drive everywhere because of how our society is set up, and sometimes they need to rely on fastfood because of our fastpaced lifestyle.

Yes and no. One can hardly call a full-time working mother lazy. That's crazy and totally insulting. But it's not a necessity to eat fast food either. I can understand why, heck when I've worked a 12 turning into a 14 hour shift, I sometimes can't face the thought of cooking for myself. If I had a housefull of kids to feed, I certainly wouldn't call it laziness, just convenient.

Yes and no. One can hardly call a full-time working mother lazy. That's crazy and totally insulting. But it's not a necessity to eat fast food either. I can understand why, heck when I've worked a 12 turning into a 14 hour shift, I sometimes can't face the thought of cooking for myself. If I had a housefull of kids to feed, I certainly wouldn't call it laziness, just convenient.

Well, for me it's not a way of life. I think it's the way I was brought up, in a very health conscious family. My mother did not keep pop in the house and we did not eat at McDonalds. I can never remember my mother taking me there even one time in my childhood.

Other people weren't so lucky in this regard, and were weaned from baby bottle to pop bottle, and always had a pantry stocked with potato chips and cookies. It's hard to quit eating all the comfort foods of one's youth suddenly.

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
Well, for me it's not a way of life. I think it's the way I was brought up, in a very health conscious family. My mother did not keep pop in the house and we did not eat at McDonalds. I can never remember my mother taking me there even one time in my childhood.

Other people weren't so lucky in this regard, and were weaned from baby bottle to pop bottle, and always had a pantry stocked with potato chips and cookies. It's hard to quit eating all the comfort foods of one's youth suddenly.

No one can blame any of my less than healthy eating habits on my Mom. I was raised with sit down, balanced meals every night. One of my biggest guilts is that I don't provide my son the same luxury.

Specializes in MedSurg.-Tele, Home health, LTC.

in my former workplace, nurses are fat, i can see why....not because they are lazy, but because they are overworked, stressed out, no time to pee, and they rarely have time to eat their meals on time......and we get all those fancy cookies and teas, chocolates and everything...hey, can't say no to that! and besides, the patients gets the best care..so what's the problem? i'd rather be fat, than be too self conscious about my weight and pretend like i am happy. as long as you give better care to your patient, that's the bottomline. i have seen many fat people,not only nurses.. i know it is sad to see, but we are not perfect. i see fat people who don't even hold a job at all, so why judge the fat nurses who works underpressure all the time? can't we all just get along?

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I have a cousin. Both her sisters are morbidly obese and have been such childhood. This family's dynamics make my own chaotic upbringing look downright functional by comparison. Suffice to say that there are issues around every corner with the 4 kids. This cousin, only 46, just had a stroke. She has spent the past 25 years starving herself to near anorexic proportions, while relying on cigarettes to keep her from eating. She went into a drinking rehab program while I was still in middle school. She just had a stroke. Skinny and healthy are no more mutually inclusive than heavy and unhealthy are mutually exclusive. Not that it's our place to judge in the first place, of course.

Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
I by no means am trying to be insensitive or unhelpful. That is the reason I first posted was to answer the question, which I did and explained.

Since you asked for help this is what I recommend.

For exercise it doesn't have to be going to the gym on a stair climber. It can be anything. I prefer martial arts myself. Which will get u in great shape, u will learn self defense and meet some new friends. Mix it up alittle bit. If u don't have time to go to the gym or martial arts put dance music turn it up and dance by your self as u are cooking dinner. They have kickboxing on tapes and what not. The hardest part is getting motivated to do it. Most of us work only 3 or 4 days a week, so you don't have to do something 7 days a week, but 5 would be good. So on your off days get out there and do something. People say how this is a car driven society. Well do little things like park farther away. Take an afternoon walk with your boyfriend, husband, and or kids. Go to the park with the kids and we all no that it is alot of exercise chasing after them. As for diet take small steps.First, say no soda. Then carry bottled water where ever you go, get it at the grocery store in bulk and you will save alot of money. If you get thirsty just grab a water. I drink lots, I put some extra in the car and locker at work. If you go and eat fastfood get the chicken instead of the bigmac. Eat in the morning, not bacon but a bowl of cereal and a glass of Oj. For snacks eat those ready made health bars. Don't skip meals. Eat and void at work don't skip like so many people do. I say unless it is an emergency i am eating. Bring your lunch to work, buy carrotts the little ones already cut bring a piece of fresh fruit. and turkey or ham sandwich. At dinner eat in proportions. If u go eat a restruarant they give you huge portions. Have the self will to i am eating half and the other half is coming home for another meal. Plan ahead for what your meals will be at home that way when you go grocery shopping 1 day a week you are not discouraged on your way home to go and pick up mcdonalds. What my wife and I do is I cook 2 days a week, she cooks 2 days a week, 1 day we go to a nice date dinner, one day we eat at a fast food pizza or subway(usually tuesday because we can both eat for like $7 they have 2 for tuesday), and on sundays we eat at her parents house. So no matter how you look at it I only need to prepare 2 meals a week. So I plan ahead I have everthing ready and yes it might take 45 minutes or so to cook but hey i only have to do it one more time in the week. I hope i have given you and some others some good avidce. Good luck.

Ben

Good, solid advice. As you say, the hardest part is getting--and staying--motivated, but thanks for omitting the "L-word." For some, that getting motivated is extremely hard, and a negative self-image generally does not make it easier. For every one who feels challlenged to finally do something about it, at least ten others would just say, "I'm worthless, so I'm having some 'comfort food.'"

One problem with a balanced, sane approach is that it doesn't lead to dramatic results. But anyone who eats sensibly and exercises regularly will be more fit, regardless of their weight.

There have been times in my life I would have danced a jig if obesity were my only problem. At present, it isn't my only problem, and probably not even my worst problem, although I'm happy to say I don't have many problems that seem all that serious. Obesity does happen to be one problem I can take some fairly direct steps to mitigate, and I have been trying to do so. But weighing five pounds less than a month ago doesn't make me a more worthwhile human being, and 50 or 100 won't, either--although I'll freely admit that any challenge overcome is a benefit to one's self-image and confidence. Then again, I've known people who were just overflowing with self-image and confidence that I could hardly stand to be around.

I think the thing to keep in mind is that all fat people know, in a way that no one who hasn't been fat ever could, that being fat sucks. Not one person in a million wants to be obese. And the vast majority of us, I'm sure, understand the concept of calories in versus calories out. It ain't rocket science, and whatever the fine points about diet vs exercise, raising ones metabolic rate, portion control vs unrefined foods, I'm sure we can all agree that eating less and exercising more will lead to weight loss. The question that challenges us fatties is not what to do--but how to do it. As has been observed, finding excuses not to do it is not at all empowering, but neither is self-contempt.

I'm overweight. I smoke. I drink coffee. I like an occassional beer or a glass of scotch. I surf the net when I ought to be getting ready for work--oh, crap! Look at the time! But I'm not a bad person, or a bad nurse. And I refuse to let any of my myriad flaws define me, or to listen to anyone else who would.

I really gotta run, now.

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