? about weight and nursing school see below

[tnstudentnurse]

WEll, the weight is not coming off like it should. I am considering cortislim.

To help the weightloss efforts.

Has anyone here taken it or anything like that??

IS effective for weight loss, I dont need my uniform for clinicals adjusted for this.

Please help with the weight.

Thanks

[sarah_bellum]

Think of CortiSlim this way. It's one of many of the latest "weight-loss" drugs, and i haven't heard of any bad effects from it yet. BUT! How long did people take Fen-Phen before they found out the damage it does????

I read an article that said that cortislim has been around since the 80s and it has never worked, so they just keep changing the name and touting it as a miracle.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

From what I understand, the key ingrediant in CortiSlim is Magnolia Bark which acts as an antianxiety agent by supressing Cortisol.

I tried it, as my weight gain was due to prednisone use for IBD. It was a really stupid thing to do as suppressing the cortisol caused the IBD to flair up in spades complete with joint pain and severe adult acne.

There are no quick fixes.

[nurseshawna]

I tried Cortislim as well. I don't know if I can contribute it to the Cortislim or something else, but I GAINED 5 pounds......

[YoungWiseWoman]

i just wanted to add that weight watchers offers a discount on weekly memberships fees for students. it is usually $11 a week, but for students it's $9. with that said...

my grandma and i started ww at the same time, last august. i did it for about 2 months and lost weight consistently. i could not afford to go, but my grandma sent me the money to go each week. after a couple of months i got a new job and totally nixed the ww meetings. the end result is my grandma stayed and has lost 60lbs. i have gained 5. i can't afford to pay the money to go each week, but i still have the books that they gave me. my plan is to follow the plan which basically focuses on smaller portions. i think the books by themselves are $20 and you can try it on your own. the meetings really help with the background of why you eat, etc., but if u can't afford it maybe u can get the books and follow the basic principles. i am an emotional eater so i need to figure out why i am eating so i can stop.

:) ketcia:)

[YoungWiseWoman]

hi, i'm sorry you arent losing weight as quickly as you want. losing weight is alsmot tougher than nursing school! i dont think diet pills would be a good idea, they are expensive, may have harmful side effects, and they might not work. i lost about 20 pounds 3 years ago and have kept it off. i will share with you some tips that have worked for me. its really hard to change the way you eat and sometimes its expensive buying special diet foods. so firstly, keep a journal. write down how you feel......i used to and still do eat in response to emotions or problems that i have. bu keeping a journal, you will get some of your feelinsg out on apaper and you wont have them bottled up in you, provoking you to snack on something. next, i would say to start leaving a little food on your plate at meals..i sometimes feel as though i am wasting food, so you could give it away to a pet or child or you could save it. but if you leave a little food on your plate at each meal, you will save some calories......and when you eat , eat on regular sized plates not jumbo plates! also, drink a glass of water before meals and snakcs........try to eat slowly, enjoying the flavor and smells of the food. make a scrapbook of pictures you cut out from magazines of healthy fit people, inspirational quotes, weight loss success stories and reasons why you want to lose weight........when you feel like slipping on your diet, look through it. if this doesnt work, do a little exercise, a few situps of pushups or a short walk, anything to remind you of your goal to get fit.....or read or clean something. if you must have your snack, eat it in front of a mirror and watch yourself...you will most likely stop eating. try to just eat less in tersm of portions, like 2 slices of pizza instead of four and maybe a nice salad with some low cal dressing...........and some fresh fruit. its important to stay hydrated, so try to drink lots of water during the day and if you want to munch on something, do so on low cal things like pickles, celery, carrots, sugarfree gum.......if you feel hungry between meals, have a few almonds and maybe a little cheese or a little 40z conatiner of yogurt...the protein will keep you full or have fruit, the fiber will keep you full. try to find some low fat recipes( you can use half applesauce or baby food prunes to replace half the butter in baked foods like cookies), you can use lowfat milk instead of whole.....if you are in a hurry, and eat fast food, choose the smallest servings of things and always get a side salad with low cal dressing. if you want french fries, have them but order small and enjoy! if you want some icream, have it too, but that means no fries...and order small and enjoy.....eat the foods, you enjoy just smaller portions and trim calories elsewhere in the meal. if you want pasta for dinner and you usually eat 4 scoops, eat only two scoops and have some green beans or corn on the side. you can eat regular food and still lose weight, just cut your portions in half. if you are etaing for emtional reasons, you have to find ways to dela with how you feel other than eating. just remember that how ever you feel, eating is not gonna help and after you eat, the problem will still be there and you will feel worse. ok, and exercise is important......so you can maybe buy a jump rope, its really cheap and it burns lots of calories, builds up your bones too! if you can only jump 5 times at first, thats ok, try to jump 6 tomorrow. you can use canned goods or watre bottles to do exercises or you can buy a set of dumbells........you can walk.........use a workout video. you could walk 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 in the afternoon, or you could walk 20 minuets at once. just try to get in a little exercise every day.....focus on feeling more energized when you exercise and not just calories burned.......and make sure you reward yourself for sticking to your eating plan. make goals such as, i will drink 6 glasses of water today and i will eat dinner slowly and enjoy the food or i will eat 2 servings of fruit today and i will walk for a total of 20 minutes.......buy a pedometer if you want and try to work up to 10,00 steps, that will help the weight come off. make sure you do some form of muscle shaping exercises like pushups, sit ups, and squats or use weights.....at least 2-3 times a week. the wieght wil come off so much quicker because muscles burn lost of calories just to exist on your body and even more when you use them, know how much calories fat burns,? zero. you wont get bulky.so dont worry.....you will feel strong and look sleek..........and remember that it takes time to lose weight, so aim for a weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week but dont be a save to the scale, pay attention to how your clothes fit, how you feel, how much better your hair and skin looks, or how you have more energy......your body can hold water or just be darn stubborn and not lose any weight, so sometimes the scale isnt the best indicator of weight loss. dont think about your eating or exercise plan 24/7..........just make better choices and focus on you, your family, friends, hobbies, and doing well in school. when i was losing weight, i couldnt afford to join a wieght loss program or buy a lot of fancy equipment but look on the internet or in magazines for good advice and motivation!!!good luck and be healthy!

good post...i am going to copy it!

[shukry]

You've got many ideas from everybody above, I thought to add on what's already been written just to emphasize on how to cut the calories. I had my baby in Aug' 04, I had stopped sugar in my tea and replaced it with Splenda, watched all my Carbs by eating low carbs, ate meat and vegetables. For a snack a fruit or my favorite low carb slice of bread with peanut butter. No Sodas, Juices and all that - instead WATER, WATER. I lost 15 pounds in two months. I have to admit I am going back to my bad habits, but I will not allow fat to drag me down again. I sleep better, move faster and feel good dressing up in size six. I wish I could preach this to everybody. Healthy eating is enjoy Life. Try limiting your food intake, cut down of sodas and juices, No fast food, check your carbs - and let's know how you feel. Good Luck!

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

I lost 20lbs going to the gym and shelling out for a trainer 1x/week for a couple months, and taking green tea, kelp, and pyruvate. Probably would have worked w/o the pills, though.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I just love to eat good food. I stress snack. I've been off and on diets, mostly low carb ones. Not WW.

The only thing that really works for me is exercise. I started jogging 10 years ago (I jog slowly). And I've joined Curves for the weight resistance.

Everyone has their own story - I've enjoyed reading this thread.

Thanks to all who have posted.

steph

[JenNJFLCA]

I'd avoid any diet pills! I was successful with WW. Lost 30 pounds....gained it all back since I started nursing school because I eat when I am stressed, but I am trying to be good this summer. :) Cut out excess calories (soda!), control portion size, & exercise. That's the key!

[AKAKatydid]

A few people have mentioned cutting out soda. I did that about 12 years ago - didn't make ANY other lifestyle changes, and lost almost 20lbs. ~ and kept it off. Soda is probably our biggest intake of empty calories!!

Since I moved to the south, I've been bombarded with all this good ol' southern home cooking and I've been gaining a little bit of weight again. All things in moderation, I keep telling myself, because I sooo don't believe in "diets".

I know this sounds kinda silly, but bear with me here.... I bought myself a set of medium sized ramekins. I call it my "ramekin diet". It helps you portion your food out...

Any time I want a little snack - some chips, ice cream, potato salad... whatever... I scoop it into my ramekin. I don't ever deny myself anything, just control the portions. I think even if you go back, you're very aware of what you're eating, and how much you're taking in. Even with an occasional second helping, you're still not going to eat as much as you probably would have if you ate out of a big ol' bowl!

Now, as for cold cereal... I'll pour myself a HUUUUGE bowl. I've been living off that a LOT since I started school. It's cheap, it's quick, it's filling, and it's pretty darn good for you. I keep a big variety in the pantry - from the healthy, to the super-sugary stuff. Even the Reese's Puffs cereal is still healthier than a big slice of cheese pizza or an order of bacon and eggs! (I'm not too picky... I'll eat cereal any time of day!)

[So Superfluous]

As someone who has struggled with weight for a lifetime, I'm finding results with Weight Watchers. Granted I've joined WW half a dozen times over the years! I think it is more about being in the right frame of mind. Of all the attempts I've made to do this, this time feels different because I'm finally ready to make a lifestyle change, not just diet. And it's showing on the scale!

WW has a great online forum (like allnurses!) that offers tips and support, too.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

:Melody: :Melody:Losing weight is about one of the hardest things there is to do. But I know that in the end it's worth all the hard work. I can't comment too much because I'm having issues myself...but remember the hardest things in life usually mean the most and require the most amount of work. You can do it!