Hi I am starting LPN nursing school in Oct this fall and I am overweight, My question

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is will the weight come off during my praticums in the hospital? On clinicals? Any advice for me?

Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.
Woo Hoo I'm the exception to the rule!(LOL) I've lost 56lbs since starting nursing school one year ago....but I made the decision to lose weight, made a plan & have stuck with it. It's been hard sometimes, but I:

(1)Record all lectures, listen to them while I work out 3x a week and walk an hour a day(5 days a week).

(2)Joined Weight Watchers on-line and record and plan the food I eat each day.

(3)On long days & clinicals...bring my own healthy food!

(4)Havent let myself get frustrated...it's only been about a pound a week, but over a year it has really added up. AND no one seems to have noticed(at least they don't comment on it)(Guess I should add that I don't "talk diet", no one knows from me that I'm doing this). Or it could be that when I started nursing school, weighing in at 296 lbs, now having lost 56, I'm still pretty heavy so to most folks I guess it doesnt seem as if I've lost much. I still have at least 70 lbs to go, so I'm not even half way yet.

So yes, it is possible to lose weight in nursing school. Just as it is possible to make A's. You just have to have a plan, stick with it, take it a day at a time, etc.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! WAY TO GO !!!!

:bow::bow::bow::yelclap::yelclap::yelclap::yeah::yeah::yeah:

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I gained during nursing school. :scrying:

lost a little during clinicals, but gained it back eating to stay awake finishing care plans all night.

Working now... don't know yet... less time to eat thats for sure!

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I agree that school won't necessarily make you lose wt. Nor, however, does it have to make you gain.

Start this very day to establish some better habits. I also struggle with weight so you have my empathy totally.

Start drinking more water. Walk whenever possible - up steps, from the far end of the parking lot (if it's not dangerous), etc. Do really simple things, such as leave a few bites of food on your plate each meal. Chew slowly, put your utensil down between bites, never eat anywhere but at the table. Chew ice chips. Fast totally (except water) on your days off, or at least 2 meals of fasting. The fast is cleansing and rests your digestive organs.

Get on top of these habits now. It only gets harder if you put it off.

Keep track for a couple of days of exactly what you eat and how much, when and where, whether you eat out of anxiety or boredom or true hunger. You'll be amazed.

Overeaters Anonymous is a 12-step program like AA, EA, various other addicton-breaking programs. You might find it helpful to get involved in OA.

I wish you really super results.

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Woo Hoo I'm the exception to the rule!(LOL) I've lost 56lbs since starting nursing school one year ago....but I made the decision to lose weight, made a plan & have stuck with it. It's been hard sometimes, but I:

(1)Record all lectures, listen to them while I work out 3x a week and walk an hour a day(5 days a week).

(2)Joined Weight Watchers on-line and record and plan the food I eat each day.

(3)On long days & clinicals...bring my own healthy food!

(4)Havent let myself get frustrated...it's only been about a pound a week, but over a year it has really added up. AND no one seems to have noticed(at least they don't comment on it)(Guess I should add that I don't "talk diet", no one knows from me that I'm doing this). Or it could be that when I started nursing school, weighing in at 296 lbs, now having lost 56, I'm still pretty heavy so to most folks I guess it doesnt seem as if I've lost much. I still have at least 70 lbs to go, so I'm not even half way yet.

So yes, it is possible to lose weight in nursing school. Just as it is possible to make A's. You just have to have a plan, stick with it, take it a day at a time, etc.

Congrats!!!!!! Keep up the good work!

I myself have never really struggled with weight until I started school. I am a fourth semester NS and have gained roughly 40lbs since starting my gen ed classes. Trying to take pounds off is a new world to me and I am struggling with it. It doesn't help that I eat a lot of fast food and convience foods at home because of time constraints. And I suppose it doesn't help that I eat when I'm stressed and when I study (which of course is at night!) Good luck at NS and with taking off pounds.

:balloons:luvs2readlots- KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! CONGRATS!!!:balloons:

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I hate to say it, but I also have gained about 30 lbs since I started nursing school. First semester was the worst, all of that sitting through what seemed like endless hours of lectures.

I too thought that when I started clinical's and also started working at the hospital that I would loose weight. Boy did I get a rude awakening.

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Specializes in med surg/tele.

I tend to gain 5-7 lbs total during spring/fall semesters. But then it comes right back off over the summer when my class schedule is lighter and I can spend more time moving around and less time on my rear end studying and stress eating before exams. School starts again the end of August, but at least I only have one more semester until I finish the program. The new nurses I've talked to said they lost weight their first year working on the hospital floor. Lots of running around and not much time to eat!

I think you're smart to start thinking about this issue and develop some plans to avoid gaining additional weight. You could very well be one of the ones that actually comes out of nursing school slimmer, trimmer and healthier than when you went in! :yelclap:

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