Is nursing bad for your waist line?

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Although nursing can be a physical job it seems to have messed with my eating habits. I haven't been nursing for very long - a couple of months and I already have started to gain a little weigh. Is there such a thing as the "freshman 15" for new nurses?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Although nursing can be a physical job it seems to have messed with my eating habits. I haven't been nursing for very long - a couple of months and I already have started to gain a little weigh. Is there such a thing as the "freshman 15" for new nurses?
Nursing has been perilous to my waistline because I have started stress-eating at work. It has also completely messed up my once-prized routine of strenuous exercise and good diet. I am not blaming the entire problem on nursing because I must take personal responsibility and own up to my problems, but I have not had this issue before.
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You don't have to be new for nursing to affect your waist line. Many nurses get into trouble with their weight. Particularly a problem for those who work on night shift. You really have to make up your mind to stick to a fitness regimen, including watching how you handle stress. Eating when stressed can easily become a habit. Many of us did this in school!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Eating when stressed can easily become a habit. Many of us did this in school!
ROTFLMFAO!!! :roll

I began stress-eating while in nursing school, and gained a whopping 35 pounds by the end of the program. I was the fattest I had ever been in my entire life! So I can attest to the fact that I stress-ate while in school. A few years ago I weighed 116 pounds, ran 5 miles daily, lifted heavy weights, and was generally in excellent shape. I am disappointed in what my plump body has become!

However, a handful of newer nurses claim to have lost 10 or more pounds during their first year as the result of not getting any meal breaks during the course of their insanely busy shifts. Go figure!

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Dang, I would think all that time on the feet would make one maintain or lose weight. Also, I'm not one who stress eats. When I get stressed out, I tend to not eat, which isn't good either.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Stress eating.....and all this time I've been blaming those darned Pepsi and snack machines and the way they give you that come hither look.

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

a dr i was speaking with about this ( i have gained weight since becoming a nurse) he told me not only stress eating , but also working and never taking a break and dehydration can add to your waistline. which i thought was interesting

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Specializes in Acute Hemodialysis, Cardiac, ICU, OR.

No kidding... I gained 40 pounds during two years of nursing school, and haven't managed to get it off and keep it off... seem to lose and regain the same 20 pounds... I recently pulled out a pair of scrub pants I'd worn when I started school and my husband said, "Dang, when were you THAT skinny???" He didn't mean it in a bad way, because even then I was overweight... just that it seems so slim compared to today!

Gone are the days of six-mile runs and an hour on the stairmaster... LOL... that was before children...

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Specializes in MSICU starting PICU.

A healthy lifestyle has really helped me to stay slim! I gained a few pounds in nursing school but quickly lost it as soon as i got the time and money to exercise and eat healthy food. I always keep a bottle of water with me at work and pack plenty of healthy snacks. Yes i keep carrots, green peppers, berries, apples, bananas whole wheat bread all that stuff in my lunchbox and occasionally my well covered pockets to remind myself to eat healthy. I also find that nursing is STRESSFUL and working out is a great way to cope with the stress of nursing! I still struggle with the occasional caffeine splurge, gotta work on that one!

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.

Ooohhh yeah - strange isn't it when you consider how much running around we do in our job

BUT...

Due to my car being out of action since February, I have had to walk to work which really isn't that far. This has caused me to slowly lose weight, without changing my diet. But hey...I had to be FORCED to do it! And once the car is fixed will I continue to walk? ;)

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I put on 30 pounds plus when I started my med surg job. I worked 3-11p but did nights also in between so I was really screwed up. Amazing since I wore a pedomenter and clocked in walking an average of 6 miles in an 8 hr shift.

I've worked hard and lost all the weight I gained plus some. I'm very careful and don't snack at work. That's made a big difference.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

I was discharging a patient when he asked me, "Why are nurses so fat?" I suppressed my first response, took a breath, and then responded. "Nurses are under the same pressures as the rest of our population and so some of them are overweight just as other Americans. Not all nurses are overweight but some are and they struggle with it just as people in other professions do. If we could come up with an easy solution, we'd be millionaires."

He chuckled and guessed I was right.

I gained about 15 pounds during nursing school but have managed to lose 10 of that since graduation 6 months ago. They sure don't make it easy with potlucks and candy at my unit!!

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