how many calories do you think nursing burns up?

Nurses Stress 101

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After a long and very physically demanding 12hrs yesterday, I finally sank into my couch and thought, "Damn! My muscles hurt!". My hallway is long, my patients are often totals ( and to my luck, never tiny!), etc. I move and grove all day long!!

When I don't work out on my days off, shifts like these help me justify it.

Does your work feel like a workout?

How many calories does nursing burn?

Not as many as I can eat. :confused:

Lol! I'm with you on this one. Im quite certain that my cortisol levels have skyrocketed after accepting my first RN job. I'm stressed and unfortunately I tend to eat more. Not gaining- but not losing weight either. A good cookie speaks directly to the pleasure pathways in my brain. I often feel like somebody beat the crap out of me after a 12 hr shift (body aches, swelling in my feet, muscle cramps). Ugh

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I know, and it doesn't make sense, does it? I work twelve hour nights and I bet I walk miles every shift, not to mention the lifting, stretching, bending, and going without food when I'm hungry because I can't take a break right then and then going home and sleeping when I would normally be eating. It seems like the weight should be falling off if I eat like I did before I started this job, yet it doesn't happen. It's so frustrating! I know a lot of pretty heavy nurses who are bigger than me too, and we all run our legs off and work our butts off all shift, so what gives?

My hypothesis is Stress-- cortisol levels? Also, It's probably because we don't eat all day and our bodies go into that starvation mode. So, when we eat at night-- the body is going to hold onto it.

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Not enough to prevent the 20 lbs I have gained since starting. :blink:

I've put on 10 pounds in 8 weeks. I haven't gained anymore, but I'm stuck right now. I used to be so cute too. It's a shame. At least I'm recognizing that I need to get a hold of this cookie addiction that I have. After a tough shift, there's nothing like a good cookie.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
My hypothesis is Stress-- cortisol levels? Also, It's probably because we don't eat all day and our bodies go into that starvation mode. So, when we eat at night-- the body is going to hold onto it.

Good points. I tend to get really, really hungry working 12 hour night shifts, to the point where I could eat just about anything, so yeah, my body probably does grab onto whatever I eat and hang on for dear life. I just know that it's frustrating to work this hard and not see the weight falling off!

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Specializes in OR.

I've worn a pedometer and I've seen just how many steps I take on the days I work. It's crazy high, yet I don't lose a pound because I eat all of those calories, plus more the minute I get home. It's interesting, I never realized I had such a problem with stress eating until I read this thread.

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Enough calories for me to enjoy my fro-yo every day, I love the self serve fro-yo places. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

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Not only stress eating occasionally, BUT we have recently had happy families serve us catered lunch from a local deli. They brought cupcakes for dessert, red velvet, chocolate, etc.. We were given donuts as a thank you too.

So yeah, it's easy enough to find something yummy in LTC.

Oh man, the holdays are coming up.. That means we will get even more goodies.

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I've been wearing a pedometer! The other day by just steps alone it said I burnt 200 something (not enough if you ask me) in a 12 hr shift. That doesn't take into account all the other types of crazy movements that we do in a day, though. Plus I only had 1 pt. So I think realistically someone could burn 500-600 calories?? Just a guess, idk. It's a nice thought.

I've lost weight since I started working, but that's because I can no longer manage to take care of myself (going all shift without peeing, forgetting to drink, 5 minute lunches...)

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Apparently not enough because the majority of the people in this field are still overweight. but eh, but that's true across the whole country so it's probably not just us.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I work 12 hour nights, sometimes 5 nights in one week. I still do 2 sessions of pilates and yoga a week. Your body gets used to the work exercise, so after a while, you need to change it up if your goal is weight loss. Skipping meals isn't ideal either. Your body will hold on to more calories instead of expending them.

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I wore a calorie burner to clinical a few times, and busy days, by 7pm I had burned almost 3000 calories. On slow days, well, that was closer to 2000.

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Specializes in MICU/SICU.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you're consistently getting your heart rate up to exercise levels at work - and then keeping them there for 20 mins or a half hour - all the walking, boosting, turning and lifting doesn't count for a whole lot as far as calories burned go.

Then consider that the extra 200-300 cals you might burn in a shift gets put right back in one small frappucino, a couple of cookies or glasses of wine.

It sucks.

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