Nursing school made me fat!!!

angelikdemonik · Jan 16, 2008

3fatchicks.com is a VERY good source.

eccentricRN · Jan 16, 2008

you can't say "nursing school" made you fat. it's the unhealthy eating and no exercise. that's like saying mcdonald's "made" you fat, when in fact it hardly stuffed it's food down your throat.
i recommend weight watchers. perfect balance of teaching you the right amounts of different food and how much you'd need to exercise to burn it off

i agree ns doesn't make one fat, and i, too, for one gained an excess of weight during school, also due to lack of exercise, & poor eating habits, however, stress does play a factor in gaining weight, for some people, not all.

i am attempting to eat better and begin exercising regularly & still finding it difficult to squeeze it all in, taking care of my home, my son, my husband, animals, working, cooking, & cleaning & studying for nclex. maybe when i pass it'll be a little easier.

birdgardner · Jan 16, 2008

I came home and snarfed a handful of dried coconut today. Sometimes it's Cheetos. I used to eat healthy. The only reason I haven't gained weight is because I don't eat dinner after a munch attack.

And people at school think I eat healthy Because I will get soup and salad if it's there, but I will eat ANYTHING when I'm tired and hungry. Whatever I see first.

Ok, healthy alternatives:

Don't keep unhealthy food in the house.

Don't stop at McDs. Stop at the supermarket and grab something from the salad bar and some grilled chicken breast.

When you do cook healthy food, cook lots, for leftovers.

If your cafeteria doesn't have healthy food, take five minutes to make a healthy lunch. Use the leftovers from dinner.

Walnuts and almonds are your friends. They have healthy fats that will trigger your satisfaction center.

Don't eat much at all that is sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. It just turns your appetite on. Don't drink fruit juice or sweet drinks. Drink water, tea (not that Southern sweet tea), selzer and milk.

Don't let yourself get too hungry, because you will binge later.

Healthy snacks:

12 walnuts, 12 dark dark chocolate chips.

1 banana.

1/2 c. plain yogurt NOT non-fat, 1/2 c. frozen raspberries, 2 tsp honey

1/2 avocado, 1/2 tomato.

3 oz. chicken breast

1 oz. cheese, 2 Tb raisins

1 cup milk, 2%. Personally, I think whole is fine. Good for your fertility too.

Don't avoid fat, it is very hard to feel satisfied without it.

Brush your teeth after you eat.

Calories have to earn their place on you - either because they're good for you, or they're to die for. Dunkin Donuts is not to die for, creme brulee is.

Park at the far end of the lot, everywhere. Use the stairs. Climb six to ten flights during a break, just for fun. Offer to run errands. Find a really fun exercise class and do it just once a week, as a start. I've started belly dancing.

Good luck!

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jan 16, 2008

3fatchicks.com is a VERY good source.

Thanks so much for the resource!

invisigoth · Jan 16, 2008

The combination of extreme stress, fast food, no time to work out, and being fatigued all the time has made me put on 32 pounds in 1.5 years!!! I am graduating in May and I don't want to be jiggling in my robes. Does anyone else want to start an online weight loss group? How do you stay healthy? Any quick and easy (and healthy) things you can take with you on the unit? Any supplements? Any advice would be appreciated!

I get up about five o'clock and do kundalini yoga. I highly recommend it. Get Gurmukh's DVD and do it every day except during your period. Make it part of your routine. I also get a 45 minute lunch and I go straight to the gym with my notes and cellphone and workout on the elliptical. Prepack food stuffs, fresh fruits, juice drinks,etc. I hate it when families buy FOOD for the nursing staff. One family bought oranges (thank God!). I get made fun of for my food like the green smoothies but there it is right in the unit refrigerator. I've started out at 169 pounds and now I'm 158.

invisigoth · Jan 16, 2008

My ugly uniform is starting to get tight through the rear end, so I am going to be walking my bigger booty to school this semester.

A lot of that is due to sitting down all day. I hate sitting down *LOL* My sister calls it chair butt.

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Jan 16, 2008

I wouldn't stress about it. Once you start your job (assuming it is a hospital job), you will probably start losing weight because of the exercise, I lost the 10-15 pounds I put on just by walking up and down those long halls on my med-surg floor!

Good luck!

Oldiebutgoodie

lvnandmomx3 · Jan 16, 2008

Little change of subject but there is atually a good lesson in sociology in this thread...... That ppl think that Nursing school is the causative in gaining weight ( me too....lol) when in fact the causative is the irregular eating and the not exercising.......... Hey I may just be getting a hang of this sociology....lol

shanyone · Jan 16, 2008

Nursing school didn't make us fat - eating crappy food too often and not exercising makes us fat.

I just started my second semester of nursing school ten pound heavier than before school and I vowed that I wasn't going to go out and buy new clothes (that's where I was headed because the old ones were so tight). Instead, my husband and I bought and set up an eliptical trainer and adjustable powerblock weights in our basement and now I read my homework while doing the eliptical for at least a half hour a day. I may not be able to lift as often as I'd like to, but some day I'll have the time to use them every other day or so too.

I'm also trying to pay better attention to my diet as well (but I don't do as well there as I do with working out). Little by little it will get better. I refuse to gain a bunch of weight that will make me feel bad on the floor later. I want to be a fit nurse, not a fat nurse! if I can do it, so can you! Good luck with your transformation!!!

Shanyone

shanyone · Jan 16, 2008

sorry, posted twice...

Music in My Heart · Jan 16, 2008

Add one chubby middle-aged man to the list.

I'm a Weight Watchers guy myself. I don't do the meetings (or pay the fees) but I do use their point system.

I don't believe in fad diets or gimmicks; it's all about tracking how much you're eating, what you're eating, and how much exercise you're getting.

During my last semester of prerequisites, I dropped 35 lbs while taking 14 units. For various reasons, I hopped off the wagon and have added back 25 of those. As of this morning, actually, I'm back on the wagon.

I'm officially checking in at 211.0 lbs