Nursing school weight gain

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A bunch of my peers and I have gained a lot of weight throughout the past semester due to the lack of eating right and being able to exercise because of the huge commitment nursing school is. Anyone have any suggestions on how to lose it now that it is summer and to keep it off?

Are we the only ones that have had this issue?

oh I'm hearing you!!!

Between uni and working, my only exercise the past few months has been running between lectures and running after my boys.

Semester 2 starts in August, so over the holidays I'm going to try to get into a better routine and include exercise!! Also its been so easy to grab something quick and greasy from the snack bar inbetween classes - I must stop this.

Zoe :-)

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I can relate to you, I am a nursing student myself... Ready to graduate this November and I have also gaind a few pounds. I am trying to lose weight before pinning, but right now my main focus is finishing school... I encourage you to pack healthy lunches and fresh fruit snacks, and stay away from fast food and vending machines.;)

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You guys are seriously motivating me to start a walking club during breaks at school.

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i have to say this, i lost ten pounds last semester. i was so busy, i forgot to eat. i was also malnourished. i hate eating my own cooking at the hospitals, and the one i was at didn't have a cafeteria. so i was living off of string cheese and celery, basically.

my fav hospital has really great food, and most of it is good for you. they have the best salad bar, great low fat entree's. it's all so yummy and cheap (they give us the employee discount.)

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I always pack my lunch -- grilled chicken breast, cottage cheese, broccoli, spinach, almonds, hard boiled egg, etc.

My school has a gym on campus, so I make good use of it during lunch time. I strength train every other day during the school week, and do cardio whenever I get a chance. I manage to eat my lunch at other breaks or even during class (classmates are okay with it -- no wrappers... Of course, I save things like the hard boiled egg for break times :p) I'll occasionally get together with my sister (also in school) to go for a run.

1. Set realistic goals! Measure with a tape measure, not a scale.

2. Make a plan.

3. Tell your family and friends about it.

4. Execute the plan.

5. Evaluate how it's going, adjust, stick with it.

Allow yourself to cheat once or twice per week. I won't stay happy avoiding sweets the rest of my life -- that's what weekends are for. Even though I eat super strict throughout the week, I just finished two pieces of ice cream cake. Yum!

The first thing I ever did to start watching what I was eating was set up an account with fitday.com, and I switched my coffee cream with skim milk... Instant loss of 2-300 calories/day.

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Thanks for all the advice everyone! And thanks to those who admitted that I AM NOT the only one with this problem! I hope I can really change my attitude and lifestyle to lose the extra weight and keep it off!

Good luck everyone!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
i have to say this, i lost ten pounds last semester. i was so busy, i forgot to eat. i was also malnourished. i hate eating my own cooking at the hospitals, and the one i was at didn't have a cafeteria. so i was living off of string cheese and celery, basically.

my fav hospital has really great food, and most of it is good for you. they have the best salad bar, great low fat entree's. it's all so yummy and cheap (they give us the employee discount.)

i actually lost weight the very first semester because i had been packing my own lunches. then the stress level of school went up, i made friends with some classmates, and we started going out to eat for lunch...

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

If anything I lost weight in nursing school. Learning about the health benefits of losing weight whipped me into better shape.

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Specializes in Telemetry/IMC.

I usually gain 20 lbs during the semester and lose 20 lbs during the break. I think it's because I stress eat.... plus, I've not packed my lunch except for clinical days, so I've been eating out a lot. I think I'm gonna start packing my lunches this fall though, maybe I won't gain so much weight.... My college offers free gym membership for students, do other colleges not do this?

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I recently lost 35 pounds and I am determined not to gain the weight back. When I start nursing school in the Fall, I plan to take walks while listening to my recorded lectures. That way I can keep up with the school work, while excercising. I also plan to pack healthy lunches and snacks the night before class or clinicals.

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Stay away from the snack machines! I've gained around 8 pounds since starting nursing school and I can point it to those darn packages of convenience, lol. You'd think being in a building for healthcare they'd pack the machines with something more healthy!

What students are doing is when there is a break for class, they take a walk outside or in the hallways. Also, they bring healthy snacks (granola, fruit, yogurt, etc) and don't bring money to prevent the temptation of buying anything from the machines. Thank goodness I'm on a break to get my weight back under control, and following those little things, I know I'll be able to keep it off.

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