Nursing student weight

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I'm starting my nursing school program in a few weeks for fall 2012 and I just wanted to know if you gain/gained weight or lose/lost weight. I'm getting different responses for reading the threads here on this website and I just want to know your opinion or personal experience and why.

Specializes in NICU Nurse.
I'm already overweight :( But nursing school has kept me maintaining that weight even though I have wanted to lose. I've turned to sugar to keep me awake during class if tired, and as a pick me up during clinical. not good.

I started Low Carb today and am going to start running as soon as the kids go back to school Friday, so Im hoping I can lose(although I have PCOS so losing weight is super hard for me).

I have PCOS too and I find it a struggle to lose weight. I am about to start nursing school on the 27th and I am trying my hardest to lose some weight. In April I started the South Beach Diet which is pretty much low carb diet and between April and June I lost 16 lbs. I then had to back off the diet a little bit because of financial issues (buying healthy food is expensive) but I have not gained the weight I have lost back! I am on vacation right now but when I get home next week I plan on getting back on the diet. If you want to keep in touch and support each other I would love that! Good luck!

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I've actually lost some weight. Not on purpose, though! I'm naturally slender...far from skinny, but somewhere between thin and average...but I have two jobs, a five year old, plus school, so some days I'm just running around literally like a chicken with her head cut off. It's a miracle I even remember where to go and when to go when I hop in the car. I just go to bed some days without eating dinner--too tired. The hospital I work has a cafeteria and that's really the only reason I get breakfast and lunch some days. Plus I just stopped taking my birth control so that's dropped pounds quick.

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Personally, I started out overweight but I have been losing since the middle of second semester. It's just so much harder to do 12 hour clinicals and be on your feet when you are overweight. Also, I needed a new stress relief and I figured over eating was not my best option. Many of the friends I have made exercise daily...so that helps. Several girls have gained weight though. It's all in what you choose!

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Specializes in ER.

I ganied 15 pounds in my first semester. It was entirely due to stress eating, and once summer rolled around I started losing again. Today was my first day back and I already feel the stress that lead to the weight gain building up. :uhoh3:

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

Did you ever notice that all nursing classroom buildings have an extra large supply of vending machines? Talk about taking advantage of a 'captive audience'! Meanwhile we are studying all the negative health repercussions of eating all that crap, and it's sitting outside the door. 'Taint fair I say! At class breaks, there is a line standing in front of the satanic machines.

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4 months in and so far, I've maintained.

If you tend not to eat when you are stressed, just be careful that you don't let yourself get so hungry that you eat to the point of excess. This is not only bad for you body, as it will put you into a short-term starvation/fat save mode, but will also make it hard to study, as a super fully tummy tends to equal sleepy or uncomfortable.

Take the time to exercise. The hardest part is getting started, so start before school starts. For the first little while, exercise will make you feel good, then it will make you tired/sore. Once you are used to it, it's super relaxing and you will find yourself wanting to do some exercise after having sat in class for 8 hours. Pack your own lunch or choose healthy options, and don't fool yourself about what's healthy. Salad can be healthy, but it won't be if you pack it with bacon bits, three kinds of cheese, and 1/2 cup of fatty dressing. Also, while some people swear by it, I say avoid artificial sweeteners. While they may be zero calories, your body still has to do something with them, and they can just make you feel imbalanced. If you are craving something sweet, take the full sugar full calorie option, and have less. Eat your veggies, drink lots of water, etc. As far as diet, have you tried weight watchers? My sister and fiance have both had great luck with it. It is interesting because it really isn't just a diet, but a dietary change. Even when they are "off the program" their eating habits are different and much healthier than before they stared.

Also, take your vitamins and drink lots of water, making sure you are getting adequate nutrition and hydration will help you stay awake. Pay attention to the signals your body is sending you. Being exessively tired probably has something to do with the fact that you will be up late studying, but when your muscles start cramping from low electrolytes, or you are nauseas because you don't normally eat junk and that's all you've eaten all week, take note and get yourself back on track! For example, I'm anemic, but iron tablets and coffee together dont' agree with my stomach, so I stopped taking my iron during the summer. I was so tired by the end of the semester that I decided I needed to cut back on the coffee and get back to taking my iron at least once a week. I feel so much better and don't need as much coffee.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

Gained.

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I'm already preparing myself for when school starts. I bought a pretty lunch box so I'm more likely to use it, a water bottle to carry around at all times, and prepackaging all my snacks so I don't overeat. I've also stock piled on quick workouts for when I only have 15 or 30 minutes and that I can do anywhere with or without equipment. I have a feeling that once it begins I won't have time for an hour of p90x!

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Specializes in Antepartm and Mother-Baby.

I gained about 8 pounds my first year in nursing school. I ate junk. I ate when I got super stressed. I ate in class because I was bored and needed to stay awake. This year I plan on stopping all of that and hopefully will lose a few pounds.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Nursing school cannot make you gain weight.

Last time I checked, it did not have the ability to pick up a bag of chips, put them in your mouth, make you chew and swallow. It also did not metabolize those same chips nor stick them to your hips.

You have the CHOICE to choose what does or doesn't go into your mouth. You have some bad habits? Check them at the door. There's no reason to gain 20, 30, 40+ lbs while in school. That's absurd. If you gain that much, I'd wonder about your eating issues in general vs. nursing school.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Neuro Stepdown.
..i'm thin and eat like crap. my insides are probably covered in butter and lard...

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/theres-nothing-worse-717602-page7.html#post6565126

erm.... hypocrite?

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Not really. It's the truth. I know I have a problem. I never said I was in denial, and I am actively, as of this month, working to change my diet, slowly. It IS my choice. Always. That has never and will never change.

digging into my posts from months ago...I always wanted my own personal stalker

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