Ok guys, I have been a nurse since 2007 and since then I have gained about 50lbs.
Yes, I know I am not lying. It is very true. I used to fit in to xs scrubs. I work nights because it is convenient for my family and babysitting and my husbands schedule.
Tomorrow I start the dvd beachbody programs and hope for the best. It makes me sad that even at work people around me comment on how much weight I have gained. I can't fit into my clothes.
working nights I always find excuses to eat sweets or other bad things for weight.
I love Beachbody and do will you, I lost 30lb in the first 21 days. I stopped for a while and kind of fell off the wagon with stress at home but you will love it. I have been off the floor since 2007 and have gained about 30 and then became a case manager 2 years ago and gained another 30 so I'm getting ready to get back on it. You go girl, and good luck
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
And if you're working nights your circadian rhythms are out of whack.
Yep. In addition, many night shift workers don't obtain a full 8 hours of sleep every day. Chronically missing out on full sleep has been scientifically proven to contribute to weight gain like nothing else.
When you consider that one pound equals 3500 calories, it doesn't take long to accumulate, not as easy to lose. Daily caloric intake varies according to age, activity, gender, but should be in the range of 1400-1900 calories.
One fast food meal is around 1500-2000 calories. There you go. Or that piece of cake is 400-600 calories.
When it comes to weight loss surgery patients during the losing stage 800 calories is about all they should be eating, that is why every single weight loss surgery type out there includes significant restriction. In the case of my sleeve the fundus of my stomach has been removed, that is about 85% of my stomach.
So for my patient that has gained 50#, that is seriously significant. Not only does she have to eat her BMR in calories but an additional 3500 calories on top of that to gain just 1#. That is a heck of a lot of food. Just to use your examples, a fast food meal is 1500-2000 calories. Let's call that McDonald's quarter pounder w/chz. There is no way I can eat a burger that big, impossible. And the fries? Not a chance. I could eat 3/4 of a hamburger from the dollar menu and maybe 5-6 fries. Taco Bell, my absolute limit is 1 soft shell taco. No sides, no drink. Two medium size eggs/scrambled with some veggies in there, that's the limit. Steak-- 3oz max, no sides. No...4oz. I'm 7 years post op so I can eat a little more than a newbie post op. Chicken breast, same thing. 4oz no sides.
For one of my patients to regain 50# is a big big deal. Thinking about the quantity of food means she is either eating all day long or she's eating nothing but cake and cookie type foods and nothing her body actually needs. It's really not the same as a normie stomach eating those foods. A non op can eat an entire McDonald's meal, we can't. Regaining 5# post op is no big deal, heck that can be water weight. But 50# tells me a great deal about her diet and she's probably eating 3x as often as your average obese non-op.
When it comes to a wls patient compared to a non op, it really is kinda apples and oranges.
Now, bypass is a whole different ballgame, their stoma dilates over time and they have little to no restriction, food just slides through their stomach directly into their small intestine, the vagus nerve is not triggered and they never get that "full" feeling. They really ARE hungry all the time starting about 3-5 years post op. That's not true 100% of the time but my guess? 75% of the time this happens. This is one of many reasons I am not a fan of bypass. Sleeves and bypass lose the same weight after 2 years post op but bypass merely loses it faster by about 1 month per 100#. But at 2 and 5 years, it's about the same. But bypass has a much higher regain and it's not entirely their fault, it's the anatomy of the stomach that is to blame a good deal of the time. Also, sleeves are the safest surgery type available today long term. It's your stomach, just smaller. No malabsorption of nutrition or calories, just a smaller stomach. Sleeve also lose about 80% of their Ghrelin so they really don't experience hunger a great deal anymore either.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
But 50# tells me a great deal about her diet and she's probably eating 3x as often as your average obese non-op.
Or.....she's most likely grazing on slider foods that do not cause any restriction whatsoever. A bariatric surgery patient can slowly eat an entire 16-ounce bag of Cheetos and not feel that sense of fullness, yet they've consumed 2400 calories in the process (150 calories per ounce multiplied by 16 ounces).
You've had bariatric surgery and I'm sure you know what the slider foods are: chips, crackers, cookies, popcorn, and other lightweight carbs that provide no restriction because they slide right through that small stomach pouch as a starchy slurry without causing the fullness that signals one to stop eating.
A cookie from Subway has about 200 calories. A bariatric surgery patient can eat one dozen of these cookies, consume 2400 calories in the process, and still be hungry for more. In the world of bariatric surgery, slider foods are the root of most weight regain.
Or.....she's most likely grazing on slider foods that do not cause any restriction whatsoever. A bariatric surgery patient can slowly eat an entire 16-ounce bag of Cheetos and not feel that sense of fullness, yet they've consumed 2400 calories in the process (150 calories per ounce multiplied by 16 ounces).
You've had bariatric surgery and I'm sure you know what the slider foods are: chips, crackers, cookies, popcorn, and other lightweight carbs that provide no restriction because they slide right through that small stomach pouch as a starchy slurry without causing the fullness that signals one to stop eating.
A cookie from Subway has about 200 calories. A bariatric surgery patient can eat one dozen of these cookies, consume 2400 calories in the process, and still be hungry for more. In the world of bariatric surgery, slider foods are the root of most weight regain.
I agree. I was merely using the other poster's example of fast food.
I also agree with you about sliders being the root cause of regain along with grazing. I am grazer, always have been, always will be but I learned what to graze on. Jicama, raw veggies w/full fat dip, etc.
But the thing is, wls folks do have an advantage over non ops, if we eat a small quantity of protein first, there is no room for sliders.
As I wrote, with a 50# regain post op I have a pretty good idea of her diet. That does end up being sliders and grazing.
I was never a cookies and Cheetos fatty, I was a fast food fatty. Jack in the box for breakfast, Wendy's for lunch, and Mickey D's for dinner. My issue isn't foods with sugar, my trigger food was flour and it still is. So this surgery type works well for me, the foods I shoved in my pie hole... quantity IS limited. Each person has their own trigger foods, usually sugar, salt, or flour. That's why there is more than one surgery type, no surgery type is a one size fits all. For hard core sugar people DS is a good option. If they eat a bag of cookies they will fart and stink. That tends to keep them away from white carbs. (short of potatoes, they can eat potatoes unlike other surgery types.)
I've lost 90 pounds over the last year and a half doing low carbs high fat lifestyle change. My cholesterol is down to normal range now. Still have 30 more pounds to go. It can be done and I don't have any problems with the change. I pick a day or 2 out of the week and eat any carby goodness I want. Which isn't too often because I'm instantly bloated. Good luck OP!
I've lost 90 pounds over the last year and a half doing low carbs high fat lifestyle change. My cholesterol is down to normal range now. Still have 30 more pounds to go. It can be done and I don't have any problems with the change. I pick a day or 2 out of the week and eat any carby goodness I want. Which isn't too often because I'm instantly bloated. Good luck OP!
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Whoa, that is great, Doe! Congrats on your accomplishment!
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Hey I recently lost 20 pounds doing two things - no change in eating habits but I don't sit in the Nurses station except to do end of the day charting and I push my medcart every where with me. Wear a pedometer and take the stairs
I am about 100 lbs overweight (I don't feel it, but I look it). No health problems whatsoever other than the obesity.
My biggest issue has always been fast food. It's just so easy so I would eat Popeye's biscuits for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch and sometimes McDonald's for dinner again. Almost every single day of the week. I've finally broken that habit (well, sometimes I will get Popeye's once a week b/c their shrimp are to die for).
When I first stopped eating at McDonald's, I thought I would go crazy from the cravings. I just wanted their food (I craved the salt from it the most though), and it got to the point where I had to leave my debit card at home when I went to work. Now, if I eat it, it makes me physically ill. It just tastes so disgusting to me now. It took me three months to get to that stage, and now in the past eight months, I've only had fast food 10-15 times.
Sadly though, getting rid of the fast food has not caused me to lose any weight.
I am starting all kinds of exercises to help me lose weight and get in shape. The worst so far is the 30 day plank challenge. It's getting easier every day, but still kicking my butt!
Bmsnyde, BSN,RN
2 Posts
I love Beachbody and do will you, I lost 30lb in the first 21 days. I stopped for a while and kind of fell off the wagon with stress at home but you will love it. I have been off the floor since 2007 and have gained about 30 and then became a case manager 2 years ago and gained another 30 so I'm getting ready to get back on it. You go girl, and good luck