Too FAT to be a nurse?

2BRN123 · Jun 4, 2012

My current employment is in a gym for a Physician facilitated personal training program. If you want to lose weight here's my anecdotal advice:

Losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong thing. Putting school on hold to do so will not make a difference, as once your lifestyle changes when you're IN school you'll go back to bad habits. This happens all the time. Treat weight loss LIKE school and pace yourself, you are more likely to find successes.

1. Pace yourself and set realistic goals, you can't get a BSN in 3 months and you can't lose 100 lbs in that time either.

2. Educate yourself, learn why you have the issues with weight that you do, learn about specific things you can do over time to change them. See a personal trainer once every couple of weeks to learn what kinds of exercises are good for you and to get new inspiration. Most of weight loss failures come down to misinformation about diet and lack of diversity in exercise. Learn about these things in small doses and apply as necessary.

3. Give yourself a learning curve. Diet cheats happen. Weight bounceback happens. Lazy-days with no exercise happen. Ok so you screw up and eat a whole box of oreo's.... **** happens, move on, keep truckin.

4. Always remember to identify the positive changes in your body. Stop weighing yourself, its an arbitrary number look for changes in tone, inches, changes in the way you feel. You might still have a spare tire but DAMN is your butt starting to look good. Everything is an achievement (aside from the theoretical oreo incident, whoops) so treat them as achievements and don't dwell on whats not changing yet.

Losing weight and changing your body requires a lifestyle change. The people who are most successful are people that are able to find a way to INTEGRATE fitness into their lives. Don't look at this as something you're too fat for, look at this as a vehicle for you to make positive changes. You will be learning so much about the human body and how it works, what better time to put it into practice.

Stephalump · Jun 4, 2012

The only reason I would put off being a nurse would be if your weight seriously affected your ability to perform your duties. Considering you already work as an MA and are apparently surviving, I think you're A-ok.

I posted in another thread that I do have a family member who basically failed out of NS because of the side effects of being upwards of 250lbs overweight. She simply could not keep up with the walking, bending, lifting, and general stamina required. 150 lost pounds later, she's a RN.

Point being: in extreme cases Imay agree that weight loss should come before nursing, but it would be because of function, not aesthetics.

myelin · Jun 4, 2012

It is reading posts like these that make me think we have really lost it as a country. The entire idea that you would let something as inconsequential as the size of your body prevent you from reaching your goals is utterly absurd to me. Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that weight is inconsequential in a health sense. If you want to lose weight for health reasons, that's fantastic. However, I am astounded we've come to a place where people feel like they can't pursue a goal simply because their body is too big. Being overweight won't prevent you from being a successful nurse. It doesn't make you stupid. It doesn't make you bad. Weight isn't a moral issue and I wish our country would stop making it so. You earned this just as much as everyone else. Do what you want. It's your life. If people have issues with your body then that is their problem, ffs!

Stephalump · Jun 4, 2012

I really don't think this post is representative of a sad soul, crying herself to sleep over lost dreams.

But that's just me. E-tone is a hard code to crack.

ms_sgr, BSN, NP · Jun 4, 2012

I just recently got accepted into a BSN and ADN program. I have worked as a medical assistant for a busy pediatric practice for several years now. My worry is that I've seen so pretty negative comments in regards to overweight or obese nurses. Should I put everything I worked so hard for on hold to "lose weight"?

Honey don't worry about it, by the time you finish nursings school you'll be anorexic due to lack of eating from all of the busy work and lack of sleep.

Mama_Cashew, ASN, RN · Jun 4, 2012

3. Give yourself a learning curve. Diet cheats happen. Weight bounceback happens. Lazy-days with no exercise happen. Ok so you screw up and eat a whole box of oreo's.... **** happens, move on, keep truckin.

I am going to print this out and tape it to my mirror!

Hellooo_Nurse · Jun 4, 2012

my mother was an over weight nurse for 20 years before she finally decided it was time to change her lifestyle. she was a good, caring nurse as an obese person but i must say is an even better one now. she had to undergo gastric bypass surgery in 2005 and since then has lost almost 200 lbs. she is a happier person due to a clean diet, and she includes more activity in her day. weight-loss is a personal journey, one that no one but YOU can chose to take. for my mother the weight loss goals stemmed from her increased physical limitations, health complications, and her desire to be active with her teenage daughters. but the choice was entirely hers alone. just as it is yours. i myself am persuing my dream to be a nurse in conjuction with my ideal health goal. i do think that being a healthy nurse does make for a happier and ultimately better nurse. as aspiring health care professionals we should be examples of good health for our patients.

hellosun · Jun 4, 2012

jgtdolphin i am also very thin (after growing up overweight) so i have seen this issue from both ends of the spectrum. Honestly, I am so sick of everyone focusing on everyone else's weight. I hate being made fun of for being thin and having a pretty curve-less body and I hated growing up overweight even more. But if there is one thing I know it is this: you are stuck with the body you are given so you might as well learn to love it. I think you should embrace your body and find things you love about it, focus on those areas. And in the meantime, try to incorporate some exercise into your daily routine whether it is taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving or taking the bus, etc. And when it comes to eating I personally think the easiest way to start eating healthy is to eat PLENTY of vegetables and fruit throughout the day. If you are still craving junk, let yourself have it! But chances are you will be more full than usual and gradually crave junk food less. Works for me =) (although oreos and milk will always be my weakness..)

no matter what do NOT let other people's stereotypes about what a nurse should look like hold you back. You need to do this for you. Losing weight will come with time but putting off a nursing program is risky and unfair to yourself.

Everline · Jun 5, 2012

Yes, you should lose weight. No, you should not put your dream on hold.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2012

I just recently got accepted into a BSN and ADN program. I have worked as a medical assistant for a busy pediatric practice for several years now. My worry is that I've seen so pretty negative comments in regards to overweight or obese nurses. Should I put everything I worked so hard for on hold to "lose weight"?

What do you honestly think? Can you seriously tell yourself that it's really a great idea to put off nursing school so you can concentrate...on a diet??

I'd hope you'd come to a better conclusion than that.

luv_o_so_much · Jun 6, 2012

No way! It's tough to get into a nursing program!!!

I will say that working in an office is different from the hospital and physical demands might be different. That shouldn't worry you. I am overweight, but I can move our patients around (100 lbs or 500 lbs) and have the stamina and dexterity to complete all the tasks I must during a shift. I am not in nursing school yet. I work in a vey busy ICU and float to TELE. Over the last year I have started to walk more and weight lift. I am trying to physically prepare for more demand on my body once I am in school since I will also need to work two 12 hr shifts during the process.

I will share this also: Different hospitals have different lifting protocols. Some, although they don't want you to get hurt, do not completely enforce safe lifting. Others will write you up for non-compliance. Different types of nursing require different types of demands. Protect your body! (Especially your back)

Being overweight does not mean you are not strong or quick. You may have posted because of how you may believe others think weight reflects on image .... I am responding with what I did because only you can decided how your weight affects how you feel... I will repeat that.... Only YOU can determine how it makes YOU FEEL .... that has NOTHING to do with how good of a nurse you will be or how well you will do in class or clinicals. In fact you may empathize (spelling??) better! And don't worry! Haha! There are slimmer counter parts in nursing that don't have the stamina or strength too! Its all individual friend! I think everyone gave great input! Get your study on! Congrats on the acceptance!!!!!!!

ejm123 · Jun 18, 2012

I want to say that I have a bmi right over 40. I've busted my tail to get to where I am at in school. Im president of my class and I've never lacked self confidence especially when it comes to work - or school. I am however having gastric bypass one month after I take state boards. My reasons are simple I have a four year old I want to live for. Do I think losing weight will open up more doors - probably so! For me I don't want to be the nurse telling someone who is obese they need to lose weight and eat healthy when I'm obese as well. Many of my classmates don't think or see me as obese but at the end of the day I am. I carry it well. My advice one big girl to the next....never ever ever let your weight keep you from your dream! If it bothers someone that is their issue not yours. Love yourself fully and good things will come to you. Wish you nothing but success!