Weight GAIN in Nursing School

allthingsbright · Jul 17, 2004

ive lost 60 pounds on weight watchers-and need to lose more-but what has helped me is having healthy choices around for snacking.

i like:

single serving bags of light popcorn

baby carrots

light wheat bread, tomato and ff cheese sandwiches

protien bars (choclate-yum. i like pria, luna, and herbalife)

pretzels-the sticks-one serving lasts a while

lots of diet coke and fresca

frozen grapes

rice cakes-the flavored ones in cheese, or caramel

anyway, i just tote this kind of stuff around with me so i dont hit the vending machine at school, and i use snacks when i study at home sometimes. i write down everything i eat during the day to keep me aware of what i am putting in my mouth!

now to get the rest of this weight off!

angelac1978 · Jul 17, 2004

Just a reminder, it would probably only take about 20-30 minutes of exercise (walking) 3-4 times a week to keep from gaining any weight.
Can you find the time for that?

and also, those 20-30 mins can be broken up. Park in the parking lot that is the longest distance from your class. That's 10 minutes right there. Do you get a lunch break? Take 10 minutes to walk around the building or the parking lot. Don't buy a rolling backpack (unless you have back problems or something) Lugging around those heavy books can really up the intensity. get up an extra 20-30 minutes early and do an exercise video. Walk Away the Pounds is really good and the 1 mile tape is less than 20 minutes long. Great way to get you awake and your heart pumping. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Try to eat at least 5 fruits/veggies a day and get in 2 dairy servings. Take a multivitamin (I take Flintstones chewables because I have a hard time swallowing those big horse pills!) I personally am following Weight Watchers and have lost 13lbs so far. The changes I have made in my daily life are minimal. I am just more active than I used to be and I watch my portion sizes. It can be done, you just have to put yourself first sometimes. If you don't, then everything else will suffer.

A

suzy253, RN · Jul 17, 2004

The long days in one building at my nursing school--we do get breaks indeed--just enough time to go to the soda and candy machines in the hallway. Lunch break we usually walk across the parking lot to the hospital cafeteria. If I have time and think about it (!) I'll remember to make a lunch and bring it with me. So many times I have left it sitting on the kitchen counter or in the fridge.:)

sabrn2006 · Jul 18, 2004

I lost 30 lbs last year and have so far kept it off. I still have about 20 to go. I am a bit apprehensive about possibly gaining weight during school. I have seen my exercise efforts level off to almost zero lately with a hectic schedule this summer. (Kids' evening soccer games, Full time stressful summer job, 6 week long/2 nights a week Nutrition class) I figure this is just a sampling of what to expect when I start the ADN program full time this fall.

What has worked in the past for me is journaling my daily food intake as allthingsbright mentioned. I also need to plan ahead for "windows of workout time". I plan to use the college gym 2-3 days a week before class or at lunchtime. A fellow student is planning to go with me on the lunchtime workouts. I like to run outside too, so I will try fit that in on alternating mornings. I need the stress relief as much as the calorie burn!! I also will carry food around in little lunch size cooler. I can't afford to eat out anyway.

HyperRNRachel · Jul 18, 2004

Well, I get over the reality about gaining 10, 11, 12 13 ...o.k. 18 pounds, by saying (to myself) I was too thin to begin with. Dammit, I needed to put on weight. :chuckle

My schedule has been crazy, but on all breaks I run and lift weigts as much as I can. I try to pick fruit, veggies, and lean meat more often than junk food. I think in the end I will remain close enough to my goal that the remaining pounds will not be that difficult to lose.

When under stress, eat carrots!

Rachel

nikonos · Jul 18, 2004

Walk to class, do not take those 'convenient' campus shuttles whose schedules are usually all fouled up anyway. Park a little farther than you normally would and time how long it takes you to walk to class with all your books in your backpack. From that point on you know exactly how long it will take you to get from your car to your building and not have to worry about being late for a class because the shuttle was late. So long as you do not have a bad back, throw an extra textbook or two in your backpack to add some weight to it and you will be able to feel the difference in your quasi-workout on the way to and from classes.

dixienurse2be · Jul 18, 2004

I'm doing weight watchers also. I plan to do the same things as Allthingsbright. Just keep healthy snacks in your fridge and cabinets all the time. Plenty of fruits and veggies. I'm a stress eater so I always have frozen grapes and carrot sticks on hand. I also am walking every morning and I do pilates 2 or 3 times a week. This is gonna be my stress relief. I've heard that you have to schedule a time for everything once you start classes so i'm actually going to schedule time to work out. I'm getting the fundamentals of healthy eating down so that maybe once school starts it will be like second nature to pick a salad or sandwich over fast food. Good luck yall

renerian, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2004

I am one of the people you have listed not to post.....lose weight/stress. To bad as I had good ideas. It is not always good on our side either. I hope you find what your looking for.

ren

michelle95 · Jul 19, 2004

When I exercise early in the day it makes me really watch what I eat. I want my hard work to pay off for me and not be a waste of time. Maybe that will work for you.

I usually exercise right when I get out of bed. It really sucks...and I try to talk myself out of it, but I just do it. I know once I do that I will (a) feel better and (b) won't have to do it anymore for the rest of the day. I either do videotapes (Taebo or something) or now that we have a treadmill, I am trying to jog....if I can ever keep those blasted cramps out of my side! :rotfl: Exercising first thing in the morning really boosts the metabolism and gets you going for the day.

I've lost 65 pounds and kept it off since last year. I just ate right and exercised my butt off....literally. You just have to get into the frame of mind that you WILL do it. And, once you get down to what you want...you have to keep it off (which seems harder to me). I'm 5'9" and 160# and trying to get to a goal of 145 or 150.

I still eat what I want...but, I make deals with myself. While at work Saturday, I wanted Bar-b-que so bad...but, I said "NO, I WILL eat what I brought today and then get it tomorrow" So, I only ate about 1300 calories on Saturday and then ate my BBQ yesterday (with an icecream drumstick a resident's mother brought for the staff). It's about moderation.

Good thread...exercise and nutrition are near and dear to my heart.

odd13 · Jul 20, 2004

I did a search for this topic and did not find as many hints/tips as I would have thought.
Now, if you are one of those people that loose weight when under stress, believe me, we don't want to hear it. I have a slim friend that always complains of loosing weight when she is stressed out, :angryfire.
Anyway, I am worried about gaining weight in nursing school. When I was taking the pre-reqs I was only going part time and I only gained a few pounds, but nursing classes are pretty much full time, and then with all the homework/studying I will be sitting alot, without time to excercise (I know me, I will put school work first - not exercise). Also, I find myself munching alot while studying, it helps me concentrate, and keeps me studying longer.
So if any of you guys have found ways of studying, etc, that doesn't pack on the pounds, PLEASE share your secrets :), they would be much appreciated!
Here are a couple of my favorites that helped in pre-reqs:
Study at the Library (you can't bring in food at ours).
When I study at home, I started out sucking on hard candies, but by the end of the first week, I was just biting them and chewing them up, one after another. So, I switched to sunflower seeds, one at a time, that helped, but all the salt made my fingers puffy .
It's like I need something in my mouth, but gum doesn't help. I must have been born to be a smoker or something, but of course I wouldn't start that, very unhealthy and my husband would divorce me.
As you can see I haven't really found anything that helps that much! Maybe you guys have some suggestions for my "oral" fixation!
Also, I would like to ask the working nurses, if after they finished school did they loose any weight they gained in nursing school?
I know I will put school first - I have to, but it would be nice to finish without being more overweight (15-20lbs) than I am now!
THANKS! I appreciate all you guys!

What some of our classmates do, we workout on the treadmill with our notes or walk with our tape recorders and headphones. This way you are active and studying at the same time. Good luck in school.

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Jul 20, 2004

One thing that might help with the issue of having something in your mouth but not wanting salt or calories--try chewing on cinnamon sticks.

That was a smoking cessation tip I remember hearing (and trying, waaaay back when, when I smoked) years ago--they taste OK to pretty good, make your breath smell sweet, can be cheap (check the dollar stores or WalMart for the plastic jars of them for 50 cents or a dollar), and definitely give your mouth something to do. I never noticed any tooth staining either (and no, my teeth weren't already stained.... :rolleyes: )

michelle95 · Jul 20, 2004

Thanks Chris...I've been wanting to quit smoking and looking for something to help. I thought about chewing gum, but, I am on the verge of TMJ and didn't think that was a good idea.