Why are so many of us over weight?

Nurses General Nursing

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If we are supposed to be good role models when it comes to health, why is it that so many of us are overweight? I'm just a student, so I don't know much, but I want to know what everyone else thinks about this!! Is it because there is no time to exercise with 12 hours shifts, and no time to find healthy food because there are such short lunch breaks? These are what I am guessing, but I want to know from real nurses why all of y'all think so many of your co-workers are overweight. (I don't mean to offend anyone with this post!!) Just curious!! Thanks for any opinions you have.

Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.
*HOORAY* new title...

Oh...and I forgive you for your originally offensive title.

Huh?? It's the same old title, isn't it??

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Umm, I'm guessing because we are human? We eat on the run and we're lucky if we pee in a 12hr. shift. Did you know nurses (or CNA's, etc.) have the highest incidence of UTI's? Also, I think maybe some of the extra weight can be contributed to emotional eating. We see people on the worst days of their lives. I don't know about everyone else, but there are some patients you never get out of your mind. Whenever I think of the patient that died of bone cancer that was only 24 y.o. I want to hit Ben and Jerry's. :crying2: Is there an emotional eaters anynonmous out there? :rotfl:

Another reason, who has the energy to work out after a 12 hr. shift? The last thing I want to do is be on my feet. I thank God for my 20 min. drive to and from work.

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I work 40 hours a week. Sometimes--no, a lot of times--more.

I have chronic pain. But I keep working.

I have had a couple of killer illnesses and survived. And I keep working.

I regard myself as victorious.

Because I'm alive.

And I can still go to work and help others stay alive.

And I guarantee you that the patient that I did chest compressions on last week won't remember what I looked like, or the other members of the Code team.

But I remember quite clearly when the doc told us to stop compressions because we had a pulse.

Nobody kicked me out of that room for being fat. No one complained that my clothes were wrinkled, my hair wasn't perfect, or that I didn't have designer underwear on, a made-up face and fake nails.

Role model? You bet I am. In all the stuff that really counts in life.

You are awesome!

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Yeah, I tried to ameliorate the title...apparently I could only adjust the ones at the top of a post....the OLD (blankety) title stayed on the main forum screen. Sorry....my bad.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
Huh?? It's the same old title, isn't it??

well yes and no apparently...the topic name seems to have a mind of its own haha:rotfl:

thanks for at least trying P_RN!!! wonderful gesture

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Yeah, I tried to ameliorate the title...apparently I could only adjust the ones at the top of a post....the OLD (blankety) title stayed on the main forum screen. Sorry....my bad.

Ok, so i wasn't the only one seeign two different titles lol.

Maybe a co-admin could fix it.

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:chuckle This may be entirely off topic and I can only imagine that someone may laugh or role their eyes at this:uhoh3: but, ..... being called a "skinny girl, bones, skele, tooth pick" and all of those other names kinda hurts too. I have looked into this and there is a large population of men and women in the US that are thin and try desperately to gain the weight. Of course, as I have found out nursing is not the profession to be in if you need to eat every 1-2 hours. There just is not time!! :offtopic:

Have a great night!

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Maybe so.....I tried....really I did....:)

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.
Maybe so.....I tried....really I did....:)

Ahhh, but you *succeeded* :p

ETA: maybe that's "why so many of us are overweight"....too many ceeds suc'ed..hehe

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I do agree that just because someone becomes a nurse, it doesn't automatically make them svelte, marathon-runners, who never touch partially hydrogenated fats.

Personally, I'm ~25 lbs. overweight, don't exercise and have a great fondness for chocolate covered peanut butter cups. That I eat by the handfuls while sitting in a big cozy chair, by the fire in my living room. Ahh..

But having said that, don't we, as healthcare professionals, who daily go around telling others what they sould eat, how important excercise is, how important proper nutrition is to avoid high cholesterol etc. also owe it both to ourselves and our patients that we practice what we preach?

It is certainly difficult to get started in the right direction, but I have recently sat down and come up with a "healthy" schedule I want to follow. Includes everything from good diet, to installing water filter, to meditation, to daily walking (even in the rain :uhoh21: ), considering joining a gym. Not that I am perfect - I just have the schedule written out - now I need to follow it!:rotfl:

But I think it important that the medical folks giving advice to patients need to show that they also follow their own advice. Who wants to listen to a heavy-set nurse, who huffs and puffs walking down the hallway tell me I should spend more time exercising. Are ya gonna believe her?

Thats just my :twocents:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
:chuckle This may be entirely off topic and I can only imagine that someone may laugh or role their eyes at this:uhoh3: but, ..... being called a "skinny girl, bones, skele, tooth pick" and all of those other names kinda hurts too. I have looked into this and there is a large population of men and women in the US that are thin and try desperately to gain the weight. Of course, as I have found out nursing is not the profession to be in if you need to eat every 1-2 hours. There just is not time!! :offtopic:

Have a great night!

this is soooooooo true! And it is NO better than being called 'fat'...hence why I find any reference to one's wt in an unflattering matter simply OFFENSIVE.

I was called ALL those names in school growing up cuz I had a ridiculously hard time gaining wt and have always been underweight...I had to gain ten pounds to meet army admission standards!!! I was teased about looking like a little boy (no curves) and an ethiopian (i would never wear a bathing suit in public)

so I sympathized with the overweight kids that spent their lunch periods and recesses crying in the bathroom bc of the horrible teasing...

it just really isn't fair and some people just need to grow up! we are adults here.

glad you mentioned this

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
This may be entirely off topic and I can only imagine that someone may laugh or role their eyes at this:uhoh3: but, ..... being called a "skinny girl, bones, skele, tooth pick" and all of those other names kinda hurts too.

This put me in mind a few years ago when "The View's" Joy Behar caught flack from people for constantly (and acting like it was funny) refering to slender women as "skinny little b******" (it offended me as well, mainly for the B word usage on top of her consistently poor attempt to be comical). Well, Mail Day rolled around, she read a letter addressed to her that pretty much berated her for it, and the last line being "You wouldn't like it if someone refered to you and bigger women as a fat *****, would you?"

Whatever size, the label wasn't appropriate, all words included, JB's and the viewers, but i think that viewer made their point asking the question.

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