Why are RN's so fat!

Nurses General Nursing

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I was told by a nanny last night that her employer just had a baby, and she commented on how fat the RN's are at the hospital (Her employer is thin).

Her employer stated that "being RN's shouldn't they know how to control their weight"? I told the nanny that yes, but RN's have a very stressful job. They are over worked, have odd hours, and tend to eat bad food to comfort themselves because the amount of stress they are under. Usually we are understaffed and don't get breaks, and when we do leave work normally we as RN's tend to reach for junk, because high sugary foods bring up the blood sugar the quickest. I was quite offended at her comments, not because I am fat (I am not exactly slim either), but because it is a generalization of the profession. I don't know what her point was to even repeat what her employer said. However, I'm determined not to fall in that category, because I once was fat (I lost approx 61 lbs & still want to lose about 30lbs). Does that comment offend you?

hoooooboy!

Did this bring back an interesting memory!

I was an ICU nurse on the west coast....it was the clique-iest (is that really a WORD?) place to work. The manager was one of the previous staff nurses, who felt she had 'arrived' when she took the manager position.

In the course of two years, I worked under this manager, I was given the following evals:

"needs improvement....blah blah blah"

"gives just excellent care to her patients." blah blah blah

The only thing that had changed was that I dropped 50 pounds...

(interestingly, this manager weighed well over 300 pounds!)

She actually said this to me,"I must say, you look wonderful.....the weight that has come off makes you look just wonderful....and it shows in your patient care."

Now, I may have been over weight, but my patient care was not altered in any way shape or form by my 50 pound weight gain or loss!!

I was appalled someone would even make such a statement....

It was one of my first lessons in superficiality that is rampant in nurse management.....and has nothing to do with my abilities, skills, knowledge, or potential.

Maybe you should have offered this shallow brained employer a large bag of OREOS: RX: eat whole bag with large glass of milk and don't call me in the morning!

Ya know....my grandmother was a nurse midwife....from Ireland....4ft. tall and 4ft. wide! She raised thirteen biological children, and adopted 4 children who didn't have a home. She taught DOCTORS the art and science of midwifery and the University of Florida Medical School during the depression years....when no one white would deliver a black woman's child.....she did!

I don't think anyone was particularly concerned with her size or her weight, or the size of her hips.....they were more concerned with her skill at delivering them when it was time to push!

Apparently the doctors there were not focused on her size either....they honored her skills enough to listen to her teaching....

NOW PASS ME ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT PIZZA....DANG IT!!

I like the story about your grandmother . . and the whole post actually.

steph

Specializes in Pediatrics, L&D.

My mom has real issues with weight.... so much so that she had lipo on her genetically sturdy thighs... she is obsessed with it, obsessed with food, and extremely critical and judgmental.

I am built like my dad's family... big strong women, lots of curves. Twiggy we ain't! And yes, I could stand to lose the sixty pounds I have gained over the years (but not the six beautiful children who assisted me in gaining them!)

I also recognize that I don't look as overweight as I am thanks to a lot of muscle mass. But I do have to lose some weight for my own personal satisfaction and health needs. It's a bit of a challenge since I was born with congenital hypothyroidism, but hey, I have six children, a disabled husband, I work four-five shifts a week and am in nursing school. Since when do I shy away from a challenge???

But, when I had to go buy scrubs for the first time when I got my CNA (about five years and three kids ago) my mother was horrified by the selection. Small rack of smalls. Small rack of mediums. Small rack of larges. Racks and racks and racks of 1X, 2X, 3X and 4X!

She turned to me and said, in a not so quiet voice, "Don't think that just because you're going to be a nurse that you have to get fat!"

I agree with the "love yourself" comment. I know many a thin woman who would love to have my 36DDs, and since I do still have a figure (albeit a full one) the right clothes (read: NOT SCRUBS) can still look quite nice.

But I did buy a Bowflex last week... used... so I have to figure the danged thing out now!

Physical inactivity does not always equal lazy!

I never said ALL, but generally speaking yes.

Specializes in LTC Rehab.

Due to a horrible ulcer about 4 years ago my stomach was removed and they made me a small pouch, I can only eat a small amount at one time believe me I love to eat I would give anything to be able to a real meal and not suffer the consequences I don't think nurses are any fatter than any other segment of the population

It is more than laziness. It's working full-time and more than full-time, it's having a family to care for in addition to the job, it's having to be homemakers in addition to working and childrearing, it's depression, it's hormone fluctuations, rotating shifts, dealing with car uipkeep, tax returns, summer plans for the kids, and many things. . Etc.

So only fat people have these concerns. I don't think so.

If people think I am mean let me tell you something. The OP posted a question. I answered the question and gave examples. Then I not only stated that it is not RN's but 2 out of 3 americans. So if there is any information that I gave that has been wrong, which comes back to being too lazy for proper diet and exercise please let me know.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I...

I'm not sure where I stand on the whole metabolism/diet/exercise issue, except that I think it probably needs a balanced approach. I believe I once read it takes 11 miles of jogging to burn one pound of fat. ...

Hello Nurse Mike,

It makes sense that those 11 miles need not be consecutive but, spread over days.

When I completed a recent marathon, (only jogged it) I doubt that I lost 2 pounds, (it was 26.2 miles). Possibly I lost some fluids but, it didn't change my weight. I am only mentioning this because it is the duration of consistant change that must be the influencing factor.

I think I read somewhere that it takes about an extra 3,000 calories to equal a pound too and even if my recollection is incorrect, it is not all from one sitting but, throughout time.

Good luck with your controlled plan!!

Gen

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
...ANYONE CAN DO IT - its all about Knowledge and self discipline -

I agree that most all can do it, yet would like to temper what it is for me. For me it started with a genetic predisposition, (although after 40 all the women in my maternal family are over 200 lbs.) Personally it is also about balance, perspective and not about denial or rigid aherance at all. I only wish I could adhere to a daily workout let alone a consistant montly one!!

I am eating caramel caribou ice cream right now with some fully loaded cool whip on top.

Now...I am not eating the who quart but, I bought it yesterday and it will not last a week. However, I probably only purchase ice cream about once or twice a year.

Good luck!!

Gen

I am not obese, by any measure, but, I am 30 lbs heavier after having 3 kids. I don't have as much time to work out, and there is always junk food: pizza, birthday cake, cookies, etc.... laying around in the break room, and when I don't have time to sit down and eat my healthy salad with light dressing that I brought from home, I grab whatever is easiest to eat.

But, on the other hand, I do believe that obesity is a hugh problem in this country. How many people are opting for gastric bypass vs good old fashioned diet and exercise. My best friend just had this surgery because she didn't want to "waste time" trying to lose weight, she wanted a quick fix (to an emotional, as well as physical problem). How many times have we taken report on a 400lb pt and thought, great, my back will be killing me later. How many pts have I seen come in to the ER in resp distress because they are in heart failure because of their poor choice in diet? A lot of these people don't have insurance, so, we end up paying for their hospital bills, CPAP machines, trach surgeries, etc....My father-in-law refuses to exercise or eat right, instead, he just administers more insulin to cover the pepsi or cake he is ingesting. Thats the mentality of americans. We go for the easy way out. It's not just nurses, it's everybody.

I hope you will start taking care of yourself. Take your lunch breaks and eat your healthy food.

Insist that your employer provide proper tools to care for these extremely heavy patients. There are things like rollers, hoists, pull sheets that are made for the extra heavy person, and, uh, sufficient number of male helpers.

Good luck, Jennifer, RN.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Some people in here need to get off their high horse, we all have problems before you judge others take a good long look at yourself, you might just see that you're not as perfect as you think you are.

I fully agree with you and am put off by "high horse" condenscension.

Since when did it become appropriate to "shame" another person because of their weight? We would not shame our patients, why do it to one another?

Kudos to the many people in this thread who are trying to encourage and capacitate others and not from a high horse.

Gen

So only fat people have these concerns. I don't think so.

If people think I am mean let me tell you something. The OP posted a question. I answered the question and gave examples. Then I not only stated that it is not RN's but 2 out of 3 americans. So if there is any information that I gave that has been wrong, which comes back to being too lazy for proper diet and exercise please let me know.

"Lazy" has a negative connotation, Ben. I can only assume that you have never had to face a huge, overwhelming problem in your life, such as addiction or something else that was extremely hard to overcome or impossible to overcome. It's not that no one besides overwt people has these issues. It is your insensitive, unhelpful attitude to which I take exception. Try to comprehend the pain of having to deal with these issues if you want to help others gain mastery. Maybe we are lazy but we need help, not criticism. We need friendship and encouragement, not derision and you looking down your nose at our weakness and failure. We already feel horrible and we don't need you to add to it.

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I need to see some solid statistics that prove RNs are more likely to be overweight than people in any other profession before I buy into the idea that obesity is over-represented in our profession. Having said that, depending upon my mood, I would have answered the nanny either with a non-commital "hmmm, interesting that she thinks that" or (more likely, given my bad to good mood ratio these days) a more sarcastic "wow, I'm surprised you'd think that's an appropriate comment to make in front of another R.N." or "wow, that sounds pretty judgmental to me" or something other comment along those lines.

Age: Most of of are perimenopausal or post-menopausal, not to mention health problems and meds that come w/ this age which can also impede weight loss

Stress: High cortisol levels= Fat

Lack of sleep: Shift work is associated w/ a whole host of disorders, including, I just read--but don't remember where, obesity

Lack of time: We are so busy taking care of everyone else, we often don't have time for ourselves.Once you have worked 12 hours and you go home to care for kids, aging parents, clean your house, etc. the gym is often closed. This is not to mention the fact that we eat on the run. if at all during our shifts. BTW, maybe the forty pounds I have gained in the past 20 years is all in my brain. I am a much better nurse at size 12 than I was at size 6. I guess maybe that's experience and maturity. I sure wish it didn't weigh so much

I do think this woman was being snooty. If I had a nanny, I might have some free time for exercise too and who knows maybe the $ for a personal chef! I don't think a lot of us nurses are overweight because we are loafing around dining on chips and dip. We have a lot of the same pressure, and many times, even more than many others in our society who also tend to be overweight.

My friend in FL works at a hospital where they encouraged the staff to have a healthy appearance and wear make-up, etc. The problem is when you spend a large proportion of time every week at a place that causes you stress and doesn't allow time for you to eat or use the restroom, it is hard to look movie star glamorous! Nursemike is right, I find people constantly want to find fault w/ others.

Having a nanny doesn't equate necessarily to having lots of money and, therefore, free time. I used to have a sitter who came to my house when my kids were little, she'd cook, clean, garden, and babysit. She like to keep busy and was always looking for more work to do. Heck, she used to iron the pillow cases. Yes, she was thin, LOL. And she was mother to 11 children of her own, too! But having her didn't mean I had much free time. It meant I didn't have to do a whole 2nd shift of work when I got home from my full-time nurse job and could, instead, help my husband in our family business, pay the bills, shop, play with our kids, care for the pets and the cars, and do the other 1001 things the sitter didn't do. I should have gone for workouts instead, probably, at least some days. But I always wanted to be home with the kids as much as possible and still found many, many things that needed doing in the house. Making their costumes, helping with homework, etc., etc.

Come to think of it, that is another reason (not excuse, but an explanation, something we can help ourselves and others deal with, hopefully, and stop letting it get in our way) so many nurses and others are heavy. Our hearts are with our kids at home but economic reality dictates that our bodies and our attention be elsewhere. Thus, the never-ending pull and struggle we live with. :mad: :monkeydance: (Do you ever feel like a monkey on a tightrope?)

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