Will I lose weight being a nurse??

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I will be a CNA soon. I hear that nurses run around all day non-stop and sometimes dont even get a break to eat or use the bathroom. So if I work under these conditions, should I expect to lose a few pounds ( I really want to ) ? Why arent all nurses thin if they are always moving on their feet, missing meals, and stressed out? I know this question sounds silly, but Im just wondering.:)

Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.

My cardiologist said the same thing...that even though I'm busy at work it's "stop and go" kinda walking and not enough to get the HR up and sustain it long enough to be beneficial. :(

I don't know about losing weight, but my BGs have been LOTS better since I went back to work. I guess it's a combination of "exercise" and not snacking. I've even had to lower my SSI because I was kinda bottoming out (50s).

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

You can include exercise in your work day. I always take the stairs, for instance. I park further away and walk up to the fourth floor. I walk downstairs at least once and then climb the stairs again. I walk a lot to care for my patients. It might not be as good as walking for an hour, or riding my bike, but I do get some exercise.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.

I've lost weight since becoming a nurse....actually, I'm almost 1 year out from graduation, and i am 17 pounds lighter than I was when I got my diploma. I'm not really sure why, but I think its because I'm not as sedentary from studying all the time, because my eating habits haven't particularly improved.

To OP,

Just take a look at nurses. What do you see? That is all.

Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

I've gained a few pounds. Nightshift. All I know is I eat more and exercise less, too tired for aerobic exercise and more fast food.

Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

nope. i'm a hospice rn. My hubby has been great the last couple of weeks, getting up and making me breakfast. If that happens, then i'm not ravenous at the end of the day. Normally, i'll only grab a coffee in the am, then a coke through the drive through, then I snarf like a field hand when I get home (eating too fast, then feeling like the michelin man...not only eating too fast, but usually some sugary cake rolls or something terribly high in empty calories). Hubby will have dinner ready shortly after I get home, but i've already ate a bunch of crap and can hardly eat dinner...

linda

Specializes in Mental and Behavioral Health.

I tend to eat when I'm tired and nervous. Nursing tends to make me tired and nervous.

Specializes in Medical/Surgical, L&D, Postpartum.
Walking on your job is activity. A lot depends on your eating habits. If you can add some recreational activity to the mix, that will help.

Many nurses don't lose weight because of poor eating habits. The whole culture of the hospital doesn't support healthy eating habits.

I second this!! For example tonight at work someone brought the nurses a whole bunch of candy, gummy worms, chocolate raisins etc. It was the end of the night and I needed sugar so I gobbled them up!! Another example is when I left this morning there were 2 dozen donuts in the breakroom that the nursing students brought for the staff! It is all up to us though to have the motivation to make healthier choices!! However if someone makes brownies for us nurses it can be hard to resist!

Specializes in Med/Surg; aged care; OH&S.

Yup chalk up another one who gained weight when she started nursing. Combine stress, shift work, fatigue, lack of motivation to do anything when I got home apart from sit down and watch cable tv with a bunch of carbs in my hand, no motivation to exercise, and there you have it. An occupation which is not conducive to healthy lifestyle habits unfortunately. Having said that, everyone is different, quite a few people probably do lose weight or at least maintain it while nursing, I just wasn't one of them.

I lost weight when I started working regular hours and sitting at a desk all day actually. Weight loss and maintenance requires planning your meals and your exercise and this is easier to do in a job with regular hours.

My advice would be - don't rely on nursing to help you lose weight. There is no easy way unfortunately, other than diet and exercise.

I will say, that being fit and healthy makes nursing much easier! When I gained weight, I found it harder both physically and psychologically to deal with my working day.

Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

My hubby works the floor currently and only loses weight when he is making an effort at home, which includes bringing his own healthy food to work and exercising at home with weights or with actual cardio on top of his activity at work. He does leave the floor on his supper break when possible and walk hills. That activity helps him in 2 ways--he gets 20 minutes of cardio, and he gets out of the building into the sun for a few minutes.

I never lost weight working the floor, even though I'd be sweating most every shift. However, my work then doesn't even compare to my cardio and weight workouts now. At work, I never had my heart rate sustained at 160 beats per minute or so working the floor. I also never lifted a resident to muscle failure. The activity of nursing was just not enough by itself to lose weight.

Specializes in ER-Med-Surg-Travel/Contract Nurse.

You will lose weight initially just from the increase in activity, however your body does get used to that activity and eventually will gain the weight back. If you pay attention to the nurses that are skinny they either eat nothing all day or they eat several times throughout their shift (smaller portions, of course), usually the overweight nurse starves all day and eats a large meal once or twice daily.

I, also, did Weight Watchers and lost 30lbs and ate every few hours throughout the day. Of course, preplanned snacks and meals

Specializes in pulmonary.
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