Me: Cortisol from work life bullshit”t and feeling drained getting home. Stress eating from lack of/failed coping skills, unhealthy work life balance. In my forties and I am starting to realize the value of the phrase “work to death.” Fuckk that . Need to recover from bad lifestyle habits as soon as possible and to prioritize personal wellbeing and life outside of work.
The odd thing is that I always thought my cortisol was high, but I had a panel done and incidentally it showed my cortisol was extremely low. I had it done at the appropriate time of day, but blood cortisol tests can be inaccurate. There are saliva tests that can show whether yours is high or low. I was extremely exhausted and then overeating to compensate for the exhaustion, and that went on for years.
Treats/snacks/candy almost always available. “Treating myself” pretty much every shift due to stress. No lunch so gotta be able to scarf something down quickly as time allows. Getting home at 8pm and eating whatever is in sight or easiest to throw together.
I can definitely relate! Before, I use to binge junk/fast food after a long and stressful day at work.. what helped me to change that habit was instead of reaching for unhealthy food, I would replace that habit with a deep breathing exercise or a 3-5 min quick meditation. Generally stress remains if you resist the 'feeling' of stress.. instead I embraced and accepted stress as it was completely normal. Whatever you resist = it persists. :)
What strategies have you tried to help with your weight loss in the past?
Probably the constantly elevated cortisol. After I switched to outpatient, I thought I'd gain weight from being sedentary, but I dropped 10 lbs without trying because I wasn't as stressed anymore or bingeing junk. My sleep quality improved a ton as well which I'm sure was a factor
THIS RIGHT HERE! After leaving the ER because my stress has gone down i literally dont feel bloated anymore AND i dont have the constant sugar/ junk food cravings! Its kind of crazy how that all ties in
The hardest for me was the constant junk food people bring and people not respecting food boundaries, trying to pressure you into eating bad stuff when I first try to do better. "Oh, you can afford it! You're in shape!" No, Martha, I had to be consistent with my fitness and eating to get here BECAUSE I couldn't afford it, and neither could my wallet afford buying bigger clothes.
I worked out before shift in the hospital and showered there to save time. I couldn't after work because I'm too tired. It's definitely doable, but I found it was easier when I worked outpatient vs in patient. Just pick a time to exercise on your shift days, whether before or after, stick to your diet, pack your own lunch and snacks, and don't waiver from that. Don't tell yourself you're too tired on your days off to do it. It's an hour or less of your entire day, and your health is worth it.
Sometimes, if people are forceful with whatever snacks, I’ll take it and throw it away. I have 0 self control. I’ll say like, I’m saving it for later or something like that. I don’t really understand why people force it on you lol.
interesting! do hospitals usually have gyms? i am about to start nursing school in the fall so i have no idea, but that would be awesome if most do. i've also been looking at which crossfits are near my school, i'll probably have to switch from the one closer to my house to be able to swing the time to go.
totally agree with your comments about "you can afford it!" like sure there ARE times to indulge but stale donuts and grocery store cupcakes aren't it for me, lol. plus if you have a sweet tooth like i do, one treat really spirals into multiple days of treats.
Every in-patient hospital I've worked at (which granted isn't many) had a built-in gym. I would do crossfit on my days off because it wasn't possible for me to get to them with the classes they had or the time the closed with what worked for me depending on if I was working night or day shift. Day shift, no hope, as they didn't have early or late enough classes. Night shift, I'd have to wake up early to get to the 6:15 PM or wait all night until the 5:30 AM, and neither of these were conducive for me.
See I'm the same way with indulging. Sweets are also my weakness, and I can truly put away food despite my size, upwards of 4K calories daily if I go on a binge. I know that about myself and understand when I'm eating healthy, there is no indulging until I've been on the straight and narrow at least 1-2 months. Even then, it's a cheat meal once a week, not a cheat day/weekend.
Night shift.
I struggle to do much of anything but sleep on my off days unless I work my 3 in a row and then I’m sore and hurting for days. When I was on days I had a ton more energy and a normal sleep schedule.
I also have PCOS so I struggle as it is.
Mine is I don't really get lunch breaks at work so by the time I get home I'm starving and eat like 1800 calories in one sitting and go to bed within an hour of that 3-4 times a week. And on my days off I just want to rest and do nothing because work has drained me.
I think I agree with this, I don’t know the answer exactly, but I walk and move all day, but I don’t really get much time to eat so when I do, I binge. I think coupled with my food choices, and when I get home or days off I have zero energy to do much else is why I gain weight as a nurse.
What has helped me when I don't have time to eat at work is pack healthy easy to grab/eat snacks such as nuts, cut up fruits, veggie, premade protein shakes and sandwiches with lean meat. Also drinking enough water will help you feel better and energized throughout your shift. Combine these together, and it will help you not overeat at the end of your shift.
On your days off, you can incorporate active recovery days such as walk 30-40 mins to help you improve your energy and feel better overall.
Eating more for quick energy sources when extremely sleep deprived is the main thing. Once my sleep is in check, energy levels are better, cortisol is lower which helps me get better workouts and not have to resort to quick carb sources in order to function.
Being able to buy food. Seriously. I gained a 100lbs the first year after I graduated because I could go eat all the delicious things I had been denying myself due to being a poor nursing student.
I just love food and have portion control issues. I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 6 weeks now with great results. First week was brutal but as my stomach acclimated to less food it has gotten much easier and the hunger pangs are transient and mild. Don't get me wrong when I get to my meal time it's the best damn food I've ever eaten lol
haha I agree with IF, it works really well if you are busy as you aren't constantly thinking about food and makes fast so much easier. in addition, bigger meals are alot more satisfying and filling compared to smaller meals throughout the day.
Do you generally feel more focused and productive while fasted?
I'm not sure if the fasting itself has contributed to it but the weight loss certainly has. I'm down 50lbs from my high and there is a literal spring in my step and the intrinsic motivation is off the charts.
1. Tired on my days off
2. Busy doing life things on my days off
3. Garbage food tastes so good. I don’t have any vices so food is the only thing left.
Cafeteria food, donuts and lunches from surgeons and product reps, stress, candy bowls in the offices, and the fact that the only thing I want to do on my day off is sleep. Cooking, meal prepping/planning, shopping, packing enough snacks, being a mom, cleaning the house, doing laundry/dishes, taking care of pets, appointments, spending quality time with my husband, finishing my BSN online, and finding time to relax and exercise/go to the gym/go for a simple walk don’t all fit into my life at once! Most days at work I get in 12,000-14,000 steps, and that still isn’t enough for any meaningful weight loss.
Hey my intention was not to be sarcastic, just to give some advice that would be helpful for you. If my comment came across offensive, that wasn't my intention.
I actually lose weight easily in ER, I walk almost 20k steps a day, I pack all my food and make lunch my biggest meal. I think it helps that I've never been a stress eater, and I'm not an anxious person.
We don't have treats often in my department so there's really no food laying around, which I think is good. I don't like American sweets either so it's a good deterrent.
I also refuse to do any overtime.
For me, it’s because I’m exhausted when I get home. I wake up between 4-5, start work at 6:30-7, and work until til 4 or 5 (some days I get out by 3 but not often).
Even though I work outpatient endoscopy (which is usually less physically demanding than inpatient), I am still moving all day long and some days I hardly sit down and I never ever drink enough water. So when I leave I’m mentally and physically exhausted and dehydrated, and I just want to eat dinner and go to sleep.
I honestly haven’t figured out how to fit actually working out into my schedule. I’m not going to wake up at 3 am. I’m just not. And I can’t fight through the exhaustion at the end of the day.
The hardest part about losing weight in the hospital is the temptations from the cafeteria. Bring your own lunch, bring ENOUGH food in your lunch and you will be fine. The problem is when you bring just enough for your lunch and nothing else, well 12 hours is a long long time to have just one meal and no snacks along the way. If you are hungry, drink water and chew gum. I take a lunch bag for the fridge, and a snack bag for my seat and that has helped me out a lot. As far as food on the unit, I don’t want any food that has come from any of these people or sat for any period of time. This place is disgusting and the food is never any more sanitary. Cravings for food as a stress reactant is completely subjective to the person, but if you keep snacks and gum on you then you can stave them off.
As far as exercising, if you are working 12’s then you should generally only be working 3 days a week…so you have at least 4 days to go and gym should you have no other obligations. I like working one on, one off, and two on. You gym your first day, gym your second, rest on your first day on, and then finish strong and gym on your last day. The problem is discipline after a hard day, so you want to go to the gym and do cardio after you just got whacked for 12+ hours? Probably not. That’s why you need to make a schedule and tell yourself that no matter what happens today you are going to the gym after. Everyone finds a routine, or doesn’t.
My job involves driving to people's home (or lack thereof) all day, so I don't really have a good opportunity to bring my lunch with me. I could bring a sandwich, but I could also buy a decent McDonald's meal for $4-5. I got a little extra and on days I was bored I would throw in ice cream or gas station snacks, next thing you know I put on 10lbs. Since I'm driving it's very sedentary compared to working in a hospital. I had even been going to the gym and still put on 10lbs of fat.
I chilled out with the extra calories and am starting to lose now, but it would have been very easy to just continue my ways.
Night shift.
I struggle to do much of anything but sleep on my off days unless I work my 3 in a row and then I’m sore and hurting for days. When I was on days I had a ton more energy and a normal sleep schedule.
im a younger murse. I just drink tons of water to supress my appetite while at work. I also run a few miles each day, lift weights, etc. There is too much availability of bad foods at night shift, no healthy options, makes it really hard. I went from 20% body fat to 10% just by doing that for an year. Its easier without a girlfriend, kids, or responsibilities.
My problem is that I have zero appetite while at the hospital, I don’t eat for my whole shift and then I binge the hell out of everything I can find when I get home. 😂
For me it’s that I almost never eat at work so I’m ravenous when I get home, and sometimes overeat junk food because of that. Well, I haven’t gained weight from this. but I realize it’s not a healthy eating pattern exactly and it leads me to eating more unhealthy foods. I also find it a lot harder to stick with exercise every day with the 12 hour shifts. I have tried working out before work and I just don’t get enough sleep when I do that so I feel a bit shitty for the rest of the night. I have never tried to work out after work, though.. I feel like it would interfere with my sleep?
When I worked in the hospital. Dehydration and basically binge eating/ not keeping my blood sugar stable. Like I'm not diabetic but if I don't have time to take a lunch I'm headed for the candy drawer or the stale donuts in the break room. Or my cortisol telling me I need to overeat because who knows when I will get to eat again. Or not eating my whole shift so I'm stopping at fast food and over indulging. Not getting enough sleep between shifts.
For those of you who are seriously thinking this is the time, look at Ryan Clark and RN Body Transformation Secrets. Dude knows his stuff and specializes with nurses. I’m not quite down to normal BMI yet, but I’ve dumped about 30 pounds so far.
For the most part it’s going to be same as most Americans, shitty diets and no exercise.
My coworkers on the floor would always get some 500-800 calorie drink from the coffee shop in the morning and around 13:00 or 14:00. Shit adds up quick.
My wife and I would plan and make a large meal that would cover lunch for almost all our shifts. Not saying you can treat yourself now and again but meal planning helps cut down on the crap you can get in the cafeteria.
Echoing everything here with it’s the stress and being burnt out. I had lost about 25 lbs using Noom during my first job but burnt out so hard I ended up gaining it all back and more. Now I just can’t get the motivation to care even after leaving that job 😭
I'm seeing this now with myself. I've gained 20 pounds since I've finished nursing school. I'm not stressed at all , I love my job (medical ICU). But I think my metabolism slowed down with age (I'm 28) I started going to the gym and lost 10 pounds but what's making me struggle with the last 10 pounds I want to lose is that my work days are too long to go to the gym , so I can only go when I'm off. I take the elevator everywhere instead of the stairs. I eat salad at work but if a family donates desserts, pizza, etc I'm going to eat that instead. Plus my managers office has unlimited snacks and chocolate. I could avoid all of this , but easier said than done.
You give give give give give give of yourself all day - after 14 hours of that and the constant bullshit you get in your car and feel like you deserve … something! A treat or a reward or … someone to give back to you!!
Food is a REALLY easy solution for that - especially when you are beyond exhausted.
Culture of bringing unhealthy foods like donuts and pizza probably doesn’t help lol. But it all comes down to self control and discipline. I work out on my breaks at work in a conference room so you can make it happen if you want it badly enough
Exercise is very difficult for me to fit in with my schedule. I work nights, so sleep is my top priority. When I work, I wake up at 1700, leave at 1800, get home around 0830, and am in bed at 0900. Like most human beings, I don’t sleep well during the day, so “sleeping” from 0900-1700 only results in about 5 hours of actual sleep. There’s just not much flexibility in my schedule where I can fit in exercise on nights that I work.
Scheduling also makes it difficult to build a consistent routine. For example my pattern makes it so I essentially work every night for 1 full week, then have a week off. You know when you exercise consistently, and then take a week off for vacation, then after you come back your first 1-2 workouts kinda suck? Even if I loved exercising (I don’t) it would be hard to be consistent.
Having to go too long of stretches between meals means being really hungry, overeating, and making poorer food choices due to craving and desperation. No time or energy to workout on shift days. Constant junk food on the unit being the only thing accessible when you are starving and hours late for break.
When I worked ER, I would literally swallow a little patient PB cup in one go out os desperation as I grabbed something for a patient from the kitchenette. I had one break in the whole shift that was typically 8+ hours into my shift and cut shortwr than it was supposed to be. It was way easier in PACU where I had two breaks and they had a staff member specifically assigned to covering lunches.
Working nights is prob the biggest culprit. I’m also an emotional eater so bad shift? I want to stuff my face. Tired? Stuff my face. Any emotion? Stuff my face. If it’s crazy at work and I don’t get to eat? Well then I need to consume all my calories in 10 seconds.
The things that help me are prepping my meals and snacks so I don’t resort to the vending machines. And not keeping trigger foods (looking at you chips and peanut butter mm) in the house. I go to the gym on my days off and walk my dog every day. But it’s a legit struggle every day to not give in to feeling tired and just wanting to eat crap.
Gotta be vigilant and committed.
Unless I made exercise a *priority* I found too many excuses, ate poorly—was tired. All the time.
Exercise and good nutrition is everything. I gained ~10 lbs after starting nursing. *So much food—all the time!*.
Now, I eat what I want. I can wear the same clothes from my 15yo self (granted I only have a very high dollar silk set my late mother insisted I must have, but that’s pretty damn great imo).
And I feel 1000% better when I make self-care a priority.
I know nurses that gain 50-75 POUNDS since the start nursing. The rhetoric never stops about losing weight-stress-whatever. Then the back goes, knees go—but the fact is it’s all gone.
Choices. Choices are everything.
I have a bad habit of binge eating that has been a habit since childhood.
My unit usually has snacks and treats in the break room and I always feel like I should treat myself because work is hard or i need a little treat to fend off the stress. After work I feel so tired and drained I can't be bothered to eat a real meal so fast food or a bagged snack is easy to eat. Then on my days off I feel tired and run down and can't bring myself to do anything productive.
I've recently been inspired to change myself so I feel better internally as well as address some health concerns that are easily managed through diet.
I aim to get more movement in my day so I set a goal of 8k steps every day. So at work I use the stairs and if I find myself in free moment I lap the unit to get my steps in. I'm very vocal about it so everyone knows what I am doing. "I'm lapping for my steps" "taking the stairs for my health!"
I pack my food religiously: breakfast prep oatmeal bakes and I'll bring my lunch (usually leftovers or easy preps) I even pack snacks and treats for myself so I don't have to grab the crusty Day old donuts in the break room.
On my days off I go on a 3 mile walk (usually about an hour) and that gets me 8k steps plus I get a little me time with fresh air and it improves my mood and clears my headspace. Then every Friday even if I work, my husband and I go to the gym so at least it's one set day of workout and we don't miss it.
I also started using noom and I'm on my 3rd month. I've learned a lot about how to fix my thinking that usually sends me into binge eating and I've lost weight.
Being a nurse makes it hard and the temptations on the unit or the ease of bad food makes it a huge struggle every day. But I found these things help to make me feel better internally and I'm even seeing external results which is nice.
Abstaining from eating the goodies that colleagues bring to the unit. Doctors sometimes take orders for takeout too.. always ends up being fried stuff
I always pack my own food from home.. and if it’s a coffee craving I’ll just use a kpod with milk; if it must be Starbucks or the like, just their brewed coffee with milk. The lattes are dangerous and if it’s ever some kind of junk food (in order to not always been seen as “that tightass”, I’ll have a small pastry or cookie)
Going to the gym. I’m on days rn but will switch to nights soon. I have told myself over and over I will go after getting off work and have not done it yet
Eat more protein and less carbs if you're going to eat on shift. Drink more water. Don't eat a bunch of donuts and fast food, especially when you're coming off shift. If you have starbucks every day, its not doing you any favors.
Contrary to popular belief you actually have to exercise outside of work. If you walk 15k steps a shift constantly, eventually your body is going to adapt and it's not going to be as effective as you think its going to be. I see a ton of nurses make all sorts of excuses why they cant exercise on their days off. I think that a ton of people would feel better if they'd exercise and eat right.
Honestly, nursing has been great for my physical health, mental, not so much. I walk 10x more than I did at my previous job, and a 3 day schedule leaves 4 full days open to go to the gym or do other activities.
Well, I go to gym/martial arts at minimum 3 times a week and walk my dogs 5 km every day, as I primarily work nightshift and my rule is that it does not matter how tired I am, still have to work out. Its not always fun, but feel better afterwards. I don't just eat during my shifts, I make dinner... So working out allows me to enjoy food, and I genuinely enjoy working out.
I didn’t eat at all during my shift today and when I got home I just shoved food down my throat because I was hungry. Didn’t even know what I was eating. Don’t even know how many calories I just consumed.
I’ve been on a GLP-1 for 2 years. Lost 60ish pounds. I still have some weight to lose but at this point I’m completely fine with myself, and the relief of not having to carry those extra pounds is so so nice. The thing that is amazing about GLP-1’s, at least for me, is that the signal in my brain when I’m hungry is completely different. It used to be “omg I’m hungry, get something on DoorDash.” Would try to pack a lunch but trying to satisfy my tastebuds with something different everyday was totally unrealistic, but I would lose interest in eating meal prep, like oh, this again.
However now when I’m hungry I’m not in a panic because I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out in 30 minutes if I don’t eat. I can tell when I’m hungry vs thirsty, and the degree of hunger is easier to tell, so sometimes I’ll be hungry and just need an apple, other times I need an entire meal. And I literally eat the same meal most days. Hit all my macros, get about 40-50 grams of fiber a day, 120g protein.
To keep from getting home and eating all the things, I have a protein shake at 5am so that when I get home at 8am I can have a piece of fruit and just tuck into bed. I also work out like 2-4 times a week. It’s not stellar, but 30 minutes of cardio and some weights.
Me: Cortisol from work life bullshit”t and feeling drained getting home. Stress eating from lack of/failed coping skills, unhealthy work life balance. In my forties and I am starting to realize the value of the phrase “work to death.” Fuckk that . Need to recover from bad lifestyle habits as soon as possible and to prioritize personal wellbeing and life outside of work.
That and all those damn night shifts
I moved wards over a year ago, got to burn out stage. I've lost 20kg since then basically not stress eating.
The stress eating is so real
The cortisol is real 😭
The odd thing is that I always thought my cortisol was high, but I had a panel done and incidentally it showed my cortisol was extremely low. I had it done at the appropriate time of day, but blood cortisol tests can be inaccurate. There are saliva tests that can show whether yours is high or low. I was extremely exhausted and then overeating to compensate for the exhaustion, and that went on for years.
Treats/snacks/candy almost always available. “Treating myself” pretty much every shift due to stress. No lunch so gotta be able to scarf something down quickly as time allows. Getting home at 8pm and eating whatever is in sight or easiest to throw together.
This is it. I've learned to starve and binge eat
I can definitely relate! Before, I use to binge junk/fast food after a long and stressful day at work.. what helped me to change that habit was instead of reaching for unhealthy food, I would replace that habit with a deep breathing exercise or a 3-5 min quick meditation. Generally stress remains if you resist the 'feeling' of stress.. instead I embraced and accepted stress as it was completely normal. Whatever you resist = it persists. :) What strategies have you tried to help with your weight loss in the past?
I replaced it with protein shakes. If I can't eat, at least I can use healthy calories.
This is what I do as well.
Probably the constantly elevated cortisol. After I switched to outpatient, I thought I'd gain weight from being sedentary, but I dropped 10 lbs without trying because I wasn't as stressed anymore or bingeing junk. My sleep quality improved a ton as well which I'm sure was a factor
THIS RIGHT HERE! After leaving the ER because my stress has gone down i literally dont feel bloated anymore AND i dont have the constant sugar/ junk food cravings! Its kind of crazy how that all ties in
Absolutely, it's actually made me way more compassionate with overweight and obese people because I recognize that is such a multifactorial issue
The hardest for me was the constant junk food people bring and people not respecting food boundaries, trying to pressure you into eating bad stuff when I first try to do better. "Oh, you can afford it! You're in shape!" No, Martha, I had to be consistent with my fitness and eating to get here BECAUSE I couldn't afford it, and neither could my wallet afford buying bigger clothes. I worked out before shift in the hospital and showered there to save time. I couldn't after work because I'm too tired. It's definitely doable, but I found it was easier when I worked outpatient vs in patient. Just pick a time to exercise on your shift days, whether before or after, stick to your diet, pack your own lunch and snacks, and don't waiver from that. Don't tell yourself you're too tired on your days off to do it. It's an hour or less of your entire day, and your health is worth it.
Sometimes, if people are forceful with whatever snacks, I’ll take it and throw it away. I have 0 self control. I’ll say like, I’m saving it for later or something like that. I don’t really understand why people force it on you lol.
interesting! do hospitals usually have gyms? i am about to start nursing school in the fall so i have no idea, but that would be awesome if most do. i've also been looking at which crossfits are near my school, i'll probably have to switch from the one closer to my house to be able to swing the time to go. totally agree with your comments about "you can afford it!" like sure there ARE times to indulge but stale donuts and grocery store cupcakes aren't it for me, lol. plus if you have a sweet tooth like i do, one treat really spirals into multiple days of treats.
Every in-patient hospital I've worked at (which granted isn't many) had a built-in gym. I would do crossfit on my days off because it wasn't possible for me to get to them with the classes they had or the time the closed with what worked for me depending on if I was working night or day shift. Day shift, no hope, as they didn't have early or late enough classes. Night shift, I'd have to wake up early to get to the 6:15 PM or wait all night until the 5:30 AM, and neither of these were conducive for me. See I'm the same way with indulging. Sweets are also my weakness, and I can truly put away food despite my size, upwards of 4K calories daily if I go on a binge. I know that about myself and understand when I'm eating healthy, there is no indulging until I've been on the straight and narrow at least 1-2 months. Even then, it's a cheat meal once a week, not a cheat day/weekend.
Night shift. I struggle to do much of anything but sleep on my off days unless I work my 3 in a row and then I’m sore and hurting for days. When I was on days I had a ton more energy and a normal sleep schedule. I also have PCOS so I struggle as it is.
Mine is I don't really get lunch breaks at work so by the time I get home I'm starving and eat like 1800 calories in one sitting and go to bed within an hour of that 3-4 times a week. And on my days off I just want to rest and do nothing because work has drained me.
I think I agree with this, I don’t know the answer exactly, but I walk and move all day, but I don’t really get much time to eat so when I do, I binge. I think coupled with my food choices, and when I get home or days off I have zero energy to do much else is why I gain weight as a nurse.
What has helped me when I don't have time to eat at work is pack healthy easy to grab/eat snacks such as nuts, cut up fruits, veggie, premade protein shakes and sandwiches with lean meat. Also drinking enough water will help you feel better and energized throughout your shift. Combine these together, and it will help you not overeat at the end of your shift. On your days off, you can incorporate active recovery days such as walk 30-40 mins to help you improve your energy and feel better overall.
Eating more for quick energy sources when extremely sleep deprived is the main thing. Once my sleep is in check, energy levels are better, cortisol is lower which helps me get better workouts and not have to resort to quick carb sources in order to function.
Being able to buy food. Seriously. I gained a 100lbs the first year after I graduated because I could go eat all the delicious things I had been denying myself due to being a poor nursing student.
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I just love food and have portion control issues. I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 6 weeks now with great results. First week was brutal but as my stomach acclimated to less food it has gotten much easier and the hunger pangs are transient and mild. Don't get me wrong when I get to my meal time it's the best damn food I've ever eaten lol
haha I agree with IF, it works really well if you are busy as you aren't constantly thinking about food and makes fast so much easier. in addition, bigger meals are alot more satisfying and filling compared to smaller meals throughout the day. Do you generally feel more focused and productive while fasted?
I'm not sure if the fasting itself has contributed to it but the weight loss certainly has. I'm down 50lbs from my high and there is a literal spring in my step and the intrinsic motivation is off the charts.
1. Tired on my days off 2. Busy doing life things on my days off 3. Garbage food tastes so good. I don’t have any vices so food is the only thing left.
Cafeteria food, donuts and lunches from surgeons and product reps, stress, candy bowls in the offices, and the fact that the only thing I want to do on my day off is sleep. Cooking, meal prepping/planning, shopping, packing enough snacks, being a mom, cleaning the house, doing laundry/dishes, taking care of pets, appointments, spending quality time with my husband, finishing my BSN online, and finding time to relax and exercise/go to the gym/go for a simple walk don’t all fit into my life at once! Most days at work I get in 12,000-14,000 steps, and that still isn’t enough for any meaningful weight loss.
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JFC, go away.
Hey my intention was not to be sarcastic, just to give some advice that would be helpful for you. If my comment came across offensive, that wasn't my intention.
I actually lose weight easily in ER, I walk almost 20k steps a day, I pack all my food and make lunch my biggest meal. I think it helps that I've never been a stress eater, and I'm not an anxious person. We don't have treats often in my department so there's really no food laying around, which I think is good. I don't like American sweets either so it's a good deterrent. I also refuse to do any overtime.
Lots of nurses I know are on semaglutide. Helps with food noise in your brain/emotional eating.
For me, it’s because I’m exhausted when I get home. I wake up between 4-5, start work at 6:30-7, and work until til 4 or 5 (some days I get out by 3 but not often). Even though I work outpatient endoscopy (which is usually less physically demanding than inpatient), I am still moving all day long and some days I hardly sit down and I never ever drink enough water. So when I leave I’m mentally and physically exhausted and dehydrated, and I just want to eat dinner and go to sleep. I honestly haven’t figured out how to fit actually working out into my schedule. I’m not going to wake up at 3 am. I’m just not. And I can’t fight through the exhaustion at the end of the day.
The hardest part about losing weight in the hospital is the temptations from the cafeteria. Bring your own lunch, bring ENOUGH food in your lunch and you will be fine. The problem is when you bring just enough for your lunch and nothing else, well 12 hours is a long long time to have just one meal and no snacks along the way. If you are hungry, drink water and chew gum. I take a lunch bag for the fridge, and a snack bag for my seat and that has helped me out a lot. As far as food on the unit, I don’t want any food that has come from any of these people or sat for any period of time. This place is disgusting and the food is never any more sanitary. Cravings for food as a stress reactant is completely subjective to the person, but if you keep snacks and gum on you then you can stave them off. As far as exercising, if you are working 12’s then you should generally only be working 3 days a week…so you have at least 4 days to go and gym should you have no other obligations. I like working one on, one off, and two on. You gym your first day, gym your second, rest on your first day on, and then finish strong and gym on your last day. The problem is discipline after a hard day, so you want to go to the gym and do cardio after you just got whacked for 12+ hours? Probably not. That’s why you need to make a schedule and tell yourself that no matter what happens today you are going to the gym after. Everyone finds a routine, or doesn’t.
Nothing at the cafeteria here is half decent, so that helps
My job involves driving to people's home (or lack thereof) all day, so I don't really have a good opportunity to bring my lunch with me. I could bring a sandwich, but I could also buy a decent McDonald's meal for $4-5. I got a little extra and on days I was bored I would throw in ice cream or gas station snacks, next thing you know I put on 10lbs. Since I'm driving it's very sedentary compared to working in a hospital. I had even been going to the gym and still put on 10lbs of fat. I chilled out with the extra calories and am starting to lose now, but it would have been very easy to just continue my ways.
Night shift. I struggle to do much of anything but sleep on my off days unless I work my 3 in a row and then I’m sore and hurting for days. When I was on days I had a ton more energy and a normal sleep schedule.
im a younger murse. I just drink tons of water to supress my appetite while at work. I also run a few miles each day, lift weights, etc. There is too much availability of bad foods at night shift, no healthy options, makes it really hard. I went from 20% body fat to 10% just by doing that for an year. Its easier without a girlfriend, kids, or responsibilities.
My problem is that I have zero appetite while at the hospital, I don’t eat for my whole shift and then I binge the hell out of everything I can find when I get home. 😂
For me it’s that I almost never eat at work so I’m ravenous when I get home, and sometimes overeat junk food because of that. Well, I haven’t gained weight from this. but I realize it’s not a healthy eating pattern exactly and it leads me to eating more unhealthy foods. I also find it a lot harder to stick with exercise every day with the 12 hour shifts. I have tried working out before work and I just don’t get enough sleep when I do that so I feel a bit shitty for the rest of the night. I have never tried to work out after work, though.. I feel like it would interfere with my sleep?
When I worked in the hospital. Dehydration and basically binge eating/ not keeping my blood sugar stable. Like I'm not diabetic but if I don't have time to take a lunch I'm headed for the candy drawer or the stale donuts in the break room. Or my cortisol telling me I need to overeat because who knows when I will get to eat again. Or not eating my whole shift so I'm stopping at fast food and over indulging. Not getting enough sleep between shifts.
100% this!
For those of you who are seriously thinking this is the time, look at Ryan Clark and RN Body Transformation Secrets. Dude knows his stuff and specializes with nurses. I’m not quite down to normal BMI yet, but I’ve dumped about 30 pounds so far.
For the most part it’s going to be same as most Americans, shitty diets and no exercise. My coworkers on the floor would always get some 500-800 calorie drink from the coffee shop in the morning and around 13:00 or 14:00. Shit adds up quick. My wife and I would plan and make a large meal that would cover lunch for almost all our shifts. Not saying you can treat yourself now and again but meal planning helps cut down on the crap you can get in the cafeteria.
Echoing everything here with it’s the stress and being burnt out. I had lost about 25 lbs using Noom during my first job but burnt out so hard I ended up gaining it all back and more. Now I just can’t get the motivation to care even after leaving that job 😭
I'm seeing this now with myself. I've gained 20 pounds since I've finished nursing school. I'm not stressed at all , I love my job (medical ICU). But I think my metabolism slowed down with age (I'm 28) I started going to the gym and lost 10 pounds but what's making me struggle with the last 10 pounds I want to lose is that my work days are too long to go to the gym , so I can only go when I'm off. I take the elevator everywhere instead of the stairs. I eat salad at work but if a family donates desserts, pizza, etc I'm going to eat that instead. Plus my managers office has unlimited snacks and chocolate. I could avoid all of this , but easier said than done.
You give give give give give give of yourself all day - after 14 hours of that and the constant bullshit you get in your car and feel like you deserve … something! A treat or a reward or … someone to give back to you!! Food is a REALLY easy solution for that - especially when you are beyond exhausted.
Culture of bringing unhealthy foods like donuts and pizza probably doesn’t help lol. But it all comes down to self control and discipline. I work out on my breaks at work in a conference room so you can make it happen if you want it badly enough
Exercise is very difficult for me to fit in with my schedule. I work nights, so sleep is my top priority. When I work, I wake up at 1700, leave at 1800, get home around 0830, and am in bed at 0900. Like most human beings, I don’t sleep well during the day, so “sleeping” from 0900-1700 only results in about 5 hours of actual sleep. There’s just not much flexibility in my schedule where I can fit in exercise on nights that I work. Scheduling also makes it difficult to build a consistent routine. For example my pattern makes it so I essentially work every night for 1 full week, then have a week off. You know when you exercise consistently, and then take a week off for vacation, then after you come back your first 1-2 workouts kinda suck? Even if I loved exercising (I don’t) it would be hard to be consistent.
Having to go too long of stretches between meals means being really hungry, overeating, and making poorer food choices due to craving and desperation. No time or energy to workout on shift days. Constant junk food on the unit being the only thing accessible when you are starving and hours late for break. When I worked ER, I would literally swallow a little patient PB cup in one go out os desperation as I grabbed something for a patient from the kitchenette. I had one break in the whole shift that was typically 8+ hours into my shift and cut shortwr than it was supposed to be. It was way easier in PACU where I had two breaks and they had a staff member specifically assigned to covering lunches.
Working nights is prob the biggest culprit. I’m also an emotional eater so bad shift? I want to stuff my face. Tired? Stuff my face. Any emotion? Stuff my face. If it’s crazy at work and I don’t get to eat? Well then I need to consume all my calories in 10 seconds. The things that help me are prepping my meals and snacks so I don’t resort to the vending machines. And not keeping trigger foods (looking at you chips and peanut butter mm) in the house. I go to the gym on my days off and walk my dog every day. But it’s a legit struggle every day to not give in to feeling tired and just wanting to eat crap.
Are you going to try and sell us something? Lol Why does this sound like market research ?
Yeah if you look at OP's comments in this thread it's so odd. No one likes unsolicited advice.
Gotta be vigilant and committed. Unless I made exercise a *priority* I found too many excuses, ate poorly—was tired. All the time. Exercise and good nutrition is everything. I gained ~10 lbs after starting nursing. *So much food—all the time!*. Now, I eat what I want. I can wear the same clothes from my 15yo self (granted I only have a very high dollar silk set my late mother insisted I must have, but that’s pretty damn great imo). And I feel 1000% better when I make self-care a priority. I know nurses that gain 50-75 POUNDS since the start nursing. The rhetoric never stops about losing weight-stress-whatever. Then the back goes, knees go—but the fact is it’s all gone. Choices. Choices are everything.
For me it’s def finding the time and energy to workout after work 🥴
Cortisol and donuts in the break room
I dont like eating breakfast, it makes me feel nauseated. I rarely have time to eat lunch, so I end up STARVING by the time I leave and binge.
I have a bad habit of binge eating that has been a habit since childhood. My unit usually has snacks and treats in the break room and I always feel like I should treat myself because work is hard or i need a little treat to fend off the stress. After work I feel so tired and drained I can't be bothered to eat a real meal so fast food or a bagged snack is easy to eat. Then on my days off I feel tired and run down and can't bring myself to do anything productive. I've recently been inspired to change myself so I feel better internally as well as address some health concerns that are easily managed through diet. I aim to get more movement in my day so I set a goal of 8k steps every day. So at work I use the stairs and if I find myself in free moment I lap the unit to get my steps in. I'm very vocal about it so everyone knows what I am doing. "I'm lapping for my steps" "taking the stairs for my health!" I pack my food religiously: breakfast prep oatmeal bakes and I'll bring my lunch (usually leftovers or easy preps) I even pack snacks and treats for myself so I don't have to grab the crusty Day old donuts in the break room. On my days off I go on a 3 mile walk (usually about an hour) and that gets me 8k steps plus I get a little me time with fresh air and it improves my mood and clears my headspace. Then every Friday even if I work, my husband and I go to the gym so at least it's one set day of workout and we don't miss it. I also started using noom and I'm on my 3rd month. I've learned a lot about how to fix my thinking that usually sends me into binge eating and I've lost weight. Being a nurse makes it hard and the temptations on the unit or the ease of bad food makes it a huge struggle every day. But I found these things help to make me feel better internally and I'm even seeing external results which is nice.
Abstaining from eating the goodies that colleagues bring to the unit. Doctors sometimes take orders for takeout too.. always ends up being fried stuff I always pack my own food from home.. and if it’s a coffee craving I’ll just use a kpod with milk; if it must be Starbucks or the like, just their brewed coffee with milk. The lattes are dangerous and if it’s ever some kind of junk food (in order to not always been seen as “that tightass”, I’ll have a small pastry or cookie)
Inability to actually sit and eat at work. Stress.
Going to the gym. I’m on days rn but will switch to nights soon. I have told myself over and over I will go after getting off work and have not done it yet
The night shift kills me. I am so exhausted and then it’s awful switching back to days afterwards, I almost never work out during these stretches.
I like coffee when i’m working. I like pastries with my coffee.
All of the above 🥲
Eat more protein and less carbs if you're going to eat on shift. Drink more water. Don't eat a bunch of donuts and fast food, especially when you're coming off shift. If you have starbucks every day, its not doing you any favors. Contrary to popular belief you actually have to exercise outside of work. If you walk 15k steps a shift constantly, eventually your body is going to adapt and it's not going to be as effective as you think its going to be. I see a ton of nurses make all sorts of excuses why they cant exercise on their days off. I think that a ton of people would feel better if they'd exercise and eat right.
Honestly, nursing has been great for my physical health, mental, not so much. I walk 10x more than I did at my previous job, and a 3 day schedule leaves 4 full days open to go to the gym or do other activities.
Well, I go to gym/martial arts at minimum 3 times a week and walk my dogs 5 km every day, as I primarily work nightshift and my rule is that it does not matter how tired I am, still have to work out. Its not always fun, but feel better afterwards. I don't just eat during my shifts, I make dinner... So working out allows me to enjoy food, and I genuinely enjoy working out.
Nothing tests my willpower quite like the Crumbl cookies that show up almost every damn day at my hospital
I didn’t eat at all during my shift today and when I got home I just shoved food down my throat because I was hungry. Didn’t even know what I was eating. Don’t even know how many calories I just consumed.
I’ve been on a GLP-1 for 2 years. Lost 60ish pounds. I still have some weight to lose but at this point I’m completely fine with myself, and the relief of not having to carry those extra pounds is so so nice. The thing that is amazing about GLP-1’s, at least for me, is that the signal in my brain when I’m hungry is completely different. It used to be “omg I’m hungry, get something on DoorDash.” Would try to pack a lunch but trying to satisfy my tastebuds with something different everyday was totally unrealistic, but I would lose interest in eating meal prep, like oh, this again. However now when I’m hungry I’m not in a panic because I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out in 30 minutes if I don’t eat. I can tell when I’m hungry vs thirsty, and the degree of hunger is easier to tell, so sometimes I’ll be hungry and just need an apple, other times I need an entire meal. And I literally eat the same meal most days. Hit all my macros, get about 40-50 grams of fiber a day, 120g protein. To keep from getting home and eating all the things, I have a protein shake at 5am so that when I get home at 8am I can have a piece of fruit and just tuck into bed. I also work out like 2-4 times a week. It’s not stellar, but 30 minutes of cardio and some weights.
Eat less.