Nursing school and weight gain/loss

apittsle

Hi to all my fellow nursing students out there!
I've been trying to lose weight ever since I've started nursing school, but I haven't had any success. This last semester has been a tough one too. Lots and lots of studying with little time for healthy meals and exercise. I was just wondering if after nursing school, anyone had more success? Tips would be appreciated!

arditarose

In nursing school or not, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I understand it can be hard when you are very busy...but, try logging your food and sticking to a calorie goal. You don't even need to pick an aggressive goal, maybe a pound or .5 lbs per week.

Kalikel

I'm way too old for any school, but if you stick to your calorie goals, you will lose weight, no matter how busy you are. Good luck in school and on your weight loss journey.

Karen_can_do_this

I'm studying nursing atm. I go to school 3 days a week. Work 3 days a week. Then I meal prep and all my housework on my day off. I go to the gym at 4.30am every second day and walk with the kids each night after dinner.
So far this year I've lost 12kgs. . All from pre logging on mfp.
If I can do it, anyone can

Karen_can_do_this

Ps us nurses are going to be awesome!!!!! Good luck with your studies!!!!

rats2010

I lost about 50lbs my last semester of nursing school by doing meal replacement shakes and working out 2-3hrs 3x weekly plus working part time... needless to say that was 10 years ago and a lot easier! lol

Fast forward 10 years and I slowly put all that weight and then some (had lost another 50lbs after nursing school) back on. I've been at it to lose again, more slowly and sustainably this time. It all comes down to CICO and making the time to take care of yourself... which is an effort because, if you haven't figured out already, nurses are the WORST patients.

MorganMoreaux

I'm in nursing school as well. I try to walk and take the stairs as much as possible. I walk laps around the living room while studying. I also try to do yard work every weekend. My husband and I take ballroom dance lessons and we golf so that helps too. We also go for a walk in the evenings. Aside from that, I watch my calorie intake. Lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables - I consume them raw (salads, juice, the fruit is for snacking). That being said I leave room for a slice of cheesecake daily. I try to prep the produce on Sunday so it ready when I need it during the week.

siluridae

Keep eating the unhealthy meals then and skip the exercise.
Just eat less of the unhealthy meals.

Noreenmarie1234

I am in med school. My tip is study while working out. I always do this.

abatonfan

I'm in nursing school. At this point, it seems like I need to force myself to eat most days because I am too stressed to have an appetite, or I am constantly starving but already exceeded my maintenance calories. It's all CICO, but I noticed that I tend to maintain more because of a ton of factors that affect either my CI or CO (eating food that cannot be weighed, increased/decreased exercise, etc).

fldiver97

Nursing school was a very long time ago for me..... I lost a lot of weight in my first semester, felt very stressed. Gained a little back but stayed pretty much at a size small throughout school and my first 10 years working full time in critical care and going back to school. I rarely sat during work, walked/biked to many places. We did not have a lot of junk food or fast food at work though- my jobs after that was different: nurses, doctors, techs etc were always bringing/ordering/eating donuts, cakes, fast food, chips etc. I had to really learn to limit junk food and bring my own food. Pre plan, take an afternoon or evening a week to cook and portion meals and you don't have to spend much time during the week. Weight loss, gain or maintenance is all about CICO.... Even better if the calories are of a healthy variety

may5646

I made it a point to set time aside to exercise. Whether it was early in the morning or at night after getting home. Also like many of the others posted meal prep was helpful especially with long clinicals and classes.

mellowadam

Not a nurse but I did a three year respiratory therapy program that was pretty tough. I did manage to lose weight with MFP off and on. Wasn't exactly religious with my logging. We had our first child right in the middle. Took a final on a Friday. Had a kid that weekend and started summer semester a week later. I was so stressed out and sleep deprived I thought I was going to die.

But I made sure to pack my lunch everyday. Batch cooked casseroles on weekends. At my second shift job as an aid I would eat the salad bar and a chicken breast every night. I'd leave the house at 6am and get home at midnight. It wasn't easy but it can be done. I lost 60 pounds in my last year. And once you land a job you won't be sitting much! Those call lights are going off constantly. Plus codes and transports. I get 15,000 steps a shift.

Good luck with your career. Being a healthcare profession is really rewarding. I get to clock out knowing someone lived and suffered less because I showed up to work.

hekla90

If you think being in school is stressful wait for your first job

gettingreallyfedupnow

I'm a third year student nurse and have lost 35lb so far whilst studying. I find it hard to make time to cook healthy meals, so when I do cook, I do it in vast quantities and freeze the results in portions. That way, when I'm doing long shifts on placement, all I have to do is take a tub or two out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave. I've also found it helpful to make an enormous curry or casserole and just eat the same thing for several days. Over several weeks it still ends up being a balanced diet, but when you're 'enjoying' the same dinner for the fourth day running, it's easy to cut back on portions through boredom!