Nursing student venting

crystalroselynn
crystalroselynn Posts: 117 Member
edited December 3 in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm currently at a weight of 310 and I'm in nursing school. Well Ive been doing some research and hospitals want their nurses to be around a 35 bmi and I am far from that. I feel like I don't have time to work out because of school.
Anyways I'm just extremely stressed out because not only am I in nursing school, but I have to lose at least 100 lbs to even be considered.

Positive note is that I do have 1-2 years to do so.
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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    OP, the great news is that you have 1-2 years to lose 100 pounds. You will lose a lot at first, and then the loss will slow down. Keep plugging in your new stats to find your current TDEE as it will take less daily calories in as you get smaller. The final 20 pounds you might want to consider weighing the food to get more precise intake if you stall. The most important aspect after you get to goal is learning what your maintenance calories are and adjusting your intake. You can do this and will be an inspiration to the patients because you will be a success story!

    Great response.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    Every job wants thinner people. It's the sad nature of humanity. There are studies after studies after studies showing even the thin/pretty kids in middle school get more attention from teachers as well as fewer negative consequences for bad behavior. The numbers get even worse if you're an overweight minority. l.

    As others have said I would think the weight guidelines are more for the protection of the nurse and the employer. Nursing can be hard physical labor, not good for someone significantly in the obese range

    For the OP as othera have ssid, your have a long time, a pound a week is very doable. Check out how much time outside of school and work you spend on a screen and reevaluate whether or not you have time to exercise. Your calorie intake will be the big thing with weight loss but exrevise will help and it will get you stronger for your career

    Best of luck
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    OP, you can do it. People figure out how to fit in exercise and weight loss with even crazier schedules then yours. Right now, it's only an excuse that will keep you from even starting. I originally lost 50+ lbs while in graduate school, working, and then taking care of my mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. If I can lose weight and exercise doing that, then you can do it while in nursing school.

    Heck, I have recently lost 24lbs without any exercise while working three jobs!

    See, it can be done. You just have to want to do it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2016
    crystalroselynn wrote: »
    So I'm currently at a weight of 310 and I'm in nursing school. Well Ive been doing some research and hospitals want their nurses to be around a 35 bmi and I am far from that. I feel like I don't have time to work out because of school.
    Anyways I'm just extremely stressed out because not only am I in nursing school, but I have to lose at least 100 lbs to even be considered.

    Positive note is that I do have 1-2 years to do so.

    I used to be an emotional eater but now I manage stress with exercise.

    Do you have an activity tracker like a fitbit? I find mine very motivating and helpful to gradually increase walking. It's easy to fit in extra steps here and there, and they add up. My fitbit gave me 300 calories for Sunday when I was just doing normal things like errands (which did involve a lot of walking, but my point is I was able to fit this in without effort.)

    I worked to find breakfasts and lunches that fill me up for a moderate amount of calories and find it less stressful to mostly eat the same thing for these meals every day. I express my food creativity with dinner a few nights per week, and have leftovers the other day. With planning, I have little urge to reach for high calorie hyper-palatable foods.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    It doesn't take any extra time to eat less. In face, it will save you time. All you need is a caloric deficit which can be created through diet, exercise or both.

    Well, doing the planning and developing new habits does take more time initially. But once that's done, then yes.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    It doesn't take any extra time to eat less. In face, it will save you time. All you need is a caloric deficit which can be created through diet, exercise or both.

    Well, doing the planning and developing new habits does take more time initially. But once that's done, then yes.

    Fully agree! The initial period is time consuming but once good habits are formed it is time saving (in my experience anyway).
  • crystalroselynn
    crystalroselynn Posts: 117 Member
    astrampe wrote: »
    Not sure how you expect to be a nurse (on your feet all day, turning and moving people, doing a very active job) if you don't consider any exercise.....Size (and the health issues that go with it) aside, how do you expect to have the stamina and fitness level a job like that requires?
    You CAN fit in 20 minutes a day, and you can walk to and from classes - wont take that long....And as others said, eating less won't take that much time......It sounds like you are looking for excuses.

    Ok so first off that came off kind of rude. I know what the job entails. I was just trying to say that school is very stressful and I try to dedicate every minute I have to it. I don't have any spare time where I just sit and watch tv. Yes I can walk class to class but I can't walk from my house to class... That's a very far distance. I know about the eating part. I'm looking for tips and support. Not criticism. Thanks
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    crystalroselynn wrote: »
    astrampe wrote: »
    Not sure how you expect to be a nurse (on your feet all day, turning and moving people, doing a very active job) if you don't consider any exercise.....Size (and the health issues that go with it) aside, how do you expect to have the stamina and fitness level a job like that requires?
    You CAN fit in 20 minutes a day, and you can walk to and from classes - wont take that long....And as others said, eating less won't take that much time......It sounds like you are looking for excuses.

    Ok so first off that came off kind of rude. I know what the job entails. I was just trying to say that school is very stressful and I try to dedicate every minute I have to it. I don't have any spare time where I just sit and watch tv. Yes I can walk class to class but I can't walk from my house to class... That's a very far distance. I know about the eating part. I'm looking for tips and support. Not criticism. Thanks

    Do you work in addition to school, care for children or other family members, etc? Typically a full load at college is considered 18 hours and assumed 2 hours of study per hour in class so that gets you to 52 hours, round up to 60, you have 108 hours left in a week.

    Not trying to be mean or judgemental, just suggesting that you take an honest look at how you are spending your time. If you are rrally spending all your time with school and can't find time for anything else you may want to get some help with study skills

    As has been mentioned, your diet will be the biggest factor in wright loss, but movement will help with calories burned and general health.

    Best of luck.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Eat for weight loss and walk for mental health, especially if you are stressed. Just wake up 30 min eairlier and go for a 15/20 min walk. You will thank yourself later. I
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    crystalroselynn wrote: »
    astrampe wrote: »
    Not sure how you expect to be a nurse (on your feet all day, turning and moving people, doing a very active job) if you don't consider any exercise.....Size (and the health issues that go with it) aside, how do you expect to have the stamina and fitness level a job like that requires?
    You CAN fit in 20 minutes a day, and you can walk to and from classes - wont take that long....And as others said, eating less won't take that much time......It sounds like you are looking for excuses.

    Ok so first off that came off kind of rude. I know what the job entails. I was just trying to say that school is very stressful and I try to dedicate every minute I have to it. I don't have any spare time where I just sit and watch tv. Yes I can walk class to class but I can't walk from my house to class... That's a very far distance. I know about the eating part. I'm looking for tips and support. Not criticism. Thanks

    I don't have spare time where I just sit and watch tv, either. But I make time for it and if this is important to you then you will, too. That being said, working out is not necessary to lose lbs but it is necessary for fitness. Maybe start out slow by moving a bit more throughout the day. Walk everywhere if you can. Heck, walk in place while you are reading something. Every little bit helps.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    Take a break from your studies and go for a short walk every night, earn those extra steps and link it to your MFP diary. Get a cheap fitbit or similar device and see how much steps you can fit in a day. You can add people on here or do little competitions with your friends. Park further away and walk rather than trying to find the closest spot. You don't have to go to the gym!

    Going for a walk is not a waste of time either - it's an investment in yourself. There's only so much time you can spend staring at books. Put on a health, nutrition or diet related podcast if you want to continue to learn as you walk. Or, go with your nursing friends at school for a walk at lunch and talk about what you learned in school. You can get audio books in Amazon to listen to that may be related to nursing or just use this time as a mental detox, relax and listen to music.

    How's your regular diet, do you find yourself hungry a lot? Are you looking for food advice or just how to fit in a little exercise?
  • firlena227
    firlena227 Posts: 86 Member
    Hi OP, I am also a nurse and know what you mean about finding it difficult to fit in exercise around working and training, it's amazing how draining studying is too! There's also the extra challenge of eating on a student budget. Definitely agree with what others have said - you CAN do this! Plan ahead with your meals so you don't end up eating junk when you're busy or tired...and say no to all the treats that always manage to find their way to the staff rooms... maybe treat the weight loss as just another part of your nursing journey. You got this :)
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