Why are nurses obese?
Replies
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Over worked, under paid, High STRESS, under appreciated! I just read your Topic NOT your statement. Why, because I THINK it will be some self-righteous BS that you believe that people in the Health Care Industry SHOULD be at a 'normal' wt...and following that thinking they should Never get sick... Yep, people like you help make the world turn, yep!0
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Nurses are just like people from any other professions.Their focus on the job is not as same as dietitians or nutritionists, even though they are in health field. If they eat healthy and stay active, they are skinny. Otherwise, overweight. I have seen a lot of overweight nurses. But I hardly see any overweight dietitians or nutritionists.0
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More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
What excuses? That knowledge doesn't translate to living it?
We're all supposed to maintain a healthy weight. That's something we "should" all do. Nurses aren't at an increased moral obligation. I'm not willing to pay my nurses a salary to cover 24/7, so their lifestyles really shouldn't be our concern. I don't need my nurse to look perfect. I need her to be good at inserting an IV, have a nice bedside manner, and to be alert to what is going on with my body while she's taking care of me. As long as his/her weight doesn't get in the way of that, it's not my business, any more than any other professional's.
Maybe YOU don't need your nurse to, but I will never get advise from an overweight/obese doctor/nurse, if they can't even practice self control.
Also someone doesn't have to be ''active'' in order to be skinny/healthy weight. It's called calories.0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.0 -
Maybe YOU don't need your nurse to, but I will never get advise from an overweight/obese doctor/nurse, if they can't even practice self control.
That's fair. You are the only one being affected by that choice, so it's not for me to tell you whether or not to listen to an obese medical professional.0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
So long as it doesn't impact on their ability to perform the job does it really matter?
I work with people with alcohol/ substance misuse issues. I don't have to be teetotal to do my job.
Exactly, you're not an alcoholic. Having a drinking problem, and having an overeating problem, are too extremes.0 -
Also someone doesn't have to be ''active'' in order to be skinny/healthy weight. It's called calories.
Of course not. It's just easier to manage your weight when you are more active because you get more calories. People enjoy food and it's easily accessible. It's not lack of knowledge that makes most people overweight.0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people gaining weight by eating fruit?
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Ah...I didn't actually look at the research; frankly, I don't care enough. But I do find it interesting that have I seen/heard more than one or two ppl comment on this same idea (and not just on this thread), so if it IS a misconception, it's a popular one.Just a random question for chit chat, something I have been curious about. Don't take offense or get upset, its just a general question. If you do take offense or get upset, oh well lol. So my question is...
Why are a significant amount of nurses overweight or obese? You would think that someone working in the healthcare field would be more knowledgeable about their own health and have more insight into taking care of themselves. I work at a hospital and see a lot of obese nurses. Also there have been studies done that show that a significant amount of nurses are overweight/obese. Here is just an example of something I found on Google, didn't try super hard to research it.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/study-finds-55-percent-nurses-overweight-obese/story?id=15472375
Again, not a dig on anyone, just curious. Opinions/comments?
I have noticed this as well, although I did not realize there was research to the effect as well...
Research based on a survey. It would be like me asking Teenagers what they see is wrong with their body and based on their responses post a "research" concluding that 95% of teenagers suffer from body image issues.
Ever hear Doctors are the worst patients? Thin people are not smarter than fat. Fat people work as hard if not harder than thin.
Just because you chose a certain profession doesn't mean you are now perfect in all ways. I once
a doctor that was morbidly obese.0 -
Hypervigilance.0
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I worked as an RN from age 20 to 40; entirely 11-7 or 3-11............my weight during those years was 97 to107 and I'm 5' 3". Everyone thought I was aneroxic/bulimic.............HAH! I ate everything in sight BUT I worked on units that were specialized and I moved constantly............and I knew plenty of thin nurses. Looking back, I can think of only 2 who were very obese and one of them was, hands down, the laziest RN co-worker I ever had.0
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Because they consume more calories than their bodies need.
+1
+1 more0 -
LOL @ the ignorance ITT. Are some of you seriously suggesting that there is a causal relationship between occupation and obesity levels?
The fact of the matter is people get fat by eating TOO much. We're all aware that it doesn't matter if you eat 3000 calories of lettuce or 3000 calories of mcdonalds. If it's over your TDEE you will end up gaining weight.
To say that your job is the sole cause of your obesity is just wrong.
Does a nurse's job involve a lot of emotional labour? Yes it does.
The problem is how the person chooses to handle their stress. Meaning YOU are at fault if you end up obese or overweight. Your 'job' is not a person; it doesn't shove food down your throat. You do NOT need to eat your feelings. You can easily bring healthy food with you to work. Or if you can't eat during your shift, you can eat after or before your shift.
There is NO excuse for becoming obese if it's not a medical issue. We all control what food, and how much of it goes into our mouths.
Lawyers, police officers, teachers, nurses, flight attendants, truck drivers, grocery store clerks ALL experience stress.
The onus is on you to control your behaviour and your food consumption.
Obesity doesn't just happen randomly because of what job you have. People get lazy and complacent and don't monitor their consumption.0 -
OMG. Lots of body shaming here. Seriously. Some people need to shut their pie hole.0
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Only because you've just made me think about it but a plus sized nurse saved my baby in his darkest hour - I didn't give a crap what she ate or did to be plus sized because she still knew her business when it came down to the wire.0
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As one who was there done that. Drug reps bring in all kinds of tempting foods, holidays are the worst. Patients also bring in goodies because your so nice to them. I ran all day long, from the time I got there until the time I got home. I would eat as fast as I could so I was able to run and do more work. I literally ran about 5 miles a day in the doctors office I worked at. Then you would grab a cookie or candy, get some quick energy and run some more. Even though it was 5 miles a day it was run get a patient, get their vitals, go to desk do some paperwork, run, run, run, but it was short runs and didn't get the ole heart to pumping to burn the calories I was eating. Then after a 10 hour day it was go home and dive into bed and start all over the next day, there was no time to go to the gym and I would be to tired to go anyway so why waste the money there. I was so sleep deprived and depressed then I would turn to coffee and comfort food.s0
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I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people getting fat by eating fruit?
Most nurses that have replies on this subject have tried to explain that already -is it an excuse ? Yes we all have excuses or we would all be perfect. They all didn't say they gorged out on Big Macs those are not in any vending machines I know about. The stress levels , the hours they work, the self all-mighty people they have to deal with, these are all factors and unless you have spent any time in their world it might be understandable that you don't understand. Judging them with out actually being there is another thing all-together.
At the end of the day if I was in the emergency room with my guts laying all around I sure would'nt care if the nurse weighed 300lbs or if they had a cigar hanging out their *kitten*. I would care about that they knew what they were doing and that they cared about what they are doing.0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people getting fat by eating fruit?
Most nurses that have replies on this subject have tried to explain that already -is it an excuse ? Yes we all have excuses or we would all be perfect. They all didn't say they gorged out on Big Macs those are not in any vending machines I know about. The stress levels , the hours they work, the self all-mighty people they have to deal with, these are all factors and unless you have spent any time in their world it might be understandable that you don't understand. Judging them with out actually being there is another thing all-together.
At the end of the day if I was in the emergency room with my guts laying all around I sure would'nt care if the nurse weighed 300lbs or if they had a cigar hanging out their *kitten*. I would care about that they knew what they were doing and that they cared about what they are doing.
Well that's good for you, if you don't care, but for me I wouldn't want that.0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people getting fat by eating fruit?
Most nurses that have replies on this subject have tried to explain that already -is it an excuse ? Yes we all have excuses or we would all be perfect. They all didn't say they gorged out on Big Macs those are not in any vending machines I know about. The stress levels , the hours they work, the self all-mighty people they have to deal with, these are all factors and unless you have spent any time in their world it might be understandable that you don't understand. Judging them with out actually being there is another thing all-together.
At the end of the day if I was in the emergency room with my guts laying all around I sure would'nt care if the nurse weighed 300lbs or if they had a cigar hanging out their *kitten*. I would care about that they knew what they were doing and that they cared about what they are doing.
Well that's good for you, if you don't care, but for me I wouldn't want that.
Here's a great tip...you have the ability to CHOOSE your health care professionals. Go ahead and ask for a skinny nurse and see what kind of care you get. :grumble:0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people getting fat by eating fruit?
Most nurses that have replies on this subject have tried to explain that already -is it an excuse ? Yes we all have excuses or we would all be perfect. They all didn't say they gorged out on Big Macs those are not in any vending machines I know about. The stress levels , the hours they work, the self all-mighty people they have to deal with, these are all factors and unless you have spent any time in their world it might be understandable that you don't understand. Judging them with out actually being there is another thing all-together.
At the end of the day if I was in the emergency room with my guts laying all around I sure would'nt care if the nurse weighed 300lbs or if they had a cigar hanging out their *kitten*. I would care about that they knew what they were doing and that they cared about what they are doing.
Well that's good for you, if you don't care, but for me I wouldn't want that.
Here's a great tip...you have the ability to CHOOSE your health care professionals. Go ahead and ask for a skinny nurse and see what kind of care you get. :grumble:
Are you insinuating that skinny nurses are bad nurses?0 -
haha, nope! but nurses take care of each other while they take care of everyone else.
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I think its because of long hours, different shifts, night, backshift, my ex's mother was a nurse and literally scarfed her food , even at home, just because they rarely get time to eat. also they are so busy taking care of other people, that is their job and passion, and probably neglect to take care of themselves...god love nurses!!!! However my ex's mother was slim , and his sister is a nurse and shes slim....dunno ??
I'm sure the hours and the shifts and all have a great deal to do with it. I worked 3 to 11 at an Emergency Veterinary Hospital & that was when I started to put on weight. I think the stress of it all coupled with my family hx of Diabetes was a bad combination for me. That as well as the fact that I had gestational Diabetes.
When the system is predisposed to breaking down, adding stressors only speed up the train. :ohwell:
I know for me, 10 long years as a Veterinary nurse at the emerg hosp, the job took it's toll on me.
My MIL was a charge nurse for a million years here in NY, she was never overweight, though she also had problems with blood sugar dysregulation.0 -
My husband works the day shift as an orthopedic nurse, with 12+ hours per shift. He is actually slim.
His main rule: He will not eat when he gets home (about 8:30-9pm)
The reason is because he consistently has less energy overall.
I always pack his lunch, and have for 7 years.
It is always: yogurt and fruit and graham crackers for morning break, sandwich/chips/kombucha and treat for lunch, almonds/treat for afternoon/evening snack.
He has breakfast before he leaves in the morning, it is always: yogurt and granola.
He tries to stay active, running/biking/lifting as he can.
For women, i think it can be harder...they are always faced with preparing meals and dealing with food generally. And care giving even when home.
*That is how he eats on a work day.0 -
I'm a psychiatric social worker, and a lot of my coworkers and other people in my profession tend to be overweight. I feel like it's the same kind of deal - long hours, stressful work full of mental and emotional strain (we just had a guy get recommitted today and that was a rough one) and your breaks are always liable to be interrupted by some crisis or another so you tend to eat grab-and-go meals. You're on your feet all the time, and that makes it hard to want to exercise on top of work. These aren't excuses (that's why I'm on MFP, after all), but they are all contributing factors.
ETA: IMO, it doesn't have anything to do with being knowledgeable about healthy eating and exercise. We work all the time to encourage our clients to be healthier when we ourselves aren't always the healthiest. Having the knowledge doesn't always translate to putting it into practice.
This is exactly how it was for us too at the Animal Hospital. We all smoked, even the doctors, we all drank too much too. It was definitely the stress of the job. It's a calling for sure. My mom became a nurse at the age of 62. I tried the best I could to talk her out of it but it was something she had always wanted to do.
While I realize Emergency Veterinary care is different, it's surprisingly similar. I only lasted about 12 years total before burning out.0 -
Stress of the job
Constantly changing hours
Tight schedule, end up grabbing fast food instead of cooking real meals, no gym time.0 -
who cares..? there's overweight/obese people in every profession
:laugh: and yess, well, there is that, isn't there? :blushing:0 -
55% of nurses are overweight? That's much better than the 69% of Americans in general. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm
What gets me is the number of healthcare professionals who smoke. Come on... really?0 -
Always fuking myself up...I can contest to that statement being false....I've meet a lot of really hot nurses!0
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I love reading people's opinions on nurses. Remember, we choose what size needles to stick you with and what size catheters to insert.
Ha!! True!
:noway: :laugh: :blushing:0 -
I don't see how you can work in the medical field, and be obese/overweight. That has always bugged me. How are you going to tell others they need to eat less junk, when you're eating horrible things yourself? And none of that ''I work long hours'' crap. There's something called calorie control.
Because you don't go to a healthcare professional to be judged. You go to get honesty about what's good for you and your body. If my chubby nurse doesn't tell me to lose weight because she feels like a hypocrite, she's letting my appointment become about her issues and not mine, and she's not doing her job.
The reason why there are obese nurses is because knowledge =/= ability. The formula to lose weight is pretty simple, it doesn't take medical training. Actually doing it is the tough part, whether you're a nurse, truck driver, SAHM/D, or fast food employee. Some are better at it than others.
More excuses. I never said they couldn't give their honest opinion, but they should live by what they teach. If you're going to spend money on school, and energy on your job, you should live by them. I get that people don't have the time to cook a healthy dinner, but that doesn't mean you should pig out on big macs and giant fries, everyday. You can get a grilled chicken salad from the same place, without dressing.
I also don't get how they work long tired hours, yet claim they don't have much time to eat, yet are still able to pack down more than 2000 calories a day. Why don't they pack away fruit if they need a quick snack? Why do they need a snickers bar? It doesn't add up.
Your making assumptions on what you clearly know nothing about.
How am I making assumptions? Are these people getting fat by eating fruit?
Most nurses that have replies on this subject have tried to explain that already -is it an excuse ? Yes we all have excuses or we would all be perfect. They all didn't say they gorged out on Big Macs those are not in any vending machines I know about. The stress levels , the hours they work, the self all-mighty people they have to deal with, these are all factors and unless you have spent any time in their world it might be understandable that you don't understand. Judging them with out actually being there is another thing all-together.
At the end of the day if I was in the emergency room with my guts laying all around I sure would'nt care if the nurse weighed 300lbs or if they had a cigar hanging out their *kitten*. I would care about that they knew what they were doing and that they cared about what they are doing.
Well that's good for you, if you don't care, but for me I wouldn't want that.
Here's a great tip...you have the ability to CHOOSE your health care professionals. Go ahead and ask for a skinny nurse and see what kind of care you get. :grumble:
Are you insinuating that skinny nurses are bad nurses?
informal fallacy0
This discussion has been closed.
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