20yr old student looking for tips and accountability!

amylittle1213

Hello all! I am, as the title states, a 20 year old nursing student with a lot of stress! I started school in fall of 2012 and I have gained 25 pounds since. My doctor says its most likely due to high levels of cortisol being released due to the amount of stress I am under. I have, of course, other stressors in my life, but I am not wanting to blame my bad eating habits on those alone! I am surely to blame for my own behavior. I am a snacker! In class, I just go to the vending machine, grab a couple bags of chips/snacks, and then wash it down with a Java Monster or some Diet Dr. Pepper. As a nursing student, I really should know better lol. However, I am wanting to really make a change in my life and would really appreciate some experienced users to help me along my way. I have very little time for activites outside of school. I have been enrolled in an aerobics class that meets twice a week since August 2013, and have been enrolled in a weight lifting class since January 2014. Anyone that knows the stressors of trying to stay healthy while maintaining a busy schedule, I would really appreciate the tips and accountability!

KalieHudson

Welcome! MFP is a great place to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Making friends on here is a great way to keep you motivated and accountable. I enjoy supporting fellow MFP friends. I have sent you a friend request. Anyone feel free to add me!

wannaBrunnner81

Well Hello there. Congrats on making the decison to change. Its never easy and i feel that MFP is a great tool. I have used it to loose 50 pounds so far, and i have made some amazing connections with some truely great people. I am continueing my journey and i am trying to be a little more outwardly focused now, and would love to help you achieve your goals, and to motivate you. Feel free to add me if you like. Good luck on your journey.

ottermotorcycle

Well I think you're off to a great start! I'm 20 but I'm nowhere near that busy since I'm a business major :laugh: I think exercising regularly should lower that stress effect as long as you don't stress yourself out about exercising, and eating better is almost purely a matter of observation and accountability. My boyfriend can't stand calorie counting, but he logs what he eats in a little notebook and he makes better choices just because he has to write them down.

Tips:
* You are 20. DO NOT rely on most online calculators for your needs, as they are built for people over 35 whose metabolisms have slowed down. If you're using MFP's system, for your lifestyle, I recommend the highest activity level setting.
* When you do have free time, package up some portioned snacks. Try celery/carrots with peanut butter/hummus, nuts and dried fruits, etc. Make sure each of these snacks has some protein, fiber and fat.
* Cooking in advance can be helpful too. Some people swear by the crockpot. I cooked a whole package of chicken breasts in about an hour and have been reheating them for a month, and it only takes a few minutes to heat in the microwave.
* Since you don't have a lot of free time, pick up some protein bars. Quest bars come highly recommended around here
* Try to hit a protein goal of around 1g protein for each pound of body weight to preserve lean muscle while you lose weight.

keasley51183

Hello! Being a nursing student myself I can completely understand where you are coming from. I was really good about watching what I ate and calories until I started school and then all of a sudden a few months later half my clothes didn't really fit anymore. That got me back on here and I began to be very careful about what I ate and tried to add as many fruits and veggies as I could (I almost never ate vegetables and fruit was rare).

While even now I am still working some things out for myself I thought I would throw in one or two things that helped me a lot. First is starting yoga. Not only did it help me feel more energized after a 20 minute session first thing in the morning and another mid afternoon if I had time, but it helped me relax and my stress level was a lot more manageable (I tend to worry about anything and everything, so add nursing school to that and I was a wreck!). Now that I have been doing it for quite awhile I have been trying Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown DVD (about 30 minutes a workout, 2 different levels) but I would first learn the moves the old fashioned way before that so you know you are doing them correctly.

Another thing that helped me is making and packing a few healthy snacks to take to school and the hospital to have about every two hours (it is what works for me since I used to eat all day and 3 big meals never appealed to me). Oatmeal "muffin" cups, fruit, almonds, snack bag of popcorn or anything that you might personally enjoy. This prevents me from feeling overly hungry and tracking down the snack lady who comes by the patient rooms around mid morning to buy chips and soda! I also take water wherever I go to help if I can't eat as often as my body feels like it needs to.

I know your schedule is busy, but definitely take an hour or so on the weekend to make up some snack bags or meals and freeze/refrigerate them to use during the week. It will save you from going to that vending machine and even small changes like that can make a big difference. I'll send you a friend request and I wish you luck in your nursing/health adventure!

amylittle1213

Thank you so much!