Trying to stay healthy in medical school

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jdgatz
jdgatz Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all, my name is David I'm relatively new to MFP :smile:

I'm a second year medical student and ironically have found that the more time I spend learning about and trying to help the health of others, the worse my own seems to be getting!! I've been up as much as 30 lbs since college, and have been trying to slowly work it off since then -- but with fluctuating success. I'm really hoping MFP will help me stay more consistent.

I was inspired recently by signing The Patient Promise (www.thepatientpromise.org), an oath health care professionals can take and promise to try to practice healthy lifestyle behaviors similar to those they would suggest to patients.

It's something I'd really like to stay true to, and I'm hoping to friend a few people to help stay consistent with. Thanks!

Replies

  • pretty4Jesus
    pretty4Jesus Posts: 52 Member
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    Awesome! I'm a med student too.. and completely understand that! I want to be an example to my patients and practice what I recommend for them.

    God bless!
  • TheBoyEnigma
    TheBoyEnigma Posts: 39 Member
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    heya.
    I'm not a med student but I am a student and am making the effort now to stay healthy whilst in university. Kinda helps anyway, considering my degree involves a lot of fieldwork and I really ought to be physically fit for it
  • Michshellars
    Michshellars Posts: 155
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    @jdgatz - I totally agree! I'm a new nurse and gained a bunch of weight during nursing school and always felt how you felt! I was telling my patients to eat right and exercise and I felt guilty about not practicing what I preach.
  • lesliecb
    lesliecb Posts: 4 Member
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    Its amazing to see the difficulty that healthcare professionals have with trying to stay healthy. I am a nurse and see first hand what nurses, physicians, & med students do to their health on a daily basis. I know where I work, the med students are at the hospital very early and stay very late, often much longer then the residents and phycisians and I often wonder how they get any time for themselves to take care of themselves. I too have let myself go a little over the past 2 years mostly because after caring for patients all day and running around I would be too tired to try. It is my goal to stop with the excuses and start making some changes so I can be more of a motivator for the patientrs I work with. Feel free to add me if you want.
  • cuterbee
    cuterbee Posts: 545
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    I work at a teaching hospital and see what you med students have to go through -- you have my admiration for starting your health journey early! Too many of us work too much and neglect our own health.
  • ACSL3
    ACSL3 Posts: 623 Member
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    Hey! I'm a fourth year medical student and I've gained about 20lbs since the beginning of school. I lost some of it, but then gained it right back. I've ended up traveling a bit for rotations, and that has been extremely difficult on my diet. I was a vegetarian for most of school and recently switching to vegan. I find it helpful when people bring in cookies/sweets to the hospital and I can politely say I can't eat them because of the milk/eggs. But it's also difficult to find food in the cafeteria and I don't always have the time/energy to make food and home and bring it in. I want to be a more healthy weight because I feel like patients will be more willing to listen to me than if I was overweight (especially since I'm going into family medicine). So many of my patients these past couple of years have been overweight/obese and I feel like I can make a real connection with them if I'm able to explain that I have struggled too and prevailed. I've talked to some of them about the struggle and they can see that I understand them more than some of the other medical professionals that haven't had to deal with this, but at the same time I haven't lost much weight either, so who am I to tell them what to do/try? I have other motivations to lose weight and be healthy, but being able to connect with my patients and be a supportive helping hand is a huge one!

    Now that my time in school is winding down and my next couple of rotations should be pretty chill, I'm really trying to commit to eating well and exercising more. However, I'm really nervous about internship and keeping it up during the next few years!
  • SweetPotato221
    SweetPotato221 Posts: 8
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    Hi!

    I'm not a med student, but I'm studying to be an architect...your "about me" story is pretty similar to mine. The first year of graduate school was so brutal for me, I began to completely ignore my physical health in order to give 110% to my work. A year and more than 30 lbs later,I comitted to getting my act together, and I am almost to my goal! It can be tough staying motivated working out at weird hours and making the best out of frozen and take-out food, but it CAN be done!

    In January I will be back to sleeping two hours per night and living at my desk, so it would be great if we could be MFP friends and help each other stay on track!
  • pretty4Jesus
    pretty4Jesus Posts: 52 Member
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    Yep... starting back the semester today on my Psychiatry rotation.... praying this semester will be the start of change in many aspects of my life! ~ Philippians 4:13

    God bless yal. And Happy New Year! :happy:
  • euthena
    euthena Posts: 31
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    Hi I'm a student nurse and know exactly how you feel, I start back on placement tomorrow and I know I wont have time to eat and it will be just what I can grab and that is scarey :O. If anyone fancies adding me please feel free. Maybe all us students/ healthcare providers can support each other, after all we are all in the same boat.
    xxx
  • ydeleon
    ydeleon Posts: 81
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    I'm not a med student, but can certainly understand how hard it can be to stay healthy while being busy. For me, it's all a matter scheduling EVERYTHING. workouts, time to prep meals, etc. Once I have it on my calendar, I feel committed.
  • Barbarajavon
    Barbarajavon Posts: 42
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    Hey, just wanted to say hi because I'm a med student too - 2nd year to be exact.
  • coffeepuff
    coffeepuff Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm a first year med student. :) Always looking for new friends, so add me if you'd like!
  • sergior986
    sergior986 Posts: 12 Member
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    I am a first year med student. Learning to absorb the vast amount of information required to understand how the human body functions. Being an example for your future patients is a must, a sort of positive re-inforcement. That is why I am also trying to get fit so that others know it can be done. I will be starting a blog soon about day to day activities, eating decisions, workouts, etc. It is really difficult to study 10+ hours and make a good meal choice because of how exhausted you feel but then again it can be done. Takes patience to learn to control your impulsive eating.

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