Why are nurses obese?
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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?
So because they're healthcare professionals, they can't be human and have faults?
What a world...
ETA: I knew plenty of doctors with feet of clay, it didn't make them lousy clinicians, just human0 -
Confirmation Bias.0
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I'm a nurse, and I'm not obese.
However, I used to be, long before I was ever a nurse. The reason why some nurses are obese? The same reason most of America is obese. Although, it's even harder for nurses, because we work crazy hourse, we're sleep deprived, which I've read leads to overeating. We often have to skip lunches and breaks, because we're too busy, then by the time we get to eat, we're starving to death, and will eat whatever we can get our hands on fast enough. We have people bringing junk, treats, snacks, and fast food on the unit constantly. All to take care of other people's loved ones. 
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repeat...informal fallacy0
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I'm a nurse, and I'm not obese. However, I used to be, long before I was ever a nurse. The reason why some nurses are obese? The same reason most of America is obese. Although, it's even harder for nurses, because we work crazy hourse, we're sleep deprived, which I've read leads to overeating. We often have to skip lunches and breaks, because we're too busy, then by the time we get to eat, we're starving to death, and will eat whatever we can get our hands on fast enough. We have people bringing junk, treats, snacks, and fast food on the unit constantly. All to take care of other people's loved ones.
Very true. But they have poor eating habits at home to be obese because the calories get burned during their shift. I put my Polar FT7 on during a 12.5hr busy ER shift and burned over 2500 calories. Now I burn about 75/hr just sitting so subtract 937, still burns over 1500 calories. So I eat 3000 calories on days that I work.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 fallacy
Lol, how do you figure?0 -
You sure are a ray of ****ing sunshine IanBee
If only the whole world could be painted with the same brush!
I hope you never need a needle from an obese nurse with an alcohol swab0 -
Um...0
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I am a nurse who is obese. There are many reasons why a nurse is overweight/obese. Yes they know being overweight/obese is not healthy for them, just like probably all other overweight/obese people know it. I agree that medical personal have more knowledge about the problems that being overweight/obese can lead to. Nutrition is not always @ the top of the list for treating a patient. For instance right now I am doing flu shots all day long. Nutrition is not what I am focused on. When I was in school nutrition was talked about with some things, but not necessarily the focus. Many of the things I have learned about nutrition have been outside of my work/schooling. Before I had breast cancer I did some learning about nutrition & exercise. I was overweight. I started eating fairly well, balance diets. I started exercising, built up to 6-7 days a week for 2-2 1/2 hours a day. I had some back problems that got me to start exercising through a program from my MD. Because of a personal trainer I learned about nutrition. This all happened before I became a nurse. When I finally got into clinicals I was in pretty good shape & had some knowledge of nutrition. I did have to cut back a little on the exercise because of the time factor & my eating wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be while I was in clinical. Time was a big factor for this. I was in my 4th semester of clinicals when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Some test were done before I started treatment. A hole was found in my leg and the MD's thought the cancer had metasized. I had surgery to put a rod in my leg & to biopsy the area. It wasn't cancer, just an abnormal bone growth. I was in the hospital for a week, they put a rod in my leg & cleared the margins on the cancer in my breast & took out some lymph nodes. I started chemo therapy for 6 months. I was told to eat whatever I could eat. The only thng I could tolerate after chemo was scrambled eggs & ice cream. I was no longer exercising because I was on crutches & had no strength. I was very tired & sick most of the time during these 6 months. I became very sedendary. I had jerk for an ex who was always causing problems, I had figured out my boyfriend (who I had exercised with often) at the time was schizopenic. My son was a challenge with getting him to do school work. I became very depressed during this time. I put on a lot of weight & became obese, not just overweight. I have tried over the years to lose weight & get back to exercising. I would lose weight, just to become depressed or unable to focus & gain it back. I am still tired all the time. A couple of years after my diagnoses I was working 70+ hours a week. I am now down to 40 hours a week. My depression is under control. I am in a weight loss study right now. No meds, only watching diet & exercise for me. I am hoping that once the weight comes off I will be less fatigued. I know what it felt like to exercise & eat right. During that time I felt great, no depression. I was addicted to exercise. Through this weight loss study I have found this site which I am loving. I went in for a weight check today & am down 1.8 pounds. I am happy about that. I am very aware of all the health problems that comes with being obese, and have been for years, but sometimes things are beyond one controls & sometimes you just don't care. Now that I have my depression under control I care. I am taking control of the stressers in my life which is easier when you have depression under control. Now my next hope is to get rid of the fatigue which should happen with the change in my diet, losing weight, & exercising.0
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OMG. Lots of body shaming here. Seriously. Some people need to shut their pie hole.
YES...+10 -
I would say stress - they have a really hard job.0
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I worked in endocrinology for about 1 1/2 years before the MD retired. I talked to a lot of people over the phone who don't know I am obese. I can still offer my knowledge to these people without being judgmental. When I have to talk to patient's in the office and they can see I am obese. I will still talk to them about diet & exercise, but I do it in an empathic way, understanding their frustrations, not judging them because they have tried, but not succeeded. I also know that in most cases when a patient tells me that they are watching what they eat and not losing weight, they are not being honest with either themselves or with me or they just are not aware of how much they are actually eating, so I tried to use techniques that will help them admit or see where the problems are without judging them. There are cases when someone has trouble losing weight even they are doing what they should do, because of a medical condition. .I believe that being in the same situation can be more helpful if done correctly. I do fine that skinny people can be more judgmental if hey have never had a weight problem. I think that when I do lose the weight I will be able to use my experience of being obese to benefit other people. I know my experience with breast cancer & spousal abuse has benefited several people over the years. It also gives people hope that they can survive this too.0
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Not all nurses know that the shifts are long when they go into training. I went into nursing school in 1968. All shifts for nurses at that time at the hospital I worked were 8 hours. Through the years times have changed and now they mostly work 12 hour shifts and yes work weeks are supposed to be 4 days. Notice I said supposed to be. The hospital I worked at is a good hospital, national ranked in some ways. But there is mandatory overtime. In order to keep your level of pay you need to put in extra time working on committees which require you going in on your days off. You have to keep your own professional accreditations up which require going in and taking classes and then all day testing. So on paper it may look like you have 4 days to work but you have a lot more than 4 days being at the hospital. And no, high school seniors who make the decision to be a nurse do not know all this stuff. Plus, there is a high incidence of heart disease, neurological illnesses and other medical problems in the medical field due to the stress level. There is much more to those nurses than meets the eye. You have really hit a nerve in me right now. I was a nurse for 30 years and a good one. In my hospital alone while I was working I was one of 6 nurses and two doctors that developed multiple sclerosis. They really don't know what causes MS but they do know that stress is part of the factor. I went on disability in 1999 and get 40% of what I was making at the time in social security disability. If I had my way I would still be working and yeas I am obese and worked on a cardiac unit and taught good nutrition to my patients. It's just that I didn't have the time to do it myself. And I sure would be making a lot more money than I am now.0
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I have been an overweight individual ALL of my life. But, with that caveat, I have to say that I at one point was much more fit than I am now. I'd had a back injury at one point that had spiked my weight, but I had been able to lose the weight.
I was a firefighter paramedic before I became an RN.
I became a CVICU/ER RN because I was addicted to the rush, the thrill, the adrenaline.
Little did I know I was pummeling my body with lack of proper sleep with 5 to 7 12 to 14 hour shifts in a row because we were so short and i loved my patients so much, and during those shifts, I wouldn't eat. The joke quickly became, how good of a night was it on whether or not I got to pee before I was walking out the door. Not to mention, you don't get water at the desk or anywhere NEAR our units anymore, so boom, most nights you're lucky if anything WENT into my mouth.
When I had energy, I was working out after shifts, eating healthy when I ate, and enjoying life.
Suddenly, my life changed when I hit 30, my body decided not to maintain these losses anymore.
Quickly I tanked NOT ONLY my metabolism, but my thyroid. My PCOS flares became severe and my hormones were completely out of whack. I went from losing weight and keeping my health to nearly DYING. I was taking care of a patient when I passed out from hypoglycemia from having not eaten in over 24 hours (3rd night shift in a row, bed after work, back up to work, you know the drill)
Does any of this MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO MY ABILITY TO CARE FOR YOU AT ALL?
No. I'm one of the best nurses you'll ever have. I have multiple rewards and patients come up to me on the STREET to say thank you. I went to Joplin after the tornado and cared for patients there and helped with town reconstruction for months. And I don't just push drugs to save your life. I'm the nurse that will hold the hand and care for you.
I work in healthcare because that is where my passion is. The fat has NOTHING to do with it.
Me being fat is just me having issues. And tracking. And god knows I'm not flipping perfect.
Are you?0 -
No one is questioning a nurse's ability to care for their patients.0
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I have some video of some nurses and they weren't fat except in the right places, word0
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Oh yes. Individuals in this thread said they didn't want an overweight or obese nurse caring for them:)0
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I think that's a pretty general statement to make with no real basis... :huh:
So just because the nurses you see are fat all nurses everywhere must be fat as well? :laugh: Actually I think it's pretty funny to make such a blanket statement.
^^^ This!!!
and for the nurses that are obese..... well, it's because they're human and there's no such thing as a perfect human. Just because you know that it's unhealthy to have too much body fat, it doesn't mean you'll find it easy to get rid of it or maintain a healthy weight. It's just as hard for nurses to do that as anyone else.... and plus, as had been said, they work awkward hours that makes it difficult to plan regular meals and fit exercise in, not impossible, but harder than for someone who works 9-5.0 -
Oh yes. Individuals in this thread said they didn't want an overweight or obese nurse caring for them:)
I will be honest, I've read like two posts so I didn't see that.
Carry on.
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Oh yes. Individuals in this thread said they didn't want an overweight or obese nurse caring for them:)
I will be honest, I've read like two posts so I didn't see that.
Carry on.
Mine better have been one of the two! :grumble:0 -
Oh yes. Individuals in this thread said they didn't want an overweight or obese nurse caring for them:)
I will be honest, I've read like two posts so I didn't see that.
Carry on.
Mine better have been one of the two! :grumble:
Two and a half*0 -
Are you insinuating that skinny nurses are bad nurses?No one is questioning a nurse's ability to care for their patients.
:huh: fan those flames :yawn:0 -
I think it has more to do with a persons desire for their own fitness and health more than the long hours or profession they choose. Anyone can find 30 minutes a day to work out, eat right and make an attempt at not being unhealthy if they choose. I know a lot of nurses that are smoking hot so there!! :drinker:0
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Sucks that nurses have to work long hours, they should just be able to have a regular schedule like everyone else
That's nice... in theory. Too bad patients need 24 hour care.
so what you are saying that nurses should work 24 hours a day?
Apparently you have a problem with reading comprehension. The OP stated that nurses should have a regular schedule. Being as patients require 24 hour care, it's impossible for all nurses to have a regular schedule. So yes, nurses do work 24 hours per day - but not in one shift. Nice job though, bud.0 -
Really, this question again? Well it's probably because there are over 2 million nurses in the US. Most Americans are overweight or obese. Therefore some nurses will fall into this statistic.
Thank you.0 -
IMO I think a lot of people who are "givers" and tend to put others needs in front of their own let themselves go a bit in the looks department- because instead of doing things for themselves they are doing for everyone else and they put themselves at the bottom of the list... nurses may fall into that category.
Well said!!!0 -
I have a sister and 2 nephews that are RNs, and they are all quite slim to skinny. However, I did have a dr when I was younger that was obese and smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day.0
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Oh yes. Individuals in this thread said they didn't want an overweight or obese nurse caring for them:)
Omg, that's awful!! A nurse's weight has nothing to do with the wonderful work that nurses do.0 -
Really, this question again? Well it's probably because there are over 2 million nurses in the US. Most Americans are overweight or obese. Therefore some nurses will fall into this statistic.
Thank you.
This0 -
I think it has more to do with a persons desire for their own fitness and health more than the long hours or profession they choose. Anyone can find 30 minutes a day to work out, eat right and make an attempt at not being unhealthy if they choose. I know a lot of nurses that are smoking hot so there!! :drinker:
:flowerforyou:0
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