Why are nurses obese?

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.

Jeff get the frick out of here! All nurses are super fat! I was in Somalia after being shot by some pirates, so I caught a taxi to the hospital (the driver was a pirate too). When I got there I was very surprised by all the fat nurses cause EVERYONE in Somalia was rail skinny except those fat nurses... it was like being in a twilight zone.

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?

all nurses are not obese, i work with some very skinny nurses. and we love the long hours and taking care of people, that is why we became nurses. it is a very hard job and we are emotionally and physically stressed to the max for the whole shift. we often eat on the run and are interrupted while we eat most of the time. but the nurses i work with for the most part LOVE their jobs!! we did know what we were getting into and knew it was a hard/stressful job with long hours. but i am sure most would agree that we didnt realize how attached you become to your pts or how you cry with you pts and their family or how you go home and then worry about your pts all night long. nursing is the hardest job you will every love!! it is very rewarding and if you cant say that about your job then you need to look into another profession

years ago I trained a group of nurses and doctors from a nearby hospital

Yes, the majority of them were very overweight and very unhealthy(smokers, terrible eating habits,terrible exercise habits, etc)

it is a high stress environment with horrendous hours and a culture between the staff members that tends to learn towards multiple unhealthy factors

that being said I still feel it IS very possible to work in health care and also live a healthy lifestyle. These people do a amazing service to others but that is not a free pass to let their own health fail.

as anything it all starts with a decision and then preparation for success. The hospitals all have break rooms with refrigeration so that the staff members can bring food from home instead of eating out or eating the cafeteria food.

there are many many many things these people can do....they really just have to make the decision to do it.

First off I have been an RN for 22 years and am very proud of the job I do! I can tell you honestly, that 96 to 97% of my patients not only like, but respect me, no matter what size my body happens to be. I have a reputation for 'taming the beasts' and if there is a patient who is unhappy, unable to be civil, throwing things at people, refusing to do what the doctor has ordered, 'firing' certain nurses, I invariably end up with those patients. By the end of my shift, there is always improvement!

Do I justify my weight because of my profession? Absolutely not!!! Before I lost the weight I have lost, I would approach my diabetic patients, or morbidly obese patients with nutrition teaching. This would include the fact that being obese, I knew the risks and had some of the co morbidities that occur with obesity, but that I wanted them to learn from me how to be healthier and avoid the complications of being obese.

Did I at times feel hypocritical, giving advice I clearly wasn't following? I look at it this way. In my nursing career, I have been heavier and thinner, obese and overweight. It has not hampered my ability to care for my patients and they would listen to me 'despite my weight', because they knew I cared about them! They knew that when the call light rang, I would be there taking care of them. They knew I would do everything within my ability to make their night better than their day was. They knew I would go above and beyond. They knew their care was my concern the 13 hours I was there. They knew and still know that I am their advocate!!

Now, I still am overweight and working on that. People I work with, patients I take care of call me skinny. I am not or ever will be skinny, but this shows in general how warped our sense of body image and what is 'normal' has become in our society!! I tell them that since March I have lost 61 pounds. When they ask how I could do that, I tell them!! I give them the same information I have always given my patients. Thing is, some will listen, most will not, no matter what size I am when I give them the information. Do I feel even better 'practicing what I preach'?? Of course, as do most people who have been obese and now are not!

The reason for that? We are all, every one of us, human. We all have things that are personal stressors, a lot of us work, many of us care for others. We know when the 'right' time is to make a healthy lifestyle a priority. Until then, it is just words.

As far as nutrition education, I took one nutrition course prior to nursing school as a prerequisite to enter the program. There are no more overweight/obese nurses, aides, techs, radiology techs, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, doctors, physical therapists, ambulance crews, that are overweight or obese, then there are bankers, teachers, lawyers or bartenders. We are all just human, learning as we go, trying to do the best we can. Again, it's called being human!

In my honest opinion, it's a small minded person, that would refuse treatment by someone who is capable and competent due only to the size of their body. I hope that overweight person would not be the only one there if they were in a car accident or having a heart attack, an asthma attack, victim of a mugging, etc.

Nuff said. I really don't want to waste the time trying to convince those who judge our profession as a whole and not by individual performance, as we save lives, and help others end theirs with dignity, on a daily basis!! That is what is important! Not the size of our body!!

Sucks that nurses have to work long hours, they should just be able to have a regular schedule like everyone else

Most nurses only work 3-4 days a week on 12-hour rounds so to be quite honest long hour shifts mean nothing.

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.

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.

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.

I'm a nurse. Not a dietician. I've never once told a patient to lose weight. My job is to love and support people unconditionally in their weakest moments. My job is to save lives whatever condition they're in without prejudice or judgment. Not even considering that I'm a nurse, if I was employing a nurse it would be more important to me that they were ****-hot in knowledge and skills, not that they can bench press 200kgs and had a bmi of 25. I'll tell you something though - I might be overweight but I know a few of my 150lb friends couldn't shift a 500lb patient like I can.