Any Nurses on MFP?

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l305s589
l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
in Motivation and Support
I used to well above average as far as fitness before I started nursing school! Now that I've graduated and am working in a hospital, it seems like things have gotten worse! It seems never have time to work out anymore, and the constant business has lead to a terrible diet! Any other nurses going through the same thing? Would love other motivational nurse friends !
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  • dfavela1988
    dfavela1988 Posts: 892 Member
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    Nice to see another male nurse on here. It gets tough at times but what helped me is either a quick break id strecth and or do some pushups if i have a quick 2 min break in between my pts to help out. Healthy snacks have helped me atleast maintain my weight untill i have the time and energy sometimes to actually work out.
  • amdev23_23
    amdev23_23 Posts: 68 Member
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    Also a nurse and on night shift which just complicates everything. Wish I had some advice for you, but I'm still trying to find a balance myself!
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    You know my struggle !! I'll keep you up dated if I find any tips
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    dfavela1988 wrote: »
    Nice to see another male nurse on here. It gets tough at times but what helped me is either a quick break id strecth and or do some pushups if i have a quick 2 min break in between my pts to help out. Healthy snacks have helped me atleast maintain my weight untill i have the time and energy sometimes to actually work out.

    Yeah we are few and far between!! That's a good idea, I've done little thins here and there when I catch a break, my biggest thing is trying not to get to sweaty when I do those exercises lol may have to cary an extra under shirt or something
  • LearningToFly13
    LearningToFly13 Posts: 329 Member
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    I'm a Midwife in UK but am not working at the moment. My weight ballooned when I was working. I used to do long shifts, 7am-9pm and I was so busy I hardly ate during that time. By the time I got home I was so hungry I would eat ALL the food and then i would wash it down with a couple of glasses of wine. My eating habits were totally messed up during that time. I actually fear going back to it coz I know how hard it is to keep proper eating habits in that kind of job.
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    LearningToFly13 wrote: »
    I'm a Midwife in UK but am not working at the moment. My weight ballooned when I was working. I used to do long shifts, 7am-9pm and I was so busy I hardly ate during that time. By the time I got home I was so hungry I would eat ALL the food and then i would wash it down with a couple of glasses of wine. My eating habits were totally messed up during that time. I actually fear going back to it coz I know how hard it is to keep proper eating habits in that kind of job.

    Yeah it can be a struggle!! Nurse midwife! That's awesome!
  • msaziz1
    msaziz1 Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm a nurse and midwife add me :)
  • fabulous1690
    fabulous1690 Posts: 44 Member
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    Hi I'm a nurse and work the long 12 and half hour shifts. Just came off nights yesterday day have today off then back tomorrow. It's these dodgy shift patterns and the level of intense workload that led to me not caring what I ate. I would just eat what was fastest, easiest and going to fill me up. Now since I joined MFP I'm calorie counting and a lot more conscious about meal prepping and think about what I put in my mouth. I haven't started any regular excercise routine yet. But hope to find a a way. As you know we are constantly on our feet walking all the time at work. So getting motivated to be anything but horizontal on my day off is a bit of a challenge. But I'm not stressing about it because I've started to make good sustainable changes to my eating. And it's working. As far as I am concerned, this is not a diet, it's a better way of eating and I am only willing to make changes I can live with always. As it's not a diet I don't restrict any food, I measure and weigh all food and enjoy my food more. I have started making sure I run up the stairs whenever I'm at work and don't take longer lifts anymore if I am alone. And I don't take money with me to work anymore because it's too easy to buy food from within the hospital. So I take meals and snacks in with me now. In a couple short weeks it's made a big difference to my pocket and my scales.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Ya huh.
  • Stefbomb2020
    Stefbomb2020 Posts: 289 Member
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    I'm a nurse too. Pediatric basically. Work neonatal intensive care unit
  • losing4lifen2017
    losing4lifen2017 Posts: 13 Member
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    30 yr old, Psychiatric nurse here. In graduate school for psych NP, also have two small children and just found out my mother has terminal cancer at age 53. I am beyond stressed and pushed to the max, but I weigh 306 lbs, female, 5 ft 7 in. I want to be healthy for my children, myself, and i want mom to see me healthy in her lifetime.
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    Thanks for the overwhelming response!! Love hearing talks stories! Hopefully we can keep each other motivated and accountable!! Fell free to add me and keep this post going to reach others dealing with our same issues!!
  • hgnatovskyi
    hgnatovskyi Posts: 7 Member
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    I try to workout before my shifts! I know I will be way too tired afterwards to get one in. I also will take 10-15 min, if time allows, to take the stairs from the ER (where I work) to our top floor then come back. What really sucks is most people like to order food
  • zennil2
    zennil2 Posts: 97 Member
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    I to am a psychiatric nurse. When I was in nursing school, I got on the fit wagon and did very well. Then came the working years. There was always unhealthy snacks in the break room and lots of sitting behind the computer to chart. Hence why I am on here trying to regain my nursing school years :(

  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    hgnatovskyi wrote: »
    I try to workout before my shifts! I know I will be way too tired afterwards to get one in. I also will take 10-15 min, if time allows, to take the stairs from the ER (where I work) to our top floor then come back. What really sucks is most people like to order food
    I've done that before however I get so self conscious about sweating in my scrubs!
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    If we had surgical scrubs I could just change lol
  • thebaddplace
    thebaddplace Posts: 13 Member
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    Nurse here on a busy medical floor for the last 18 years. Since I started I have gained 45 lbs! The problem in my mind is the sheer exhaustion and not having the determination to workout before my day shift( as I am already awake at 5am) and feeling so tired from running all day that there is no way to go workout after. I also work a day /night rotation so the nightshift routine has a whole other set of complications in making my body haywire. Also, we were super short-staffed during the summer and it was a frequent occurrence for staff to be mandated to work a 16hour to cover. Diet and exercise goes out the window imo after a 16hr! I have recently decreased to half time though, and I am seeing better stability with my eating and exercise habits.
  • l305s589
    l305s589 Posts: 168 Member
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    thebaddplace wrote: »
    Nurse here on a busy medical floor for the last 18 years. Since I started I have gained 45 lbs! The problem in my mind is the sheer exhaustion and not having the determination to workout before my day shift( as I am already awake at 5am) and feeling so tired from running all day that there is no way to go workout after. I also work a day /night rotation so the nightshift routine has a whole other set of complications in making my body haywire. Also, we were super short-staffed during the summer and it was a frequent occurrence for staff to be mandated to work a 16hour to cover. Diet and exercise goes out the window imo after a 16hr! I have recently decreased to half time though, and I am seeing better stability with my eating and exercise habits.
    Totally know how you feel!! Sometimes it's like we're holding on for dear life lol
  • mrsbarnett1012
    mrsbarnett1012 Posts: 63 Member
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    I'm a NICU nurse, I work three 12's a week (possibly 4 if OT is available). One thing that's helped me recently is making a commitment to do SOME kind of exercise on my days off. So typically 4, or a minimum of 3, days per week.
    I also prep all my food for the shift and bring it from home. Much healthier option than the cafeteria (plus saves a ton of money) or other treat shops downstairs and also making a commitment to avoiding all the junk that people bring in the breakroom (cookies, doughnuts, candies, chips, etc.). That last part has been then hardest part and is still a struggle sometimes when there's something delicious looking me in the eye.
  • jrowden0711
    jrowden0711 Posts: 136 Member
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    L&D night shift nurse. I currently work 8 and 12 hour shifts, my schedule is 5 days in, two off, three on, four off and repeat. I don't love my schedule right now, it makes squeezing in workouts tough. But, this week I just accepted a 12 hour position and will only be working 3 nights a week vs 4 nights so I am very excited.

    I have fortunately, had very good luck keeping my weight in check since going on nights. I have lost 40 lbs since I switched from my primarily desk job, back to floor nursing. I do practice intermittent fasting as much as I can to keep my calories in check as best I can, especially at work. For some reason, it seems nurses love pot lucks and a constant supply of yummy food in the lounge. So, I just found intermittent fasting worked best for me when it came to avoiding eating all the food available. I eat my first meal around 5 pm before I go to work and then try to eat again around 1 am, this is usually the last meal I eat. I do keep protein shakes at work if I feel I need anything else, but I rarely need to drink one.

    I realize this may not work for everyone, but it works for me. I have always had a hard time eating breakfast anyway so tend to only eat two meals a day anyway. I hope you can find something that works for you!

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