Four words, Nursing Student needs help...

daltonhunter9479
daltonhunter9479 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,

I am a sophomore in a traditional ASDN program in North Florida and have just been accepted to start working on my pre-med class as well. I have class 3 days a week, 12 hour clinical once per week, and I also work in a local ER and just received a offer for a second job at Shands UF starting in December. On top of all of this, don't forget to include study time! Busy schedule!

I am 22 in November and sitting at 260 lbs and 5'7". I have held this weight over the past 3 years floating within a +/- 10 lb range.

My question to you is what is the best way to loose weight? I have tried time and time again going to the gym but it doesn't last more than a week with erratic shifts i'm scheduled on top of everything else. My weight is very evenly distributed with my stomach having some surplus compared to the rest of the distribution throughout my body. I have calculated my BMR as 2,354 and my daily need for my weight at 3,060.

My goal weight is to be around 180, I know this is still outside of normal for my height but I'm a very broad shoulder build.

At 180 lbs, my BMR would be 1,874 and my daily need would be 2,811.

I have determined that it might be best to go with a happy medium of 2,000 a day for now and see what it does without exercise, this number is 500 lower than what MFP recommends.

Another issue I have is I take Ritalin 20mg twice a day. This is a huge appetite suppressant for me... while its active... after it wears off and practically fasting most of the day I could eat the rear end of a skunk. Most of the time this results in a huge binge followed by a couple of hours of grazing. Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks so much! Have a wonderful week!

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    2200-2500 calories per day sound like a decent range to shoot for.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,379 Member
    I have the same problem with my ADD meds...no hunger most of the day and then I'm practically tearing the hinges off the fridge B) Plus I get tired, grumpy and queasy from not eating. I ended up setting reminders to stop and eat during the day. Not entire meals or anything like that, but quick snacks usually. For me, I eat a good sized breakfast and take my meds then. Then I have reminders set at noon and 3 to eat. Those are usually just little snacks - half a protein bar, a serving of nuts, maybe something left over from breakfast. I work with a good bit less than 2000 calories a day, so the servings are scaled to that, but essentially, it's something I can eat while I'm working with a little protein and fat to keep the motor running without feeling overfull. Then I still have calories for a decent dinner when I AM actually hungry, but I'm not desperately clawing through cabinets when my meds wear off. Since I realized the effect the meds were having on my eating patterns, this has worked really well for me.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited October 2017
    Consider talking with your PCP about the pros/cons of going from BID to TID dosing when it comes to the MPH as well.

    While the newer versions of are specifically formulated for extended time(s), sometimes, for some patients, more frequent dosing smooths out the peaks and troughs better.
  • daltonhunter9479
    daltonhunter9479 Posts: 3 Member
    grinning_chick wrote: »
    Consider talking with your PCP about the pros/cons of going from BID to TID dosing when it comes to the MPH as well.

    While the newer versions of are specifically formulated for extended time(s), sometimes, for some patients, more frequent dosing smooths out the peaks and troughs better.

    I absolutely hate going to the doctor but I just may do that. I considered breaking the pills in have and instead of 20 BID doing 10 QID.
  • maura_tasi
    maura_tasi Posts: 196 Member
    I take 20mg of focalin XR and have an extra 5mg's for certain days where I'm not finished with school/work related things until around 10pm. I try to eat a decent sized breakfast before I take it and then take small snacks with me such as a sliced apple, cheese stick, nuts, half a protein bar, etc. things that are easy to eat! it's not much but if I eat small things like that about twice throughout the day I find my hunger better controlled when my meds are wearing off in the evening. I've been in ADHD meds since middle school, but it's still so hard to remember to eat when they kick in and you're in the zone. My best suggestion is to keep those small, portable snacks with you at all times and if you notice others eating or realize its mid afternoon and you haven't eaten since breakfast pull one out! It's not exactly enjoyable to eat when you don't have a huge appetite but I've learned that those small munchies in my bag do help
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited October 2017
    daltonhunter9479 wrote: »
    I absolutely hate going to the doctor but I just may do that. I considered breaking the pills in have and instead of 20 BID doing 10 QID.

    I don't know if QID efficacy comparison studies for MPH exist, to be honest. It's not a drug I am intimately familiar with in any manner and thus have very, very limited experience with other than treating accidental intoxications of. Maybe check out pubmed/ncbi?

    But it is pretty much a given at this point that long term patient compliance frequently hinges on q24(SID)>BID>TID>QID when it comes to any sort of self-administered therapeutics. Namely because true q6 hrs is pretty much a pipe dream as most people sleep longer than six/day.

    So while my first inclination would be to explore with one's PCP what an increase the dosing frequency would yield for various prejudicial (biased) reasons, I would be remiss if I didn't also say discussing q24h modified release MPH is the other option available as well.

    And I do get the aversion. I hate going to the doctor, too. :) Sometimes, though, they are useful mobile banks of data/free research providers.

    Regardless, I hope you land on what works best for you with minimum hassles/trial and error.
  • KNoceros
    KNoceros Posts: 326 Member
    Also, if you're any sort of MR or "xl" formulation of drug, DONT break the tablet. The coatings and internal layering to allow the modified release will be affected and its possible that the active ingredient is not evenly distributed within the pill.
  • daltonhunter9479
    daltonhunter9479 Posts: 3 Member
    kathrynhoward84 wrote: »
    Also, if you're any sort of MR or "xl" formulation of drug, DONT break the tablet. The coatings and internal layering to allow the modified release will be affected and its possible that the active ingredient is not evenly distributed within the pill.

    They are not ER tablets. I had bad stomach cramps with all forms of non stimulants and ER forms of stimulants. About a hour after taking I felt like I had the stomach flu for about 2 hours.
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