Any other nurses? Or anyone in the medical field?

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  • tsaustin
    tsaustin Posts: 52 Member
    Hi Everyone,

    I am a RN in Virginia. I work on a tele floor and I do 3 --12s. I workout 6 to 7 days a week!! I can be difficult getting it on on work days but I now have a schedule for my workouts so I don't usually miss any.

    Tarsha
  • hoffo83
    hoffo83 Posts: 51
    hey all im a rnld in wales in the uk and find working shifts a bit of a nightmare. but i do only work a 3 day week (basic without overtime) so i do as much activity as i can in my days off. if anyone wants to add me to swap tips/advice please feel free to do so.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    Glorified drug dealer working for a big pharmaceuticals company in marketing, it that counts. and yes, we are the dark side and the bad boys, but don't hate me..i only do it for the money and NOTHING else.
  • lbordanaro
    lbordanaro Posts: 2 Member
    I am a nurse manager and have seen the pounds go up since I am sitting at the desk. I pack a lunch and healthy snacks everyday. I avoid the breakroom. This management position is stressful, but I try to exercise everyday. It is for my mental as well as my physical well being.
  • ratherbeskiing
    ratherbeskiing Posts: 847 Member
    Hi, I am Hilary- I use to work in a crisis unit and now I work in a hospital with kids with developmental disabilities :flowerforyou:
  • BeckyProctor
    BeckyProctor Posts: 56 Member
    I am a RN. I spent 20 years working in a hospital, Peds Med/surg and Peds Oncology. I have worked the last 5 years as a School Nurse in an elementary school.
  • emma110984
    emma110984 Posts: 124 Member
    I am a group facilitator in a secure mental hospital in England... I put on a stone a year for 2 years, and now I am battleing to get it down... doing well...I am 3 pounds away from loosing 3 stone!!!

    I was eating junk on the short breaks to fill me with as much energy as possible for the rest of the shift. Then when I would get home, I would crash, so no energy for exercise or anything. For over a year my shift pattern and eating pattern has changed, so I am able to have a structured diet of self prepared meals... only the occasional visit to the canteen!! I also do a lot of walking too as escorting is in my job role!

    Leaving the field soon to work on a cruise ship... big change to routine... I will see how I get on!
  • peachprl
    peachprl Posts: 119 Member
    I am an RN and work 12 hour nights in tele. Let me tell you, the night cafeteria serves nothing but fried food! I learned to pack my own lunch after weight gain my first few years of nursing! I am learning to schedule workouts and hold myself accountable, but it is challenging between shifts especially!

    Just an FYI- there is a group on MFP for nurses :-) You should all join us if you haven't already!
  • lg3703
    lg3703 Posts: 190
    Hi, I'm a diagnostic tech (fancy word for a phleb that does EKGs & ABGs etc... too). When I was at the hospital I ran my hiney off and our cafeteria was great offering veggie burgers and a nice salad bar. But now, in a physicians office, the pounds have piled on... I too totally have a break room full of crap and drug rep lunches... but this site has helped me soooo much. I type in the food BEFORE I order or reach for that snack & when I SEE how bad it is.. and I used to shovel it in like my co-workers... I GET MORE DETERMINED! Knowledge IS POWER!! Anyone can add me for support and motivation cause I'm here to stay! :happy:
  • Marti135
    Marti135 Posts: 6 Member
    HI! I've been an RN for almost 20 years and for the past 7 years (wow!) I have "treated" myself to a desk job as a Utilization Review Nurse for an insurance company, and now back in the hospital as a Clinical Documentation Specialist - another desk job, which I love. However, I have gained almost 50 pounds! I haven't weighed this much since I was pregnant with my last child over 16 years ago. Just started an incentive weight loss with co-workers (company match entry fee). Thanks for posting and we'll lose the weight together!!
  • rlmcnay
    rlmcnay Posts: 62
    I am a Medical Assistant working at a local hospital and also going to nursing school for my RN. The drug reps always bring in food and candy and starbucks, so it is hard to lose weight. But, I have learned to just say no and to bring in my own foods or ask if they can bring a healtier option. I have since lost 24 lbs and plan on losing alot more. Feel free to add me if you like.
  • sarahvmatthews
    sarahvmatthews Posts: 1 Member
    Hi! I've been a NICU nurse for the last 7 years. I always pack my lunch the night before and plan out exactly what I am going to eat. I work 3 12 hour shifts a week, and the days I work are the days I do the best! I also pack dinner to eat in the car on the way home - usually a sandwich, an apple, and maybe a 100 calorie pack. By the time I get home and get the kids to bed, it is usually 830, which is too late to be worrying about dinner. I don't let myself go to the cafeteria or vending machines. I have done so much better with my goals by sticking to what is in my lunchbox each day.
  • ToEKnee213
    ToEKnee213 Posts: 1,031 Member
    I work behind the scenes in the IT department....third shift and my butt in a chair for 10 hours....It's BRUTAL for weight control, but I am determined!
  • ladykaisa
    ladykaisa Posts: 236 Member
    I'm a receptionsit for a GP, and.... well, I find it fairly easy. Sorry =(
    I mean, we have a lunch lady who has all sorts of unhealthy stuff, but I bring my lunches every day and all my snacks. It gets busy, but eating at my desk has become my life. Got a cushy 8-5/Mon-Fri job.
    It helps, though, that my boss is a health nut! We compare workouts and meals, and NEVER have sweets in our office because she eats gluten free and rarely any sweets.
    Christimetime is bad, though. I swear about 1/3 of our pt base (of 1500 ppl) brought in homemade fudge last year.... and the cookies! Thankfully most of my pts bring in coffee for us when it's not xmas ;)
    I am on my butt most of the day, however I do find ways to "take the long way" and get up often. ie. Running back to ask questions instead of IMing or emailing, taking the staires instead of the elevator, and making seperate trips for lab and mail runs.
  • its_sania
    its_sania Posts: 93 Member
    I'm a clinical nurse in the operating theatre. I gained a bit of weight on my first few years. Having to scrub for long cases kind of makes it hard to eat properly. I usually have to eat something quickly before the case starts so I don't faint from standing for hours at a time. Sometimes I'm scrubbed for 6-8hrs! Strangely enough after that the hunger pangs have usually subsided but I know my body still needs food. I always used excuses, I was too exhausted to workout after coming home from a 10hr shift. Or I'd choose socializing over exercise. I didn't think I had the time but in the last year I made a conscious decision to make time, which I have, and feel so much better for it! I still get tempted with snacks that people bring into our break room, but if I indulge I try to make sure I burn it off when I get home!
  • valenief
    valenief Posts: 134 Member
    Just graduated RN school in may and I gained 40 lbs on top of my 30 lbs of leftover baby weight while in school now that Im done Im trying to get the weight off down 20 lbs so far.
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
    Hey all, I'm a hospital pharmacist here. Shift work kills me! I work mostly evenings (4p-12a) which work great for me, but recently I've been scheduled for midnights on weekends, day shifts during the week, and maybe 1 evening thrown in there too. It's not just the snacking, but lack of sleep really messes with my weight loss. Some days I get 12 hours, some days 2 hours. I found it's just all preparation when it comes to eating right at the hospital. Don't do the take out, don't eat the snacks, and drink plenty of water.
  • lja20
    lja20 Posts: 54 Member
    I've been a nurse for 27 years, 26 of those years in Oncology nursing. Started out on the inpatient floor in a large hospital. I've been in the clinic setting for several years now, but it is still located within the hospital and we are very, very busy because so many cancer treatments are done in the outpatient setting. Can be stressful, yes, but VERY rewarding. I learn so much from this patient population!
    The treats that are brought in for us can definitely be challenging, especially at holiday time! It's such a nice gesture and they mean well. It's most difficult, I find, when its 2:30 in the afternoon and I haven't been able to get to lunch yet, then I'm snacking on the treats. So, I've started bringing in my own protein bar of some kind(especially like the Market pantry-target nutrition bars and Greek yogurt bars). This helps to keep me satisfied so I don't over do on the treats. On certain days, if I'm able to do so, I'll take a couple of ten minute jaunts around the hospital--walk as fast as I can for 10 minutes. Then I'll do the same thing for 20 minutes at lunch. That way if I'm too tired to do anything once home, I've at least gotten in a 40 minute walk in! Although most days I do also use my stationary bike for 30 minutes.
  • GCNerd
    GCNerd Posts: 63 Member
    Hi all! I'm a genetic counselor in a few different clinics across the hospital: neurology, pediatrics, and cancer. I'm either sitting in front of a computer or running around in clinic. Either way, I don't end up having the greatest eating habits as a result.

    I've got to pack all my own food because the cafeteria is a disaster! I used to always buy my lunch and that's when I really noticed that I was packing on the pounds.
  • niknak30
    niknak30 Posts: 58
    Well, at least we nurse (and those in the medical field) are clearly not alone.
    Paediatric after hours nurse manager here in Australia - currently on night shift and due to my lack of planning I do not have good snacks on me tonight. Add to that the fact that the starbucks in the foyer shut 3 hrs early (thus meaning I missed my one coffee for the night) and I am an unhappy camper!

    So, I will manage with my one snack and a coffee sachet from home and just hope that when I do my rounds in a couple of hours that the wards have eaten their chips, chocolates,cakes, lollies, etc so I am not tempted

    The key to good night shift food is to be organised! Clearly - I can run a hopital, just not my own snacks LOL
  • sltrask
    sltrask Posts: 1
    Love to see alot of different nursing people out there feeling the same pain of the shift work and weight problems. I graduated 10 years ago and had 2 wonderful children. Working shift work and family it is very hard to find time for yourself but no one is going to do it for you so you have to step up to the plate. Working in Oncology and managment is hard on the head and heart but starting to take control.
  • sherri33s
    sherri33s Posts: 104 Member
    I have been a nurse for awhile. I notice a gradual weight gain over the years. I try to pack my meals so I am not hitting the vending machines.:smile:
  • brandy_nurs24
    brandy_nurs24 Posts: 13
    I work in the ER doing 3 12's a week. I definately have put on some weight. about 20 pounds to be exact since I started. Before I worked with a cardiology group. That's where I put on most of my weight. We would get drug reps bringing in breakfast,lunches and our favorite smoothies(not the healthy ones). It's embarrassing at how much weight I've put on! ugh......
  • velvetkat
    velvetkat Posts: 454 Member
    I work in the ER doing 3 12's a week. I definately have put on some weight. about 20 pounds to be exact since I started. Before I worked with a cardiology group. That's where I put on most of my weight. We would get drug reps bringing in breakfast,lunches and our favorite smoothies(not the healthy ones). It's embarrassing at how much weight I've put on! ugh......

    i know how you feel!! but since I have been losing weight my co workers although they havent joined me make sure I am staying on the straight and narrow... those drug reps are the worst as we get breakfast at least once a week and lunch maybe 3 times a week... I just bring my own and dont even go where all the food is!
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    Hi! My name is Michelle. I am a labor and delivery RN... always looking for nurse friends for support. :wink:
  • TynkEMT
    TynkEMT Posts: 19 Member
    Hello everyone! My name is Ericka and I am a paramedic.
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