Anyone else lose weight by working as a CNA?

amber2521
amber2521 Posts: 32 Member
edited December 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I just got a job as a nurses aide, and I was wondering if anyone has lost weight by working as a CNA?

Replies

  • Taymay75
    Taymay75 Posts: 630 Member
    I did! I worked in a group home and the job was very physical. I was constantly working up a sweat.
  • xPOOKiEx
    xPOOKiEx Posts: 156 Member
    The only way you lose weight is by hard work. You're not going to lose weight just because you're busy in the medical field. Believe me, I'm there. My co workers have not lost any weight because they do not try. I'm not over weight, I just have very high standards for myself. I'm the skinny girl where I work. And that is because I work my *kitten* of OUTSIDE of work by trying to eat right, and more importantly EXERCISE.

    A job title does not mean you will lose more weight. You have to do more than just work, cause honey...everyone else who works at a job still has to work out and eat right...


    You're giving blondes a bad name. But I wish you all the luck with weight loss girl :)
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    The only way to lose weight is a calorie deficit.
  • amber2521
    amber2521 Posts: 32 Member
    I was asking becaue i have heard stories from others who works as aides, and they said all the physical activy helped them lose weight. And im not really blonde, I just make them look better :)
  • amber2521
    amber2521 Posts: 32 Member
    And i do have a calorie deficit, and i work out 5 days a week. Im not stupid. I know what you need to do to lose weight. But other than my workouts I am not very active and now i will be more active at work.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    Then you know the answer to this.
  • Tajdancer
    Tajdancer Posts: 82 Member
    I would imagine your chances of losing weight as a CNA are better than that of a desk-jockey! But please be careful and take good care of yourself--that is a field with a high risk of injury. And bless you for doing it--not everyone is cut out for that kind of work, and it's sooo needed.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    As a nurse in a nursing home I understood your question. It's physical and demanding but if it helps in your journey depends on your shift and eating habits too. My coworkers are notorious for eating crap; most night shifters do. They hit up fast food or bring in junk to help them keep alert but then that's why most of them are not at a healthy weight. Day shift can be just as bad bc families live to bring in sweets when they take their family home as rewards and it adds up. It's frustrating walking into this! My hall is long and I log thousands of steps bc I don't like to take my med cart down the hall, I like the walking. It does help out and lifting residents etc helps too. So yes it can help you! Just avoid the crap that is so tempting!
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Well it would be considered an "active" job but it's still daily activity. Your calorie allowance will be a bit higher than if you were performing a sedentary job.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I gained weight when I stopped in 2004.

    I'd grown up on a farm and then went straight into a CNA job, so I was used to eating for high activity. When I quit the job and continued eating at the same level, the weight packed on pretty fast. So it definitely does increase your burn.

    I worked in a nursing home and we did a lot of heavy lifting there.
  • amber2521
    amber2521 Posts: 32 Member
    thanks guys! thats what i thought and imglad some people understood my question :) i work day shift and im nervous that i will gain, so lets see!
  • _HeyMommy_
    _HeyMommy_ Posts: 323 Member
    Depends on the facility..lol. I worked at one where i was too busy to eat.. and another where eating was
    the only thing to keep you from falling asleep. :0)
  • lostinureyes17
    lostinureyes17 Posts: 112 Member
    I gained unfortunately :( I was run around all day and lift a lot but I get so stressed that I do give into the sweets and junk that everyone brings in. I've done a lot better at my new job because people don't bring in as much food.
  • winseajg
    winseajg Posts: 16 Member
    When I first started back in January I lost weight, but I was a new CNA and stuff kinda grossed me so I didn't eat anything the entire shift and I was on my feet alot because I took alot longer to get things done. Now I'm used to it and get things done alot faster so I have alot of down time ( I work nights) so I gained the weight back. I have to add that I stopped using MFP for a while after I started my job but since I started back up I really believe my job helps get keep the weight off :)
  • hstone2323
    hstone2323 Posts: 1 Member
    I've been working as a nursing assistant in hospitals for almost 2 years and have lost some weight in that time. I was not trying to loose weight and was really surprised when I weighed my self yesterday and I weigh 141 now. Last year it was 158 . Working as a CNA is very physical, manual labor, and we work up a sweat a lot. I work nights now, but when I worked days I would be constantly sweating, and get sore muscles from running around all day. It's even sometimes like that at night, but usually less busy. I think I walk at least a mile every hour.

    Like some one else mentioned, co-workers tend to bring in a lot of sweets and snacks, so it's hard to resist eating all the unhealthy stuff that is usually in the break room. I try to make sure and bring more than enough healthy things to eat, so I'm not hungry, and I also drink a lot of juice and tea, so that I have something that tastes good, but is not bad for me, available all the time. I give in sometimes, but I try to resist most of the time for my own health.

    I do think working out a little outside of work is a good idea, or a least doing something like yoga. It's good for the mind too, because our jobs are so stressful sometimes.
  • Skarlet13
    Skarlet13 Posts: 146 Member
    As long as you don't start eating more you should lose weight.
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 536 Member
    Well. Yes and no! You definitely get more exercise but how much does it really matter? I'm a cna at an adult family home and even working night shift, I get a pretty good workout. We all do. Dayshift even more so but the thing you'd notice if you saw all of us: we are fat. It's all diet man. You can get 20,000 steps a day and be hoyering and transferring and changing people but if you eat too much, all that work basically sets up at maintenance.

    Only time I've lost weight at this job is when I ate less. It's really amazing the amount of nurses that are overweight considering all the physical activity we do. That right there should be proof that exercise doesn't mean ****. It's the food. Ya know what doesn't help me wanna lose weight? Scrubs. God damn these are so comfy and I got the stretchy waist kind too! No wonder I'm fat
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I've never been one, but when my activity goes up a lot I always get much hungrier along with it for the first few weeks. Be careful to watch for that and don't overdo on all the foodz! :)
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