The two types of nurses who can’t lose weight

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1. THE OVERCARING OVEREATER: You don’t take good enough care of yourself, so you find solace in food. Nurses who “eat their stress” take care of others but neglect their own needs, so end up overeating to compensate.

Psychotherapist and author of Nice Girls Finish Fat: Put Yourself First and Change Your Eating Forever, Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, MEd, has counseled many nurses on weight management. She has found that “many women and men who turn to nursing as a career are oriented toward taking care of other people, not themselves. Throw their tremendous job stresses into the mix and transitions from home to work to home, and there’s a lot of unnecessary eating going on.”

Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone. According to a study published by the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, almost 54 percent of nurses surveyed were overweight or obese.

2. THE “HEALTHY” NURSE WHO IS STILL FAT: One shocking statistic from the study: A full 40 percent of nurses claim they are unable to lose weight despite healthy diet and exercise habits. One reason for this? Stress.

Next, five nursing dilemmas that may be stressing you out…