By Rebecca Nicholson Set Out to Lose Weight to Set a Good Example for Her Patients
Soon after becoming a nurse, Rebecca Nicholson decided to lose weight. One day, she was at work and bent down to tie her shoes. She was out of breath and realized all the extra weight was slowing her down on the floor and setting a bad example for her patients. Grappling with pain and intense physical pressure, Nicholson knew working as a nurse meant she had to lead a healthier lifestyle. Today, she’s five-feet-seven-inches tall and weighs a healthy 148 pounds. Learn more about her amazing journey and how she got fit for her patients.
Why Rebecca Nicholson Decided to Lose Weight
Nicholson decided to get fit right after landing her first job as a nurse. Being a healthcare provider quickly changed her outlook on life. She writes, “I really felt the responsibility of my role as a nurse. It was my job to help people attain a higher level of health or functioning. How could I preach exercise and healthy eating, while I was eating myself into an early grave? I had a new role to play and had to make hard changes.”
As a nurse, Nicholson’s decision to lose weight and set a good example for her patients comes at a time when the nation is grappling with an obesity epidemic. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, over two-thirds of Americans (70.2%) are considered overweight or obese, meaning their Body Mass Index is 25 or higher. Obesity can lead to a range of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems, gallstones and other medical concerns.
Nicholson is helping her patients understand why it’s important to maintain a healthy weight. If some of her patients are struggling to lose weight and get in shape, she can talk openly about her journey and how she finally found success with diet and exercise.
How She Lost Over a Hundred Pounds
Rebecca Nicholson had been trying to lose weight for years, but nothing seemed to work. She tried restrictive meal plans that simply subtracted items from her diet, leaving her feeling deprived and hungry. But soon after becoming a nurse, she decided to substitute items in her diet with healthier options. For example, she switched to black coffee and diet soda instead of cream and sugary beverages. This helped Nicholson stick to her diet instead of throwing in the towel after a few weeks or months.
When it comes to exercising, Nicholson felt so uncomfortable in her own skin that exercise seemed like it would only make things worse. It was only after she lost the first 50 pounds that she felt more confident and decided to give exercise another shot. She stayed active until she lost the next 50 pounds.
Staying disciplined played a central role in Nicholson’s ability to lose weight. At the start of her diet, she decided to cut herself some slack. She learned to love herself along the way and accept her personal shortcomings as they arose instead of giving herself a hard time. This new sense of self helped her stay focused on the end goal as opposed to getting hung up on the daily challenges of dieting.
How Nurses Can Be a Positive Influence for Their Patients
Nicholson has become an inspiration for anyone who’s looking to lose weight and keep it off. But nurses can be a positive influence for their patients in more ways than one.
Nurses can push themselves to quit smoking if they haven’t already. When they talk to their patients about the dangers of smoking and how to quit, they can draw from personal experience and talk about what worked for them and what didn’t.
Nurses can also talk about the benefits of keeping up with regular checkups, cancer screenings and other important preventative measures. If their patients have a hard time following up with these kinds of appointments, nurses can talk with these patients until they find a practical solution.
Year after year, nursing is seen as the most honest and trustworthy profession in the nation, according to regular Gallop polls. Roughly 8 in 10 Americans see nurses’ ethics as “very high” or “high.” From eating healthy to staying on top of medical appointments, nurses can use this inherent trust to make the right impression on their patients. Hearing these tips and stories from a nurse can make all the difference in the world when it comes to helping patients reach their goals.
