MY story published In Report, New York Presbyterian Department of Nursing, my article is in Summer 20018, Volume 15, Issue 1, on page 13.

I have been a nurse for six year and in that time I have worked on the medical floors, step down units and now the ICU. In all these areas I have taken the time to talk with many patients to understand their needs and determine what I must do to ensure they receive the highest quality of care. As they lay on their backs trying to get better and sometimes fighting for their lives, a common message is often echoed to me, “don’t get sick, do the things necessary to keep yourself well” For a long time I did not understand what they meant by this but after visiting my doctor about a year and a half ago I learn what it meant. As I have been advancing my career as a nurse and teaching patients how to take care of themselves, I was not taking care of myself. I was not eating right, exercise or getting enough sleep. As I was conquering the challenges of a career here at a New York Presbyterian Hospital, I was not making sure my foundation was strong. Nursing practice should be built on a strong foundation, how I could tell my patients to be healthy if I was not practicing what I preached. I recognized that I had a problem and need a change so I simply set out to lose weight but it turned into a passion that I needed to share.

In December of 2016 after visiting my doctor, I came to the realization that I was 30 pounds overweight. My uniforms were tight and I feared that when I bend down to pick up objects from the ground, my pants would rip. I was also not sleeping well, eating junk food for all my meals, and I started to get short of breath during my usual activities. I remember performing AM care on my patient, and when I was done, my patient turned to me asked me if I was ok because I was short of breath and sweating. As a Nurse I was not practicing self care, I was not eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, or exercising. I remember going to my doctor for a checkup, and when I stepped on the scale, I was surprised at the amount of weight gained. I felt ashamed because I am a Registered Nurse. At that moment I wondered how I would be able to help my patients, if I cannot take care of myself.

I started to exercise and eat right and to motivate myself; I would post my progress on social media. I learned to cook new foods; I incorporate exercise into my daily routine along with work and made time for sleep and rest. I started taking vacations and making time for mental rest. …….. After six month the weight started to melt away and I could feel the weight lose and my health improve. I was inspired to share more on social media. I want others to have my success. This was my greatest challenge and I met the expectations. I need to share this with the world, I was sure there were other nurses that were in the same predicament.

I created my Lose Weight Not Faith blog to motivate others nurses and people in general to make their health a priority because we only have one body. We must take care of it. This is my Lose Weight Not Faith blog, created to help people lose weight from my personal experience. I have lost 30 pounds and I am sharing everything I have learned about losing weight and making my health a priority to others. Lose Weight Not Faith blog is connected to NYBehealthy mission statement to “engaging our employees in their own wellbeing & supporting them in achieving their individual health goals”. I am encouraging the CCU staff to lose weight by sharing my fitness tips, nutrition advice, and workouts. Most people struggle with nutrition part of losing weight so I am providing detail recipes ideas to make.

Lose Weight Not Faith blog is connect to the autonomy of Nursing Professional Practice Model because I am helping my colleagues to be accountability for their weight loss by teaching them to track their progress by taking before and after pictures to track he or she progress and to see results. Another way I show my colleagues is accountability is for them to step on the scale daily or weekly. You need to know your numbers, so you can push harder. Just remember this number is the starting point and not finish line. Lose Weight Not Faith blog is connect to the evidence based practice of Nursing Professional Practice Model because I am showing my colleagues that it’s possible to lose weight working night shift and practicing self care. Plus, my weight loss results speak from themselves.

Lose Weight Not Faith blog is empowering my colleagues to be successful in their weight loss and make their health a priority. Our bodies are capable of anything. It’s our minds that we have to convince. I am also encouraging my colleagues in becoming healthier by showing them that they do not need to go to a fancy gym or go on extreme diets to lose weight. I workout at home by using DVDs for cardio, strength training and kickboxing. The DVDs range from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Also, I use Popsugar Fitness on YouTube and Pinterest to change up my workouts. My workout equipment includes two 5 pound dumbbells, two ten dumbbells, a twenty pound kettle bell, a yoga mat, and resistance bands.

In the beginning of my weight loss journey not everyone was on board of my eating healthy and working out, but after my colleague saw my results and my success they know weight loss is possible. A couple of months ago, a colleague came to me and said she was motivated to work out because she saw how disciplined and consistent I was with my weight loss and healthy eating. She and I sat down to talked about ways to work out and shared meals ideas. I guess you can never know who you can inspired by living your life and your truth. My blog site https://loseweightnotfaithblog.com

“There is always light at the end of the tunnel if you believing in your dreams”. Thanks for supporting and following my blog. Please do not stop believing in your dreams or your goals, whether they are smaller or bigger; just have faith your time is coming. We limit our own dreams and goals.