It’s hard to be healthy when you work in the NHS
Ellie Backhurst, 40 (pictured above), is a trainee associate ambulance practitioner (one step down from a paramedic). she lives in Woking, surrey, with her husband and two children, aged 13 and eight. she says: I’VE always been a comfort eater but working night shifts doesn’t help. At 1am, when your energy is flagging, it’s all too easy to grab a quick sugar hit and I’ve noticed that if I’m upset or if I’ve been to a particularly traumatic incident, I reach for more chocolate.
Patients can be rude. There’s a certain generation who speak their minds and don’t care if they hurt your feelings. I’ve had people say I won’t fit in their room and that I’m fat.
Several months ago, the wife of a patient I’d made a sandwich for — because his blood sugar was low — said: ‘Well you don’t need a sandwich do you?’ I actually cried.
I know I’m overweight. I am ashamed and embarrassed about it. I don’t want to be the ‘fat mum’ for my children and because I’m often having to see patients who have problems as a result of their obesity — such as diabetes — I should be setting a better example.
So I’m doing something about it. I joined WeightWatchers a year ago and I’ve lost a stone.
My target weight is 10st and I’m determined to get there. I’ve started preparing healthy meals to take into work and I snack on fruit instead of biscuits and chocolate.
I’ve never felt any pressure from colleagues to lose the weight, but I constantly feel tired. I know losing weight will help this.
Being overweight affects my confidence, my mood and my social life. But for years I was in denial. laura hoWEll, 32, is a healthcare assistant who works on a cardiac ward in a hospital near stockport. she lives with daughters scarlett, seven, and sienna, five, and is recently separated. she says: I SEE patients all the time who have just had a heart attack or who are suffering heart problems or high blood pressure.
Many are very overweight and it was embarrassing at times because I could see them thinking: ‘If losing weight is so easy, why don’t you do it?’
I’m 5ft 6in and was 14st 2lb. There I’d be, huffing and puffing as I wheeled patients around, paranoid about sweat patches on my size 18 uniform.
But odd shifts and long hours meant I often grabbed food on the hop and when I got home, I was too hungry and tired to prepare something healthy.
It was while I was chatting to an overweight patient last year that I heard about a scheme run by my local council that meant you could get reduced gym fees and advice if you were referred by a GP.
Mine referred me and at the gym I got advice about workouts and diet. I was told to stop obsessing about weight and concentrate on getting fit.
I stopped eating bread and started planning meals. By December, I’d lost nearly 4st and was a size 12. I’m now 10st 4lb and feel fantastic.
I no longer need my inhaler and I can run after my girls in the park. And I no longer feel ashamed giving diet advice.