9-5 job diet

platypus91

Hey all,
I'm having some trouble with my weight lately. Started a 9-5 job a few months ago, and I've gained about 10lbs. It's a sit down job, but I get pretty hungry while ditting there for 8 hours a day.

Does anyone have some advice about what I should be snacking on? Also what kind of foods should I eat everyday for my sedintary lifestyle. I work out about 2x a week, but not for long. Helllllp!

jec228

Hi,

I feel your pain! 9-5 (more like 8-6) has essentially been my lifestyle since I started working after college and it's easy to get caught up the office snacks. That combined with sitting all day can get pretty bad. I have really had to work on my willpower and focus on only eating what I bring each day to be successful.

I usually bring my breakfast to have when I get to work (oatmeal, banana & coffee at my desk) and eat an early lunch in our cafeteria. I always pack extra snacks to get me through the afternoon so I am not temped by the constant candy and cookies floating around.

You have to find some snacks that will keep you satisfied. For me - I usually bring an apple, quest bar, and cut veggies with hummus. Even if I eat them all throughout the afternoon I still have enough room to fit my dinner & dessert. Some other ideas would be nuts, popcorn, string cheese, or maybe sip on some tea or coffee?

Good luck!

Gska17

Hi there. It's easy to get bored and snack, isn't it?

I bring breakfast, lunch, and a snack. I try to start eating my breakfast at 9:30 and make it last as long as possible. Lunch is at 1. I get really hungry around 4 (I'm eating now!) so I'm having a 70 calorie cheese snack & some crackers.

Let me grab a screen shot of today's food so far.

whooRAWRowlbear

I also work a 9-5 job. I bring my lunch, so I keep my box in my office (each floor has a small fridge, but it's always full, so I don't bother). I usually pack a few snacks (usually fruit for the morning, veggies or crackers, and cheese). I have to snack between meals or I get cranky and/or super drowsy.

I also take advantage of my floor's layout to get laps in every hour. I do two laps usually, which lets me stretch my legs, get away from my computer, and talk to some of my co-workers.

Gska17

Here's today so far. Today was the first time I've had this particular yogurt and man, one cup is a lot of yogurt and kept me very full!

Abby2205

Sitting at a desk makes you hungry? Or is it that because you are in one place all the time, you are in the habit of eating more?
There are no particular foods you should or shouldn't eat with a sedentary lifestyle, it's all just eat fewer calories than you burn. But if you are looking for convenience, I keep 85 g cans of tuna in my desk, and fruit and individual cheese portions in a lunch bag in the communal fridge. But those add up just like any other food, so if I feel like I want a snack, I have a glass of water first and that usually helps me get over it.

WinoGelato

OP when you set up MFP, it should have asked you for your activity level, which is usually based off of your type of work, since that's how many adults spend a significant portion of their waking hours. If you put in sedentary, and how much weight you want to lose as well as a reasonable time frame to do it in (your profile says you want to lose 15 lbs so you really should be set at about 0.5 lb/week loss), then it will give you a calorie goal.

It may take some time to get used to, since it sounds like this type of schedule is something new for you, but really, you can eat whatever you want within your calorie goal and lose weight. If you exercise, and track the calorie burn from MFP estimates, many people recommend eating back about half those calories.

I have an office job but I'm pretty active before, after, and I even try to walk at lunch so my activity level is set higher than sedentary. My calorie goal, before exercise, is close to 1700. I eat back my exercise cals and so I usually eat around 1900 -2000 cals. I am far from a clean eater.

A typical work day for me looks like this:
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt and Coffee with Creamer or Breakfast Sandwich and Coffee w/ Creamer: 250-350 cals
Lunch: Leftovers from dinner the night before, or a Frozen Meal with a salad from the work cafeteria, or a sandwich and chips or a bowl of soup. Usually about 400-600 cals for one of those, but if we go out to lunch maybe once a week I may exceed 700.
Snack (either morning or afternoon, if needed, I'm not a huge snacker) - Kind Bar or another Greek Yogurt. 200 cals
Dinner: usually have about 800-1000 cals for this. Grilled protein, vegetables, side of noodles or rice. Probably would have room for wine and or gelato too.

misskarne

I actually found that I had to cut snacks altogether, or else I would just snack all day. I keep a water bottle on my desk though, and drink like a fish. Keeps me fuller longer.

meganschwindtaylor

The American Diabetes Association recently made a "toolkit" with exercises and tips for desk sitters. Here's a link to it, or if you don't trust it you can always Google "Get Fit don't Sit" and look for the PDF listed:

http://http://main.diabetes.org/WellnessLivesHere/GetFit/ADA_GetFitDontSit_toolkit.pdf"]http://main.diabetes.org/WellnessLivesHere/GetFit/ADA_GetFitDontSit_toolkit.pdf

I love all yogurt, especially the Greek, but you have to watch because many natural kinds have a lot of sugar. I won't eat the artificial sugars. You can buy unsweetened and add fruit or honey for some natural sweetness. I noticed some people's sample menus lack sugar tracking. You'll be blown away (if you start tracking it) how fast you exceed a daily sugar limit, especially with yogurt. I also love natural creamer in my average 2 cups of coffee a day, but there's more sugar sneaking in. I've been experimenting with flavored almond milk, figuring you aren't even putting a serving of that in your coffee.

WinoGelato

meganschwindtaylor wrote: »

The American Diabetes Association recently made a "toolkit" with exercises and tips for desk sitters. Here's a link to it, or if you don't trust it you can always Google "Get Fit don't Sit" and look for the PDF listed:

http://http://main.diabetes.org/WellnessLivesHere/GetFit/ADA_GetFitDontSit_toolkit.pdf"]http://main.diabetes.org/WellnessLivesHere/GetFit/ADA_GetFitDontSit_toolkit.pdf

I love all yogurt, especially the Greek, but you have to watch because many natural kinds have a lot of sugar. I won't eat the artificial sugars. You can buy unsweetened and add fruit or honey for some natural sweetness. I noticed some people's sample menus lack sugar tracking. You'll be blown away (if you start tracking it) how fast you exceed a daily sugar limit, especially with yogurt. I also love natural creamer in my average 2 cups of coffee a day, but there's more sugar sneaking in. I've been experimenting with flavored almond milk, figuring you aren't even putting a serving of that in your coffee.

I don't track sugars but for grins, I looked at it last week when we had a bunch of "sugar is evil oh noes" threads. I was under my sugar, and I eat plenty of processed foods including yogurt and flavored creamer.

If there isn't a medical reason to restrict sugar (which OP has not divulged) then why should she or anyone else be concerned by this number?

betuel75

Im an 8-5 office desk sitter too. Just bring the snacks that will fit into your daily allowance. Im sure you have go to low calorie snacks you like. I also drink a lot of coffee or tea or the flavored water enchancer like Mio so that im always doing something in regards to eating/drinking.

notnikkisixx

OP, figure out how many calories you should be eating each day and pick foods that fit into that.

I work a "9-5" job as well and understand the struggle. Sitting all day makes me crave snacks, so I typically eat smaller breakfasts and lunches so I can fit in healthy snacks in the mid-morning and afternoon. This helps a lot!

Machka9

platypus91 wrote: »

Hey all,
I'm having some trouble with my weight lately. Started a 9-5 job a few months ago, and I've gained about 10lbs. It's a sit down job, but I get pretty hungry while ditting there for 8 hours a day.

Does anyone have some advice about what I should be snacking on? Also what kind of foods should I eat everyday for my sedintary lifestyle. I work out about 2x a week, but not for long. Helllllp!

I have similar hours and a sit-down job as well.

So ... I walk a bit on my way to work in the morning and home again at night. I also have an hour for lunch, so I walk then too. In addition, I work on the 5th floor and have been climbing the stairs more often ... sometimes I remember to climb them twice a day, other times I forget (old habits) and only climb them once.

As for eating, I do not eat breakfast.

I have a small crackers and cheese snack (100 cal) at about 10 am.

Then I have something like brown rice, veg and chicken or lentil soup and veg (approx. 300-400 cal) for lunch.

And later I have a 60 cal yogurt ... and a 50 cal mandarin orange.

So all up till 5 pm ... somewhere between 500 and 600 cal.

joshuapowell1989

This was one reason I gained weight, I find now either:
a) Take food from home that fits your goals
b) Buy food first thing in the morning before hunger sets in.

If i forget lunch and go to the shops when I'm hungry I end up binging (well used to)
Now it's alot easier than it was and I don't get as hungry as I got out of that routine.

aliciamariaq

Is it really hunger or more like boredom or need a distraction? Try drinking more of water. Sometimes we think we are hungry but we are not really. Water can sometimes help that feeling pass.