Desk job

loseweightleslielove

i work 10 hour days and I'm just starting my weightloss journey. I've gained a bit of weight since I sit all day. I am eating under 1700 calories with a goal of 1.5 lbs down per week. My goal is to lose 100 lbs total.

My question is, what did you all do when working a sit down job?
Thanks in advance!

juggernaut1974

I get my work done...and then go to the gym and make sure I'm as active as possible the rest of the day

theawill519

Are you doing any exercise after work? If not, 1,700 cals a day sounds high to me, considering that you're sedentary 10 hours a day.

Aside from that, I work at a desk from 8-5. I get up every hour on the hour and walk around the parking lot a couple times. I always end up with 5,000-7,000 steps before I leave work.

Check out this article on how important moving throughout the day is. Here's a quote from it: "Inactivity is bad for you even if you exercise. Heading to the gym is not a license to spend the rest of the day on your backside."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/desk-jobs-can-be-killers-literally/2013/07/15/ce61f9e8-e59b-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_story.html

JodehFoster

I get up early & treadmill, walk on my lunch hour & walk the park on my way home...or a variation of all three. I've had a desk job for the past 20+ years & gained/lost over 100#

SueInAz

I work 10 hour days with a 30 minute lunch break and two 15 minute breaks during the day. I started out by simply using my two 15 minute breaks to use the restroom and walk around the building. On nice days, I'd walk outside, on not so nice days I'd walk the halls and stairs. I work on a really big work site so my meetings are often a half mile away in another building and I always walk to and from unless the weather is absolutely miserable (which isn't often, thankfully). Other good ideas are to park at the back of the parking lot in the morning and take the stairs instead of the elevator as much as possible. This also applies wherever you go. When you do use the restroom during the day, walk to one that's furthest away. If you don't own a pedometer or activity tracker, invest in one and set yourself a step goal for each day and try to achieve it.

Keep in mind that exercise isn't necessary for weight loss. That said, it has definite benefits for your overall health so it's a great idea, but simply eating fewer calories than your body burns every day will cause you to lose weight. Avoid the box of donuts your co-worker brings in and the candy dish on your boss' desk as much as possible without looking like a jerk. Bring in low calorie snacks and keep them in your desk for times when you really need something and you can avoid the vending machine, too.

glassyo

I do an hour walking dvd before work and then try to find ways to move more at work (making two or three trips to move things from my boss' office to my desk, stick a piece of paper at a time up on the cabinet to be filed, etc), I walk on my lunch hour (I'm surprised no one's stopped me at Target to accuse me of casing the joint), and walk after work.

But I also have no life.

JodehFoster

SueInAz wrote: »

Keep in mind that exercise isn't necessary for weight loss. That said, it has definite benefits for your overall health so it's a great idea, but simply eating fewer calories than your body burns every day will cause you to lose weight. Avoid the box of donuts your co-worker brings in and the candy dish on your boss' desk as much as possible without looking like a jerk. Bring in low calorie snacks and keep them in your desk for times when you really need something and you can avoid the vending machine, too.

all of this.

Exercise & diet go hand in hand w/ me. If I exercise, I don't want to blow my efforts by pigging out after, keeps me in check. If I'm dieting, I feel I'm getting better results by "supplementing" my diet with exercise...mind games w/ myself, but great results nonetheless.

kshama2001

If I worked 10 hours days in an office I would exercise at lunch time and think of ways to get in steps during the rest of the time, for example - go get water...go to the bathroom...get more water...back to the bathroom, etc.

This may sound inefficient, but I am actually less productive when my butt is glued to a chair all day. It's like my brain freezes, lol.

SueInAz

I should add, that what I posted above is what I have done to move more during the work day. In addition to those things I run or lift weights every day on alternating days. My current schedule is to lift weights at the company gym with a friend after work every other day for an hour. On the week days between lifting I run either before or after work (depending on the season and weather) for 45 minutes to an hour. The net effect of all of this is that my work + exercise is nearly the same schedule as far as my family is concerned; I'm gone basically the same hours every day. One weekend day I rest from running or lifting but usually get in lots of walking by shopping, etc. The other weekend day is my long run day when, depending on my training schedule, I'll run for 1 to 2 hours.

After I get home from work/exercise I make and eat dinner and then settle in to do homework. Some nights I get in a little TV, some nights I don't.

loseweightleslielove

I do walk for 7 minutes for two breaks and 14 minutes on my lunch. I go up/down two flights of stairs 4 times a day.
I do walk for water and the bathroom often.
I'm just worried it's not enough.
I think I may need to get up earlier to go work out.

SueInAz

loseweightleslielove wrote: »

I do walk for 7 minutes for two breaks and 14 minutes on my lunch. I go up/down two flights of stairs 4 times a day.
I do walk for water and the bathroom often.
I'm just worried it's not enough.
I think I may need to get up earlier to go work out.

Only if you also go to bed earlier so you aren't depriving yourself of needed sleep. Sleep > exercise when it comes to weight loss.

juggernaut1974

loseweightleslielove wrote: »

I do walk for 7 minutes for two breaks and 14 minutes on my lunch. I go up/down two flights of stairs 4 times a day.
I do walk for water and the bathroom often.
I'm just worried it's not enough.
I think I may need to get up earlier to go work out.

Worried it's not enough for what?

As others have pointed out, weight loss is so very much more dependent upon getting your diet in check than it is exercise. Exercise can help some, and it's good for overall health; but diet is king for weight management purposes.

mz_getskinny

I work a desk job....lost 70 lbs in my first year of calorie counting and didn't start exercising regularly until 6 months in. Sitting all day had no effect on my weight loss whatsoever.

glassyo

Yeah, I should probably mention the only reason I over exercise is so I can eat more. You don't really *need* to exercise to lose weight.

Liftng4Lis

Walk the office perimeter every half an hour.
Run stairs at lunch.
Park farther away from the building (also when shopping etc).

espressomane

mz_getskinny wrote: »

I work a desk job....lost 70 lbs in my first year of calorie counting and didn't start exercising regularly until 6 months in. Sitting all day had no effect on my weight loss whatsoever.

I have a desk job but I walk during my breaks and lunch for a total of 45 minutes, I just started but have lost 7lbs in about 2 weeks just from limiting to 1700 calories per day. I don't go to gym or anything. Just eating smarter. Hope this helps.

Feel free to add me as a friend.

Kimegatron

I stand at my desk sometimes. Our desks electronically will rise if we want them too. I will walk on my breaks. Not much, I don't like the other companies looking at me like "what is this chick doing". I doubt that they think that, but I just don't like being noticed. I walk for 4 miles 4-6 days a week after work, also. Sometimes on the weekends, if my daughter goes to sleep early enough, I will go for 5-7 miles with the dog. I always make sure I am back by 11;59PM , because it drives me insane if my walks separate between days and roll over. Fury of all furies is unleashed.

tracie_minus100

I work out on my lunch break. I also walk around the office every hour or so.

PinkPixiexox

I have a full time desk job - I wear a fitbit and with my 4 weight sessions a week, My TDEE is around 1700-1800 a day. Quite low but I can work with that. I try to get at least 5-6000 steps per day just by walking around the office as much as I can. I lost 0.5 - 1lb a week on 1500. For me, 1700 would be a little high