Does anyone else work from home?

Boogie_on_woman

If you do, how do you approach your diet/eating schedule? Usually I get super hungry around 3pm (which I could handle a lot better when I was not a few feet from the kitchen). Any advice for keeping focused and not falling victim to snacking?

Chef_Barbell

I'm a SAHM, I just keep busy with cleaning and such. Sometimes I forget to eat. You can always plan your meals around the time you get hungry. Meal timing is a personal decision.

kshama2001

I do work from home. I no longer get the munchies after increasing protein and fiber and decreasing carbs. I make a smoothie for breakfast which has a lot of fiber, sip on it throughout the AM, and don't even start lunch until 2 or 3 PM.

Maybe your breakfasts and lunches don't have enough calories or the macros you need for satiety?

snickerscharlie

I work from home, too.

I skip breakfast (other than coffee) because I'm genuinely not hungry then and eat lunch around 1pm. I allow for an afternoon snack (around 4:00) and dinner's at 7:00.

If you're hungry in the afternoon, set aside some calories for a snack at this time. Resistance is futile. LOL.

Boogie_on_woman

Great advice all, thanks! I think I just need to plan and anticipate around the time of day that I crack by allowing for calories and maybe adding more protein into my breakfast and lunch. Weight loss while WFH is definitely a lot trickier than I thought it would be!

moesis

I work from home as well.

My day normally starts with breakfast about 30 minutes before I start. I'll break somewhere as close to the middle of my day as I can and I will eat lunch. When I eat lunch typically I will cut up a piece of fruit to put in a bowl on my desk, this keeps me honest until I call it a day and start making dinner.

If you find yourself getting hungry during the day, try drinking water instead of grabbing a snack. I've started keep a qt size Mason jar at my desk. Also, I do some sort of exercise every hour, with jumping jacks being my preferred. This seems to curb my appetite and makes the heart work a little each hour.

Quite honestly I do better working from home than I ever did when I went into the office.

RoxieDawn

I work from home. My desk is feet from the kitchen.

My day starts with exercise and I delay break fast till about 11:00 everyday. I eat the same things Mon - Fri and I actually weigh out my snacks and have those ready to grab so I do not spend any time mulling around the fridge or cabinets looking for things.

When people say weight loss starts in the kitchen, my keeps going by staying out of the kitchen as much as possible till dinner time when its time to cook for my family..

eta: I make sure my mid morning break fast and lunch are balanced with carbs/protein/fats. I need a balance of all three to help me with satiety. And I purposefully move around every hour unless I am stuck doing something with work that delays that, but I have to move around. Sometimes I will put my walk/run shoes on and walk on the treadmill for just 10 minutes a couple of times a day.

kshama2001

Boogie_on_woman wrote: »

Great advice all, thanks! I think I just need to plan and anticipate around the time of day that I crack by allowing for calories and maybe adding more protein into my breakfast and lunch. Weight loss while WFH is definitely a lot trickier than I thought it would be!

I don't have a problem with calories per se, but I do have a problem with steps. It's harder to find natural ways to increase steps, like using a bathroom on a different floor or parking farther away.

I also have to be more disciplined about taking lunch and punching in and out. My coworkers take lunch at different times so there is usually someone wanting to talk to me. I have reminders on my phone and in Outlook for punching in and out.

MommyL2015

I work from home. I take a lunch break around noon or 1:00, and every hour, I try to get up and walk my treadmill for 10 or so minutes, but I can't always do that. I don't have trouble with food on days where i'm busy working, it's on days I don't have work that trouble me, like today, but I do have more time for walking.

cwolfman13

I work from home a couple times per month...my eating schedule isn't any different than when I'm in the office...I usually have a snack around 3 or 4...I'd recommend just planning in a snack rather than mindlessly grabbing food.

snickerscharlie

I also find that chewing sugar free gum helps. Keeps my mouth busy while I'm working, and the minty taste of the gum is refreshing and makes anything I might snack on taste terrible. Like drinking orange juice right after brushing your teeth.

Baddogbeanie

I use mason jars to store my premade meals and snacks for intervals during the day so as to meet my calorie goals.. Every few hours I can grab a mutitude of premeasured snacks. Works great for me.

yogaski83

I work from home also. I make sure to eat first thing in the morning and I try to move throughout the day as much as possible.

I also get hungry around 3PM, I typically go for a walk or a jog then and have a mid-afternoon snack which helps me not be starved around dinner time. Ideally it would be a protein/fat/carb balance, and I think the key is to just be prepared.

Since my job is very sedentary, working from home has been beneficial to my weight loss and I'm able to get around 3 workouts/day in. I have a long history (12+ years) of eating disorders so I really need to make sure that I'm moving enough and eating a sustainable amount of calories.

Good luck!

Boogie_on_woman

kshama2001 wrote: »

Boogie_on_woman wrote: »

Great advice all, thanks! I think I just need to plan and anticipate around the time of day that I crack by allowing for calories and maybe adding more protein into my breakfast and lunch. Weight loss while WFH is definitely a lot trickier than I thought it would be!

I don't have a problem with calories per se, but I do have a problem with steps. It's harder to find natural ways to increase steps, like using a bathroom on a different floor or parking farther away.

I also have to be more disciplined about taking lunch and punching in and out. My coworkers take lunch at different times so there is usually someone wanting to talk to me. I have reminders on my phone and in Outlook for punching in and out.

I'm right there with you. I thought I'd have so much freedom and work out so much more when working from home. But I feel way more chained to my computer now that I work from home. If I don't force myself to get up and take breaks - I can easily work through the whole day without even moving - it's scary.

raven56706

what jobs do you do and how does one get a job like that? i would love working from home full time

snickerscharlie

Every time I have to leave my desk to go to the bathroom or get something to drink, I do twenty laps of the house before sitting down again. That's become so normal for me! You *have* to force yourself to get up and move around. I find those little breaks for a stretch and a bit of exercise have become an important part of my day.

SusanMFindlay

kshama2001 wrote: »

Boogie_on_woman wrote: »

Great advice all, thanks! I think I just need to plan and anticipate around the time of day that I crack by allowing for calories and maybe adding more protein into my breakfast and lunch. Weight loss while WFH is definitely a lot trickier than I thought it would be!

I don't have a problem with calories per se, but I do have a problem with steps. It's harder to find natural ways to increase steps, like using a bathroom on a different floor or parking farther away.

I also have to be more disciplined about taking lunch and punching in and out. My coworkers take lunch at different times so there is usually someone wanting to talk to me. I have reminders on my phone and in Outlook for punching in and out.

My husband works from home, and he makes a concerted effort to go for a walk at lunch to help with the steps issue. We also make the kids go for a walk with us after dinner.

Chef_Barbell

raven56706 wrote: »

what jobs do you do and how does one get a job like that? i would love working from home full time

I got a rich husband. :laugh:

courtneyfabulous

Snacking is fine- I always have a snack around 3pm. You just need to make sure it fits into your calories for the day.

And yes I work from home. I find just sticking to a certain eating schedule makes it easier and learn what meals, snacks, and foods work to hit my calories and macro goals.

I do:
Small breakfast
Small to medium morning snack
Lunch
Afternoon snack or protein shake
Second afternoon snack if I want it
Dinner
Sweet treat after dinner

I usually still come in at or under my calorie goal. All my meals are pretty small portions and most include protein.

Why are you afraid to have a snack in the afternoon? There's a long gap between lunch and dinner, most people have a snack then.

Boogie_on_woman

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

Snacking is fine- I always have a snack around 3pm. You just need to make sure it fits into your calories for the day.

And yes I work from home. I find just sticking to a certain eating schedule makes it easier and learn what meals, snacks, and foods work to hit my calories and macro goals.

I do:
Small breakfast
Small to medium morning snack
Lunch
Afternoon snack or protein shake
Second afternoon snack if I want it
Dinner
Sweet treat after dinner

I usually still come in at or under my calorie goal. All my meals are pretty small portions and most include protein.

Why are you afraid to have a snack in the afternoon? There's a long gap between lunch and dinner, most people have a snack then.

I snack! I can usually stay right on track with eating until about 3pm when my energy is crashing - and then I find myself ravenously searching for carbs.

lissmayer

raven56706 wrote: »

what jobs do you do and how does one get a job like that? i would love working from home full time

I'm a writer. I busted my *kitten* writing for fractions of pennies for a couple years until I broke into a well-paying niche field. Best. Job. Ever.

SCoil123

I work from home half the time. I do intermittent fasting so I eat my first small meal around 2 and that works for me.

khhregister

I'm working from home, and I find it's actually really helping me with my food choices because I can weigh everything in peace, and cook up massive amounts of veggies+protein for my lunch, which helps me feel full and cuts down on snacking. If I had to pack a giant salad or oatmeal with eggs and veggies to a workplace, I think I would get a lot of comments and it would be harder to eat the way I really want to.
My typical schedule goes like this:

• Wake up around 8 (I am not a morning person at all, so this is quite hard for me, no laughing)
• Have bulletproof coffee with protein powder added (about 300 calories)
• Do tasks at my computer that require very little brainpower until 9 or 10
• Go to the gym and either work with a trainer or do water aerobics
• Come home at 10 or 11
• Do another 2-3 hours of work at the computer
• Break for lunch around 1
• I have either a GIANT salad (made with a whole head of romaine lettuce and a chicken breast and other assorted veggies) or I have steelcut oatmeal with 2 eggs, hotsauce, and veggies and avocado. Either lunch is usually around 350-400 calories
• More computer work until 4
• Teatime - tea with milk (around 50-100 calories, depending on how many cups I have)
• Work at the computer until 6 or 7
• Break to cook dinner.
• Have larger dinner with the husband - usually around 600-800 calories. Hunk of protein, 2 veggies, small amount of starch.
• Small dessert most nights - either a couple of squares of very good chocolate or some Halo Top ice cream (~ 100 calories)

I've been more or less sticking to this schedule for a couple of months, with some departures if we are working away from home or we have guests to entertain. I notice, writing it out, that I am not sitting at my computer for usually more that 2-3 hours without getting up and going out or going to cook/ do chores around the house. The prolonged sitting is not as bad as I had imagined. But still, I am WAY too sedentary compared to my last job (teaching). If I don't go to the gym, I walk only about 2000 steps in a day.

Lounmoun

I eat at the same times every day- about every 3-5 hours. I have planned snacks into my day.

Francl27

SAHM here too... so I just have to deal with it, lol. Seriously though, the key for me is to try to keep busy and listen to my hunger signals. I often end up having a snack around 2.30-3pm and a smaller dinner though.

kshama2001

SusanMFindlay wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

Boogie_on_woman wrote: »

Great advice all, thanks! I think I just need to plan and anticipate around the time of day that I crack by allowing for calories and maybe adding more protein into my breakfast and lunch. Weight loss while WFH is definitely a lot trickier than I thought it would be!

I don't have a problem with calories per se, but I do have a problem with steps. It's harder to find natural ways to increase steps, like using a bathroom on a different floor or parking farther away.

I also have to be more disciplined about taking lunch and punching in and out. My coworkers take lunch at different times so there is usually someone wanting to talk to me. I have reminders on my phone and in Outlook for punching in and out.

My husband works from home, and he makes a concerted effort to go for a walk at lunch to help with the steps issue. We also make the kids go for a walk with us after dinner.

Ya, I can walk for 75 minutes at lunch time and STILL not break 10,000 steps.

kathrynjean_

I work from home the majority of the time and I also live alone. In the winter especially when it gets dark very early, I find it to be particularly difficult for me (not just on an eating/dieting front, but also just overall mood and productivity wise). At those times, I usually try to find/make opportunities to work outside of the house - either at coffee shops, libraries, or in some sort of co-working environment. Then I take my food for the day with me and won't buy anything to eat (but I do buy coffee if I'm at a cafe or something).

Everyone here has suggested some great strategies - but I just wanted to provide a bit of an alternate perspective that if you work from home and find it hard, there are ways to mix it up!

kshama2001

raven56706 wrote: »

what jobs do you do and how does one get a job like that? i would love working from home full time

I worked for them in person, moved out of state, and now work for the same company via VPN. They would never have hired someone to do my job remotely - it's because I'd already worked for them for years that I got it.

kshama2001

snickerscharlie wrote: »

Every time I have to leave my desk to go to the bathroom or get something to drink, I do twenty laps of the house before sitting down again. That's become so normal for me! You *have* to force yourself to get up and move around. I find those little breaks for a stretch and a bit of exercise have become an important part of my day.

Around the outside of the house or in the inside? I've done it outside but feel weird, and it's not big enough inside. Going to do some laps now, though.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

I work from home 2-3 days per week.

I usually don't eat breakfast until later in the day. Pre-logging my food also helps. If I know what I'm supposed to eat, it helps me stick to my plan. I also try to make sure I eat lots of satiating foods and I don't deprive myself of treats. If I get hungry and I know it's late afternoon or closer to dinner, I'll put on another pot of coffee or make myself a cup of tea.

My main issue when working from home is activity. It's really hard for me to get all of my steps in on the days when I work from home, because I don't have as much energy for whatever reason.

raven56706 wrote: »

what jobs do you do and how does one get a job like that? i would love working from home full time

I am an auditor. Since a lot of our work is in the field, we are allowed flex schedules and are able to telework via laptops and a VPN.

mitch16

I work from home, and 3:00 is usually my "eat all of the foods" time of day, too. I combat this by doing my workout then. If I can't break away to get my workout in I will have a small snack (apple, string cheese, granola bar) and a big cup of water or plain green tea.