Does your job contribute to your weight gain?

astrocosmiczoom

Definitely. I have a military desk job that puts us on odd shifts (Panamas right now) and I currently work 12-hour nights. I can't really get up and go anywhere.

bretticus87

I think so. I work away a lot and when I'm travelling alone I feel uncomfortable going to a restaurant on my own to eat a relatively healthy meal so I end up going to a fast food chain or to a super market and buy loads of unhealthy snacks to make up for dinner as my hotel rooms usually don't have kitchen facilities.

Sued0nim

Nads36 wrote: »

Hi all, does anyone feel their job contributes to their weight gain? I teach however I am a lone worker so I find I don't eat at set times but end up eating lots when really hungry and if I find I've had a bad day I end up reaching for sugary foods! How do you manage your eating and exercise alongside your demanding jobs?
Thanks in advance!

I switched jobs in September and after 2 weeks of running round my weight started climbing because I hadn't adjusted my lifestyle ...I noticed because I track and I adjusted (my calories out had gone down due to being more tied to my desk and less active)

So yes one's work can have an impact but it's up to us to adjust

vixen84

Yes i used be on my feet as cooks but now im a cashier so majority of my shifts are sat down on unfomty chairs that dont support back or foot stood unless im in kiosk or selfservice which involves standing n walkin up m down so i tend to take stairs instead of lift i now walk to work since ive moved closer and take pack lunch so im not bloated as tend snack on canteen vendin machines lol

gillie80

Definitely. my previous job had me siting the whole day. i was an audio typist so it could be quite stressful and there were always snacks on hand. i've lost 2 stones since i've changed jobs; i'm on my feet a lot more (i walk an average of 2 miles a day in work) and while it's still stressful it's not the same kind of stress.

Derpy_Hooves

It actually helps me being in a routine. I prepare and bring my snacks and lunches every day. At home I'm much more likely to have more snacks.
The only issue is that I sit all day. I used to go for walks in my lunch breaks, but I slacked on that lately, so I'm going to try to get into the lunch walk habit again.

SammeeBoud

I currently work a desk job. I have a really hard time staying fit. I have gained 20pounds since i started working. They have stand up desk options but its only for people with medical conditions so i cant get it. My work also buys food for the employees which includes fried chicken and pizza. Any tips or advice would be great. Looking to lose those 20 poundd by January. Also if there is any good reciepes for things i can freeze and take to work or easy to make in the morning would be a big help.

Looking for as much support and motivation as i can get !!

Sued0nim

Take your own food and turn down free food
Go for walks during breaks
Walk to work, or partway and back
Batch cook at weekend and invest in some Tupperware..I tend to take rice and stew to heat in microwave (like chicken cacciatore, Mediterranean veg pulled pork and chorizo etc) a pack of mixed salad leaves to pour it over cos I like volume, carton of Greek yogurt and pack of berries. I also buy one pot stews from supermarkets (never the weight watcher volumes a lot of ready meals are really decent calorie counts) I keep multipacks of chips in my desk (these tend to be under 90 calories each) and cans of diet soda

Ssumner2001

Yes, I do think my job has contributed to my weight gain. I worked over a year in a fast paced warehouse fulfilling online orders and it was nonstop 10-11 hours a day 4-5 days a week. I lost 20lbs my first few months there. I have since quit that job and now have a desk job. I've been on this job 7 months and have gained all the weight back and then some.

JessicaJune

My job definitely contributed to my weight gain throughout the past three years.

When I first started with the company I work for, I was 170 lbs (and at 5'8, this looked healthy and strong). I began to partake in the lunch trips to the restaurants and the nibbling of snacks and goodies that reps would bring in (I work in design). The worst time would be during the holidays. There would literally be an entire conference room full of gourmet popcorn, candy, crackers, cheeses, sausage, pastries, etc. You name it, a rep would bring it or mail it to us. But, it wasn't the food that made me break my willpower, it was THE STRESS.

I was working 90-110 hours every week, I never saw my family, and I allowed my work stress to seep into everything else. I started missing classes at the university, I stopped spending time with my wife, I stopped working out and attending ballet, and I started packing on the pounds...66 POUNDS to be exact. The only tool I had to cope with ANY emotion for years was my eating disorder, so during this time of recovery (2013), instead of purging or starving I was stuffing my face and ignoring how I felt. It turned into this rampant cycle of eat, self-loathing, guilt, shame, denial, eat, self-loathing, guilt, shame, denial...it was non-stop.

Finally, about a year ago, I stopped allowing my work life (and the toxicity that came with it at times) to seep into the other parts of my life. I started compartmentalizing my life and I found that I became MUCH happier. I started working 40 hours instead of 90. I took my work email off my personal phone, and I refused to answer work calls at night. I made it a point to attend every single class at and I gave myself evening and weekends to do homework, assignments, and participate in a formal research study with the university. Work had it's compartment of 8 hours a day in my life. My family had their own compartment, my schooling had it's own comparment, and none of the compartments overlapped. Four and a half months ago on June 13th, after finally getting into this routine, I decided to start attending to my weight and create a compartment for THAT. And thing's couldn't be better now.

I dedicate a portion of each day to working out, which means I leave on time from work. I do NOT allow my boss, coworkers, or clients to take that time away from me. That's MY time, which means it's for me, my health, and my happiness. It is what I look forward to all day, so why allow someone to take that away from you? That's the mindset to focus on! I have reps come in all the time with goodies, and now I can enjoy a treat here and there because I am focused on health. When my coworkers order in, I skip indulging because I know that my already existing levels of stress at work will be exacerbated my unhealthy eating. These changes have made a WORLD of difference in my life, and I hope maybe a few of them can help you too!

Hang in there! Today is a new day and you can make it anything you want!

JJ

beginforthelasttime16

I sit and sit and sit and it sure isn't physically exhausting but extremely mentally exhausting. So sometimes yes- but if I force myself to go workout I never regret the exercise

25lbsorbust

Yes! It's actually a huge issue- some days I'm busy and running around the office building, up and down stairs and all around. And then other days I have absolutely no reason to move from my desk except during my lunch break.

Usually mentally I start to get worn down by those latter days, so I end up taking a lot of 10-15 min walks in the middle of my shift. I just put on a podcast and go! Way more productive after, much happier, and I've gotten upwards of 2k steps extra to boot.

Thorbjornn

Yes, definitely. I sit all day When I'm bored, especially in the afternoon, I go get snacks. It's a bad habit I'm breaking.

Need2Exerc1se

Sitting a desk job all day certainly doesn't help with weight control. But since I had a desk job for over 20 years before I became overweight I don't think I could really blame the job. It still comes down to whether I choose to overeat or not.

lemurcat12

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Sitting a desk job all day certainly doesn't help with weight control. But since I had a desk job for over 20 years before I became overweight I don't think I could really blame the job. It still comes down to whether I choose to overeat or not.

Yep. There was a time when I blamed my job (at least to myself). Then I realized that plenty of people with my very same job weren't overweight, so it wasn't the job, it was my own choices. That was an empowering realization when I had it, obvious as it probably sounds now.

a_candler

For me, yes, I'm a cook at a school and I'm constantly taste testing to get things just right. All those samples add up.

Lynzdee18

It did. I was a teacher, high school, and my husband and I ran a mom and pop motel for 24 years while we were raising our family.

I was stressed, overworked. I overate. I didn't have time for me. Th days were too long and when I added time on a treadmill or stationary bike to the beginning of my day, I lost even more sleep.

Now that I've been retired for just over five years, I've got my energy and my life back. I can d vote myself to hobbies, eating well no exercising.

Thankfully I stayed healthy despite the pounds I had packed on my body. Being tall likely helped me. Now I feel like a 20 year old, despite being 60. In a year I lost over 60 pounds and have maintained that loss since the spring. There is hope. You can do this!

Nads36

Thanks everyone...its lovely to hear how you are tackling your healthy eating/weight loss whilst dealing with demands of your jobs. Keep up the fantastic work!

bbell1985

I use to poo poo people who said they gained weight due to their job....until I changed jobs. And gained weight because of my job. Really it's due to a lack of self-control. But being under crippling stress with free cookies in my face was/is horrible. I feel like I'm almost back to my starting weight.

hdonaldsonm

Yes, mostly because of the stress and frustration associated with it. When I'm in the field I walk a lot and it's great exercise but those days are far and few between now. Actively looking for a new job with normal hours that will allow me to join teams or go to fitness classes regularly and help me meet people in town.