Office workers

andyzee69

I'm an office worker and as such I spend a lot of day sitting. Hence, my metabolism is shot to pieces. Are there any other office workers out there who are having success with their weight loss and exercise who can offer me some tips? Is there anyway I can lose weigh while at work?

Morganbennett1

I work in a cube farm. It can be daunting because people bring in unhealthy food to share with everyone, there is a lot of sitting around, and everyone has a candy dish. I have been fairly successful by watching my calorie intake during the day, taking walking breaks, walking on my lunch, standing at my desk, and working out after work. I also know some people who have invested in those under desk cycles.

Keep at it, and move whenever possible!

taco_inspector

TeacupsAndToning wrote: »

...
Just make sure you're eating at a reasonable deficit and you'll lose weight.

This stuff -- While exercise is good for your body, and increases the amount of calories that you can eat each day, exercise itself is not necessary for weight loss.

You can lose weight by eating appropriately for your activity levels. To lose weight, you need only consume fewer calories than your body is using each day.

A happy compromise may be to look at eating appropriately for your current activity levels (with the typical 200 -500 calorie per day deficit for weight reduction), and then look at activities that you can incorporate into your weekends, evenings, or even around the office as you progress.

FWIW, I dropped about 15% of my starting weight without exercise or increased activity... Feel free to reach out to me if you think I can help in any way.

quiksylver296

TeacupsAndToning wrote: »

I don't think that your metabolism is shot to pieces.

I sit on my butt most days at work but I pay attention to how many calories I'm taking in and I exercise about five times a week.

Just make sure you're eating at a reasonable deficit and you'll lose weight.

All of this^^

I also take walks on my morning, lunch and afternoon break - 60 minutes of walking total.

TavistockToad

andyzee69 wrote: »

I'm an office worker and as such I spend a lot of day sitting. Hence, my metabolism is shot to pieces. Are there any other office workers out there who are having success with their weight loss and exercise who can offer me some tips? Is there anyway I can lose weigh while at work?

Why do you think working in an office has affected your metabolism?

Out_of_Bubblegum

I work in an office.. and it definitely helped me pack on a few lbs, because I kept eating the same amount as when I had a more active lifestyle.

The formula for weight loss is still the same, regardless of occupation though. Eat less than you burn in a day consistently, and you will lose weight over time... I highly suggest increasing your activity levels outside of work for health reasons though, and it makes it easier (at least for me) to stay in a deficit, so therefore easier to lose weight.

Sunna_W

I stopped eating the Standard American Diet and I went zero sugar / low carb and high protein / high fat.

I looked at this as not a "diet" per se with a beginning and an ending, but more of an incremental lifestyle change. That way, it's a journey and I can't fail unless I get off the road and park my butt someplace and don't move.

(Picture one of those cute camping trailers with a beach umbrella, a lawn chair, a cocktail table with a margarita on it, and a cutesy lawn ornament flamingo. If I am going to go off the trail, I am going to do it in style.)

For me, deprivation doesn't work.

So, my goal for this lifestyle change (eating plan) was to pick an eating plan that offered me the best results without the pain of deprivation.

One of the things I did was to consciously make the switch from how I was eating to a new way of eating. Because while I know that it's Calories In / Calories Out (CICO), I don't like being hungry / starving because it makes me cranky and I then obsess about all of the food out there that I am now not allowing myself to have.
I knew going in that based on CICO, that I burn calories just by being alive.

• If I eat as many as I burn I would be in stasis (and not lose).
• If I eat more than I burn I will gain weight.
• If I eat less than I burn I will lose weight except if I am in an extreme calorie deficit. Then my body goes into preservation mode and my metabolism might slow down and hold onto what I have b/c it thinks I am starving.
• I knew from my own past experience that carbs and sugar are the devil. If I eat one sweet thing, then, I can't stop.
• I know that if I eat simple carbs (like bagels / white potatoes) my heart will race. If I eat complex carbs (like canned white beans) then I feel okay, but I don't really lose weight. I have restricted sugar and carbs before and knew that by restricting them, I am not craving them and I feel better.

The eating plan that does this for me is Paleo / Keto (low, low sugar/carbs and high protein/fat/fiber); my ratios are: (45% protein, 40% fat and 15% carbs/sugar). Note: I still weigh / log everything!

See this website for a list of paleo websites:
http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

I started by making incremental changes last November (one meal at a time), with the end goal being that I would hover around 1400 calories because as an older woman my skin doesn't bounce back as it did when I was younger. By losing the weight slowly, I have minimized the sagging skin.

It took several months of tweaking before I finally found my "sweet spot" in terms of balance between carbs and protein and (since November I have lost about 40 pounds and 4 inches off my waist line).

And... I am only complaint calorie wise about 75% - 80% of the time. I have some health issues and can't really exercise. Despite this and being tied to a desk all day, I have lost and continue to lose weight.

For me, eating low carb and low sugar all of the time some amazing things happened:

• I don't crave sugar (I have an entire box of Charms Wild Berry Blow Pops in my file drawer that I haven't touched since November because I don't crave sugar; I once measured my stress level by how many of them I consumed in one day);
• My moods are more even and I don't have blood sugar spikes and crashes;
• By consuming more healthy fats my joints don't hurt as much and I am more or less satiated on 1400 calories.

I just tell my office mates that sugar / carbs give me heart palpitations (true) and I don't eat them for that reason.

I used Paleo Leap and Paleo Tribe for the recipe ideas (they have some great low calorie recipe options) but this isn't necessary. I do think preparing and eating food that I make as opposed to boxes or eating out has helped me a lot. Boxes say they are low carb (but they have lots of other additives in them to make them taste good.)

I also take 100 mgs 7-keto DHEA (fat burner -- not the same as DHEA -- does not affect sex hormones and is safer) and desiccated adrenal (80 mgs -- I started and maintain a very low dose). I have more energy / clarity and they have helped my allergies and my hormones. When I don't take it I really don't feel all of that different, in that if I skip my coffee I know I am in trouble, but with these, I seem okay.

If you are on heart medication / insulin - check with your doctor.

See this website: https://www.yourhormones.com/signs-symptoms/

Most people suffer from advanced adrenal fatigue and adaptogenic herbs don't work. To rebuild your adrenals desiccated adrenal extracts are very helpful. (I was on prednisone, but was able to stop taking it.)

See these websites:
https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-fatigue/

IMO in the beginning, you shouldn't "train hard" (or at all) just balance gentle cardio (like brisk walking) with strength training.

This can be as easy as using the shopping cart and walking around the whole grocery story with a list at a brisk pace and taking laundry up and down the stairs. You "exercise" more than you think you do. Get a FitBit Alta HR to track your resting heart rate and how much you are sleeping / moving. You may even be surprised. Also - do you snore? Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea and may mean that your breathing is obstructed. If your breathing is obstructed, you are not getting as much restorative sleep as you think you are. The FitBit Alta HR also gives you quite the eye opening analysis of your sleep cycle and how many times you wake up during the night. It will tell you what the average is and how you compare.

With keto you burn stored fat because that's what you burn for energy.) Look at reducing unnecessary drama that makes you crazy.

Also, explore the term "estrogen dominance". Body fat makes you hold on to excess estrogen.
See these websites:
http://agelessandwellness.com/services-for-men/guide-to-mens-hormone-health/
http://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/8-surprising-high-estrogen-symptoms-in-men/

I got rid of all of the chemicals in my home. Everything is fragrance / dye free or natural cleaners. Frebreeze and similar products are endocrine disruptors and can actually make it difficult for people to lose weight. I also gave up scented lotions and perfume.

Discuss which things might work for you with your doctor. (You may have to look for a Osteopath or Nutripath)

CMNVA

I am an office worker (and commuter) and don't have a lot of time for exercise. I was able to drop weight when I cut my calories back and I didn't exercise at all. A few weeks later I started incorporating 30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week and that helped more. The key is that if you are a very sedentary office worker, you probably need to be eating much less than you think. You can cut back and still lose weight. Don't let the lack of movement make you think you can't.

cwolfman13

I'm an office worker with a 2 hour round trip commute on 3 of my 5 days. Working in an office doesn't mean your metabolism is shot...it just means you expend less energy than someone who is more active...and frankly, it's way easier to overeat when you're more or less sedentary as the difference can be hundreds of calories.

When I started, I focused first and foremost on my diet...set it to sedentary with a goal of 1 Lb per week. I also just tried to move a little more...take my dog for a daily walk, forgo the "rock star" parking at work and other venues, etc.

Ultimately, I felt that my calorie targets as a sedentary person were rather paltry so eventually took up regular and deliberate exercise starting with a C25K program...then a couple of months later I added lifting weights into the mix and pretty soon I was exercising about 5-6 days per week.

I lost 40 Lbs over the course of about 9 months and have maintained that for over 4 years now. My eating habits are different (better) than they used to be and I exercise regularly.

mca90guitar

I work out 6 days a week for an HR or more each and eat within my suggested amount. I'm losing even though I'm on my but 8-9 hrs at work Monday-fri

DamieBird

I went from an active job to an office job about 5 years ago, and gained weight, lost some, gained more, and am just now losing past my most recent "low". It's definitely a change, but sitting at the desk all day doesn't mean that you have you sit ALL DAY. I make it a point to park farther away, so that I take an extra 5 minutes to walk to the office. Between going in, leaving and returning for lunch, and leaving for the day, that's an extra 20 minutes of walking right there. If I have a meeting in a nearby building (not uncommon) I walk, if the weather lets me. I do go straight to the gym after work 4 days a week, but once I get home, I'm often walking a lot there, too. I do laps around the dog park with my dogs, and I recently noticed that the only meal I sit down for is dinner (I stand at the others). If it's been a super sitting day, get up and take a short walk down the hall or around the building.

I keep a drawer with protein bars, and nuts (and an emergency Snickers bar), but I also bring my own healthy snacks to work so that I'm not tempted by other options. As far as dietary changes, all I've done is "eat less". I don't prescribe to any particular macro balance or diet philosophy - protein and fat keep me full for longer, but I also have relatively high carbs (ballpark 250g most days, some closer to 300). I've been losing 1.5/wk for several months now at 1850, but dropped to 1750 this week, as I'm about to cross into the "overweight" instead of "obese" category and have less body mass to fuel.

Working in an office or other sedentary job doesn't have to mean that you can't lose weight!

mrssie1223

Hi andyzee69! I too sit on my butt 98% of the day. I lost 86 lbs in 7 months sticking to a 1200 calorie diet. I have hip issues, so I did not exercise during those entire 7 months. Of course, I stalled for a while, gaining and losing the same 15 lbs over and over. Very frustrating. I was watching YouTube, when I stumbled on some channels explaining the benefits of the Keto diet. These are real people, not commercial advertisements. I started the Keto diet on 6/2/2017. As of 6/7/2017, I have lost 12.4 lbs! I highly recommend you check out these channels for some inspiration and motivation. It's working great for me! Butter Bob Briggs, Goody Beats, and Keto Connect are great. They offer advice on how to get started, what to eat, and some great Keto recipes. Good luck to you! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it! Michelle

court_alacarte

i have had a desk job since i graduated from college 7 years ago and know full-well it's an immediate gain of at least 10 lbs (and counting, hopefully not though...). however, in the past, i have lost weight steadily without exercise by simply counting calories.

i will admit that i am lazy when it comes to regimented fitness/exercising--especially if i am on my own--so i try to find any route i can to have that little bit of extra expenditure without feeling like it's work: taking the stairs up and down in the parking garage instead of the elevator, taking walks after work in a nearby park, taking walks during lunch, parking 40 years away from any building entrance, etc.

it's possible.