Desk Job Putting on the Pounds

jenspadafora

Hi everyone!
I never had an issue with my weight and didn't have to watch what I ate until I graduated college and got a desk job. People warned me it would lead to weight gain and other issues, but I didn't pay any attention. Fast forward 2 and a half years and now I've noticed some clothes don't fit and my weight has slowly creeped up 15 lbs. I believe it's mostly due to my desk job, but also could just be that I'm getting older (currently 25) and can't eat junk anymore. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

quiksylver296

Eat fewer calories than your body uses. Weight loss is about calorie deficit, not what job you have.

RunForPizza88

Oh dear...
I'm 30 so I suppose you think I'm ancient?

I have a full time desk job and eat plenty of junk too. Hasn't stopped me loosing 14lbs over the last 5 months though.

A desk job is no excuse. Start building in more activity to your day...walk to and from work, walk on your lunch break and then eat your food at your desk, take the stairs, use toilet or kitchen furthest away from your desk.

I built up from a pitiful 6k steps to now doing 12-14k steps per day. Now I am considered 'active' by mfp even though I sit for large amounts of time so I can eat lots and still loose weight!

If you've gained weight, your simply eating too much. Being 25 definitely has nothing to do with it, there is no considerable drop in BMR from age 20 to age 25.

You don't need to be sedentary just because you work in an office.

Good luck

amgreenwell

Eat fewer calories than you burn. Also, if you can get up and take a mile long walk a couple times a day you'll burn some extra calories. Be sure to log everything you eat. I log in the morning so I know exactly how much wiggle room I have and if I need to walk more during the day.
Age actually has nothing to do with it. Yes, your body does change as you get older but I'm 42 and in the best shape of my life and I just had two kids in the past two years.
Just move more and eat less, it's that simple.

cathipa

If 25 is older then I'm a dinosaur (I'm 41 and in the best health of my life)

Weight loss comes from calorie deficits. Let MFP choose a reasonable deficit for you (0.5-1 pound a week is good for most). If you are not exercising then choose sedentary. Activity will increase your NEAT and help with weight loss as well as being beneficial for cardio and musculosketelal health.

Get a food scale. Weigh your food. Log everything you consume using correct entries. Have patience.

pinuplove

You just have to counteract the sedentary job with more activity outside work, fewer calories in, or some combination of both. The last is what most of us here seem to land on.

Oh, and I'm 39 and in better shape and weigh less than when I was 25

tinkerbellang83

Tips: eat a little less, move a little more.

Sitting at your desk doesn't directly make you gain weight, eating the same amount of food as when you were more active is what does it.

Try getting up from your desk more often, avoid mindlessly eating at your desk, plan snacks and meals ahead.

BruinsGal_91

pinuplove wrote: »

You just have to counteract the sedentary job with more activity outside work, fewer calories in, or some combination of both. The last is what most of us here seem to land on.

Oh, and I'm 39 and in better shape and weigh less than when I was 25

Ditto. Except I'm in my 50s and I've had a desk job for the past 35 years. Nothing to do with your age and everything to do with eating more than you burn.

I park my car on the top floor of the parking garage and walk up and down the stairs rather than use the elevator. I get up every hour and do a circuit of the office building, walking up and down the three floors. And at lunchtime I got for a walk outside. Doing this can get me to 10,000 steps each day.

FireOpalCO

Yes, you probably move less than when you were in school. However the average office is full of tempting goodies and vending machines with poor selection. Add in coffee runs and lunches out and you will quickly gain weight.

If you're going out for lunch, look up the menu items nutrition information and make your selection in advance. Keep healthy snacks in your desk and pack a lunch. If your building is multi-story use the bathroom on a different floor and take the stairs. Park in the back of the parking lot. Don't email and call people, walk to their desk when possible.

kshama2001

My mom is 80 and struggles to stay above Underweight due to her high activity level

You'll have to figure out how to increase activity outside of work and/or eat less.

I made a point of developing the habit of exercising at lunch time, moving around during the day, and being active outside work hours as well. Less Netflix from bed; more Netflix while working out.

SoozeE512

I put on 25 lbs in my last year of college despite being active, and then I put on another 25 lbs in my 1st year at a desk job when I was very inactive. Regardless of my activity level, the trouble was that I was over-eating.

It's all in the choices you make. If you're gaining weight, you're eating more calories than you burn in a day. Consume fewer calories (eat less) and/or burn more calories (move more) and you can lose the weight.

hesn92

You just need to be more mindful of getting more activity into your days and/or how much you eat.

LaurenMT96

I have been at a desk job for the past 4 and a half years, but also lost 80lbs since February 2018. It is possible, it matters what you do outside of office hours

robthephotog

I think a deskjob is honestly ideal for weight loss. Weight Loss happens in the kitchen, not at the gym. Just monitor your diet and those extra pounds will fall off with a proper caloric deficit.

AnnPT77

Keep in mind that your job is (probably) only around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you sleep 8 hours, you're still alive and burning calories for 8 other hours every day, plus 32 on the weekends. What we do during our routine days - not just formal exercise, but non-exercise hobbies, home chores, errands, family time, etc. - all makes a difference in calorie burn. Try to think of some ways to add more movement to your days. There are some ideas for that here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss

Among things we can control or materially influence, the single biggest determiner of bodyweight, for most people, is what we eat. Second is daily life (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, a.k.a. NEAT), which is often not even thought about, let alone exploited. Intentional exercise, for most people, comes in 3rd.

I'm another vote that your "advanced" age has zip, zero, nada to do with it: I agree with all the younger kids here telling you that (P.S., I'll be 63 in a couple of weeks. ).

cwolfman13

jenspadafora wrote: »

Hi everyone!
I never had an issue with my weight and didn't have to watch what I ate until I graduated college and got a desk job. People warned me it would lead to weight gain and other issues, but I didn't pay any attention. Fast forward 2 and a half years and now I've noticed some clothes don't fit and my weight has slowly creeped up 15 lbs. I believe it's mostly due to my desk job, but also could just be that I'm getting older (currently 25) and can't eat junk anymore. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Nothing to do with age...you were more active as a student and more sedentary with a desk job. This is how I put on 40-50 Lbs over 8 years. I went from walking all over campus and riding my bike and walking most everywhere because I rarely had a vehicle to sitting behind a desk 10-12 hours per day.

I lost my 40 Lbs like 5 years ago...diet is the big part, but trying to get more movement in is also a good thing. I park further away from my office building...I take the stairs...I try to get up every hour and walk a little (basically the scenic route to the bathroom or water cooler)...when I'm running errands or shopping, etc I will forgo the "rock star" parking and park further away. Beyond that, I make time most days for deliberate exercise...weight room 2-3 days per week and on my bike 4-5 days per week.

cheryldumais

I have a desk job as well so I have to build extra activity into my day wherever I can. If you get a coffee break walk somewhere. I live in Canada and it snows alot in winter so I walk in the +15's (kind of a covered over road walkway system between buildings). I go every morning for a short walk then I walk at lunch time. I walk the long way around to the washroom throughout the day and since I drink so much water I walk there often, lol. It's amazing what a difference this makes. On top of that try to avoid the lunchroom snacks everyone puts out if that's a problem for you. It's true that the main part of weight loss is what you eat (or don't eat) but a little extra activity can certainly help curb your appetite and settle your nerves. Good luck.

RealWorldStrengthLLC

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Eat fewer calories than your body uses. Weight loss is about calorie deficit, not what job you have.

@quicksylver296 How in the *kitten* are you getting "wooed" for this?

What she said is completely accurate. If you have an active job, it affects your average TDEE...an "active" job would be a construction laborer. A "moderately active" job would be a mechanic or a mailman, something where you're moving a lot but not usually breaking a sweat or getting your heart rate up a ton. "Lightly active" would be a teacher or something where you are just on your feet a lot. a desk job is "sedentary"...someone with a sedentary job is going to burn the least at TDEE, therefore they need to consume the least.

The fact that you are "getting older" has little to do with it. Metabolic slowdown due to age doesn't hit in your 20s.

HoneyBadger302

Pretty much what has been said. I didn't really get a desk job until I was in my 30's, and prior to that, never really had to worry about my weight - putting on a few pounds? Cut back on the fast food and soda for a few weeks.

Then, the desk jobs started, but I had never learned to adjust my eating, and my appetite did not adjust on it's own. The pounds crept up, and I got fatter and fatter. Went up a full size in clothes, and when those pants finally didn't fit (at all), I knew something had to change.

It really does boil down to eating less and moving more. Invest in a food scale, measure and weigh everything you eat. Avoid eating out (lots of hidden calories, and nutrition information is nothing more than a best guess most of the time). Figure out what you are eating for starters, then work on eating in a deficit (to lose) and understand what maintenance means for you now.

Adding activity to your day is a good thing too! There's a recent thread about how to add activity to a desk job - probably worth reading through it, there were some good ideas shared.

RoyBeck

For years I blamed my desk job on my weight gain. Then I took responsibility for my actions and lost it all whilst still working in the same office. You can do it too.

riffraff2112

It is tough to adjust caloric intake when your calorie expenditure decreases due to work, but it definitely needs to be addressed. You either need to find time to replace the free exercise you use to get naturally with something or you need to eat less. I realize there is nothing earth shattering in hearing this, but millions of people work desk jobs and not all of them gain weight!

I gained weight (a lot of it) when I worked construction and was lifting, walking, and shoveling all day long. I needed to address my caloric intake before I saw any changes. The job itself didn't make a difference. I found my appetite increased because I was so active

Tankiscool

Its not because you are getting older and it's not because of your job. I'm sorry if I am a bit harsh but you are the issue. We all put the blame on something else but the reality of the situation is you are just less active because of your job. The job didn't make you gain the weight, eating extra calories did. You need to find a balance. 2 rules in weight loss. Move more and eat less.

kgeyser

It is more likely to be the desk job than your age. The change in activity level would definitely be a factor, and depending on your office, it can also mean treats everywhere that are easy to grab when you are stressed and lots of office parties. The weight creeps up.

If your eating habits haven't significantly changed, then you may not need to restrict your calorie intake as much as just getting your activity level to increase. If you can get a workout in each day, that's great, but just getting up to move around more can help, like getting up to just walk around the office at designated times, parking farther from the door, taking the stairs. I think those under desk cycles are pretty cool if you are allowed to have one. If it is the food as well, then adding in calorie counting will help.

Packerjohn

jenspadafora wrote: »

Hi everyone!
I never had an issue with my weight and didn't have to watch what I ate until I graduated college and got a desk job. People warned me it would lead to weight gain and other issues, but I didn't pay any attention. Fast forward 2 and a half years and now I've noticed some clothes don't fit and my weight has slowly creeped up 15 lbs. I believe it's mostly due to my desk job, but also could just be that I'm getting older (currently 25) and can't eat junk anymore. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

You are playing the victim. YOU are over eating for your activity level, and age, especially at 25, has minimal impact on calorie burn. The "desk job" isn't putting on the pounds

Quit being a victim and you will take care of the extra pounds.

Best of luck.