Work From Homers Unite

chrissearls82

I started on MFP about 5 years ago when I lived in NYC; had fairly great success there (went from 248 down to 202) because I was able to just walk places whenever I wanted.

I moved to rural OH 3 years ago and started working from home... the weight has slowly been re-added since (back up to 230).

I work 12+ hour days (avg 60 hours a week) and after I'm off work I just feel like collapsing into a tired glob on the couch or bed.

Does anyone else struggle with similar things? What do YOU do?

Feel free to Inbox me (since these messages sometimes get lost in notifications)

lorrpb

I’ve worked from home for 25 years. Not sure what we need to “unite” against, these types of thread titles always puzzle me, showing I’m probably too old fashioned or something

I have both gained and lost (150) weight while working at home.

I find that I need to be very conscious and deliberate about exercise, or it’s easy to just sit at my computer all day and work. We don’t have time eaters like commute time, water cooler chats, breaks, meetings, etc. that people working elsewhere often have. So I don’t feel bad about taking time for a couple of walks, workout, etc. It makes up some of the activity you don’t naturally get, like walking from your car to the office, etc.

rainbow198

I don't have any struggles now, but when I was overweight I used to snack a lot all day and drink a lot of high calorie drinks while working from home. It was very easy to do when my home office is so close to the kitchen!

What worked for me is cutting both out. Now I only eat during meal times, I no longer snack or keep triggering treats in my house and I mostly drink water and unsweetened tea.

Cutting out snacks and caloric drinks saves me so many calories and my meals keeps me full until my next meal.

I find ways to sneak in activity during the day. If I'm on a call sometimes I will pace or use my mini-stair stepper. I take my puppy out on brief walks. I will get in a short non-sweaty 10 - 15 minute workout. That little activity really adds up.

This did not happen overnight. I took me some time to make these adjustments, but I'm so glad that I did!

mstarks01

I work from home and have had the opposite experience, but it's new for me so maybe that will change with time.

I find that I can now control my diet and eating much better since there isn't a vending machine or cafeteria nearby. Meal planning is easier and I can eat at scheduled intervals.

It's interesting how we all have different experiences.

@chrissearls82 perhaps it's due to the stress of 60 hour work weeks?

lauragreenbaum

I've worked from home for over 15 years and love it. I also have my own business so have total freedom. I think I move much more working from home. I walk with my dog a lot and try to get in at least 10,000 steps, but usually it's more around 8000. I also go to Pilates class every day. Working from home gives flexibility in my schedule to exercise more. And...I actually eat better. Back when I worked in the city for a company, I sat at a desk most of the day, only leaving my office at lunch. That meant going to a restuarant or sandwich shop. I always ate more that way. Now I have a Trader Joe salad or cook up a bowl of soup. Works for me!

amusedmonkey

I've worked from home for over 15 years too. Was fat then, and I'm less fat now. Having free access to the kitchen can sue be challenge, so are long work hours when I have them (when I'm working on an urgent project it can be as bad as 20 hour days).

I have mostly managed to control my food by creating routines and my own food rules (if I want something I tend to overeat, I have to make the trip to the shop and buy a single serving, for example). I still don't know how to stop myself from going IDGAF when I take those overtime jobs, but it's fine. Occasionally being off plan is not horrible as long as I'm consistent all other times.

ETA:Plus side, I get to take a vacation whenever I want. This is my current view as I'm typing this

Lunnunis

I've been working from home for a bit over two years now. I definitely moved about more during the working day when I was working in a busy office as a hospital secretary (my work is all screen-based now). Interesting to see the comments above about finding it easier or harder to lose weight when at home. My husband found it easier to lose weight when working from home and was not tempted to eat more. Now he is fully retired and doing pretty well with his weight although he is not using MFP at the moment. He does try to get a walk in each day.

I commuted to work by public transport which involved some walking between bus and train etc, plus the hospital site was quite big and a walk across site and back could sometimes add 5000 steps to my day.

I try to drink plenty of fluids at home and not eat too much. My weight has gone up about 9 lbs in the last two years to 192 lb, and I am on my third or fourth attempt to get back on track since the New Year.
Of course I'd like to get back below 168 lb where I was (briefly) about five years ago.

We've also moved and the gym is not really very handy here; plus as retirees we don't want to pay the fees, not to mention we feel even more busy than before, making changes to the new place and spending a day a week minding a grandchild.

melodyvegan

I've worked from home for two years. I find that it has helped immensely to change my habits and lifestyle. I'm not a morning person so when I was working outside of the home, I would wake up in the morning with just enough time to get ready and leave. I'd try to take short walks at lunch, but I live in a city where it rains often so that wasn't always possible in my work clothes; I always had stuff to keep me busy too. By the time I got home, I'd be exhausted from a stressful day, from being around people all day and workplace dynamics that just grate on you, and from the long commute. So I'd eat all my feelings and lay around for the night watching TV.

Now that I work from home, my mornings are much more leisurely. I make coffee and go for a walk in the neighborhood. Without the commute, I have so much more control about what I eat...I have time to make a healthy dinner the night before and have leftovers for lunch or I set the instant pot up early in the day so I have lunch or dinner ready when I need it. I take short walks throught the day or if I have a call for an hour, I go outside and walk. Even if it's drizzling out, it's manageable. On really bad weather days, I take time away from my desk to do short workout videos or I make a plan to work until a certain time and go walk at a mall or indoor track.

The first year I started working from home was stressful and I would eat whenever I was stressed, but when I made the decision to start losing weight, I changed what I had on hand at home to snack on and started weighing everything and planning meals and snacks in advance. It's definitely a learning curve. I've really appreciated the extra time it gives me to do what I need to do to take care of myself and that has actually made me more productive and efficient at work without feeling like if I didn't look busy all the time or wasn't chained to my desk, I'd be judged for "not working." Most days I get in 9-12K steps. On really busy days, that could easily be 5-6K. When I worked in an office, I was lucky if I got 4K for the whole day regardless of how busy I was.

elisa123gal

I find owning my own business and many days working from home is a key reason why I was able to stick to a healthy eating plan. I'm able to control my entire environment and schedule and it makes keeping the weight off easier for me.

When MFP members write about the workplace; those donuts and treats brought into the break room most days..and the co-worker pressure to eat and those unwanted comments too? I applaud them for navigating those waters while losing weight.
so, if you work from home.. make that work for you...pitch any junk food..and stock the fridge with all the good healthy stuff.. you are free to chop, mix.. stir fry and make anything you want for snacks and lunch. You can also weigh yourself anytime.. look in the mirror to see your profile... try on tight clothes and see how you're doing. It is a good situation.