Weight loss for office workers.

Sammi_x_

Hi all,
I started an office job two years ago. previously I was a picker/packer and goods in person. I was quiet active basically always on the move and lifting heavy stuff but since becoming an office worker 8 - 5 I am no longer active as much. In the 2 years I have put on 15kg.

I would like to know any tips or tricks that people know that can help?
I do move as much as I can and refuse any treats being brought in.

Thank you

Lietchi

Gaining 15kg in two years requires a surplus of around 160 calories a day.
This is quick and dirty math - 7700 calories above maintenance for 1kg gained: it's a bit more complicated actually (as you gain, your maintenance level increases) but it gives you a ballpark figure.

If 'moving as much as you can' and refusing treats isn't working:
- you'll have to get creative regarding increasing your activity level (exercise and/ or daily activity)
- and/or decrease your food intake further

It's simple really, but can be complicated to find a strategy for you and your personal situation.
If you eat a lot of takeaway, switching to home-cooked meals can reduce your intake.
If you eat at the office cantina, preparing your own lunches can help.
If you eat a lot of dairy, switching to low fat can help.
If you take the elevator, taking the stairs instead can help.
If you commute by car, parking further away from the entrance can help.
Etc etc.
So many options, big and little! But we don't know your current habits, so it's not easy to give concrete tips.

csplatt

Standing desk so you don’t get sore in the hips from all the sitting. Only eat what you pack yourself. If you are too tired to leave the house again once you get home, try some video exercises. I use a free app called FitOn. I also shred chicken in the crockpot when I know I will be working late. Cooking ahead of time then dividing it into individual tupperwares, already measured, is amazing.

vivmom2014

Packing a big salad for lunch will save on calories in, plus it's delicious, doesn't need to be heated, easy to transport. I agree with Lietchi that cutting back on restaurant foods is a great change to make. Plus, you can make your salads the night before work and pack the dressing on the side. If you're a meat eater, add some chicken nuggets or favorite meat to your salad... if you're vegetarian, load up your salad with nuts, seeds, shredded Parmesan cheese. (Point being: be sure to add some protein to your salad so that it's a meal with more substance.)

tomcustombuilder

You need to lower your weekly calorie intake to compensate for the reduced daily activity

Akeliak

Bring your own snacks, avoid the freebies/vending machine in the break room. Pack a lunch, plan what you’ll have if you do take out. Go for a walk on your break, drink lots of water. I too packed on a lot of weight working in an office after I quit teaching it destroyed my body. I was going out being more social with coworkers, which meant alcohol, bar food endless take
Out lunches free food in the break room etc, and me walking to and from the train wasn’t really exercise lol. I hope this helps

Sammi_x_

Akeliak wrote: »

Bring your own snacks, avoid the freebies/vending machine in the break room. Pack a lunch, plan what you’ll have if you do take out. Go for a walk on your break, drink lots of water. I too packed on a lot of weight working in an office after I quit teaching it destroyed my body. I was going out being more social with coworkers, which meant alcohol, bar food endless take
Out lunches free food in the break room etc, and me walking to and from the train wasn’t really exercise lol. I hope this helps

This is what I have started doing. Bringing in my own food now. Just healthy bits to nibble on throughout the day. Also on my lunches I have been going for walks!

Sammi_x_

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Packing a big salad for lunch will save on calories in, plus it's delicious, doesn't need to be heated, easy to transport. I agree with Lietchi that cutting back on restaurant foods is a great change to make. Plus, you can make your salads the night before work and pack the dressing on the side. If you're a meat eater, add some chicken nuggets or favorite meat to your salad... if you're vegetarian, load up your salad with nuts, seeds, shredded Parmesan cheese. (Point being: be sure to add some protein to your salad so that it's a meal with more substance.)

If you have any salad recipes I would love them! I struggle with making salads as i never know what to put in as I don't like peppers or onions!

Sammi_x_

Lietchi wrote: »

Gaining 15kg in two years requires a surplus of around 160 calories a day.
This is quick and dirty math - 7700 calories above maintenance for 1kg gained: it's a bit more complicated actually (as you gain, your maintenance level increases) but it gives you a ballpark figure.

If 'moving as much as you can' and refusing treats isn't working:
- you'll have to get creative regarding increasing your activity level (exercise and/ or daily activity)
- and/or decrease your food intake further

It's simple really, but can be complicated to find a strategy for you and your personal situation.
If you eat a lot of takeaway, switching to home-cooked meals can reduce your intake.
If you eat at the office cantina, preparing your own lunches can help.
If you eat a lot of dairy, switching to low fat can help.
If you take the elevator, taking the stairs instead can help.
If you commute by car, parking further away from the entrance can help.
Etc etc.
So many options, big and little! But we don't know your current habits, so it's not easy to give concrete tips.

I have started with little bits like going to the toilet in the furthest point to get more steps in and walking around to parts of the building the long way too! I think this is what it will have to be is more exercise due to sitting down all day and just snack little here and there to get to a level where I am burning more.

cmriverside

You don't need a recipe for a salad.

Raw vegetables that you like.

Some protein.

Dressing or no dressing as you prefer. If you do use a dressing, measure it out and only use the amount that will fit your daily calorie goal. Dressings with oil or cheese or creamy dressings are generally higher calorie. Use a food scale.

Sammi_x_

cmriverside wrote: »

You don't need a recipe for a salad.

Raw vegetables that you like.

Some protein.

Dressing or no dressing as you prefer. If you do use a dressing, measure it out and only use the amount that will fit your daily calorie goal. Dressings with oil or cheese or creamy dressings are generally higher calorie. Use a food scale.

I know Sounds silly asking doesnt it, Just when I look at it once made, it barely looks like anything !

kshama2001

Sammi_x_ wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

You don't need a recipe for a salad.

Raw vegetables that you like.

Some protein.

Dressing or no dressing as you prefer. If you do use a dressing, measure it out and only use the amount that will fit your daily calorie goal. Dressings with oil or cheese or creamy dressings are generally higher calorie. Use a food scale.

I know Sounds silly asking doesnt it, Just when I look at it once made, it barely looks like anything !

Do you mean it looks small, or it looks monochrome? If small, add more veggies and protein. If monochrome, I would normally say to use red, orange, or yellow peppers instead of green, but since you don't like peppers, what about carrot? I add cucumbers with the lettuce, so I have something more colorful on top. When I have chicken in my salad, I like apple too. Cosmic Crisp apples are great for not turning brown.

I add low or fat free cottage cheese to replace some oil or salad dressing and get a protein boost.

While I detest raw tomatoes, they are certainly a normal, and colorful, addition.

Allrecipes.com may help with inspiration. Check this out: https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/healthy-main-dish-salads/

Here is another salad collection, but it looks way more caloric: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/260/main-dish/salads/

vivmom2014

cookieandkate dot com and loveandlemons dot com both have wonderful salad recipes.

Interesting things to put into salads: chickpeas, frozen corn, all kinds of nuts, flaked tuna, chicken nuggets, dried cranberries, capers, Parmesan cheese, crunchy chow mein noodles, crispy Fresh Gourmet fried onions, crushed tortilla chips, black-eyed peas, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeno, citrus zest, bacon, shredded Brusssels sprouts (raw), Fritos, sliced black olives, apple chunks, jicama, black beans, sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds....

Basically the sky's the limit!

I love the Goddess dressing from Trader Joe's and was happy to find a knockoff at Lidl this week. I will often use a little of the Goddess and some Asian Toasted Sesame dressing from Safeway in combination.

cwolfman13

Before I took an office job I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and not remotely even think about what I was eating. At that time I didn't own a car and walked or biked everywhere and I worked in retail warehouse stocking and landscape construction.

Having an office job means I have to be much more mindful of what I'm eating and it is also pretty much essential that I engage in some kind of physical exercise daily. I brown bag my breakfast, lunch, and snacks pretty much everyday with exceptions only here or there. I also walk everyday on my lunch break which keeps me out of the office kitchen/breakroom. I also just do little things like always take the stairs (I work on the 3rd floor), get up and move a bit every hour (even if it's just to get some water or use the restroom), park further away, etc.

Besides my daily walks I typically cycle for 30-45 minutes on weekday mornings and I get to the gym usually 2x per week to lift. I'm pretty big on outdoor physical recreation, so I take full advantage of weekends to hike or MTB or kayak or whatever.

kshama2001

Tonight's entree salad:





Calories, carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, protein.

Corn was actually fresh, but I did not see a USDA database entry for that.

AnnPT77

Great looking salad!

Lately I've been making salads with broiled romaine lettuce, which I quite like. Grilled could work, but I don't have a grill.

As an ovo-lacto veg, dry-roasted soybeans and some calorie efficient cheese make a reasonable protein choice (cottage, lite Jarlsberg, Cabot 50% Light Cheddar, whatever). Or pickled hard boiled eggs in there - I've been getting them from a multi-option pickle guy at the farmers market, but a person can make their own easily. Black beans are good, too.

Other options, any combo of: Corn, cucumbers, hakurei turnips, jicama, tomatoes, any other conventional salad stuff.

It's on the web, but you cut the head of romaine into sections lengthwise (I usually do sixths or eighths, planning half a head as one serving). Put them on a sheet pan. Spray/mist lightly with olive oil or some other nice oil. Stick under broiler until just edges starting to brown. With mine on high, and the pan on the top shelf position in the oven, it seems to be 6-8 minutes, but watch closely because it goes from nice to disaster really fast. Flip the sections over, go a couple minutes or so more.

kshama2001 wrote: »

Tonight's entree salad:





Calories, carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, protein.

Corn was actually fresh, but I did not see a USDA database entry for that.

@kshama2001, "Corn, sweet, yellow, raw" looks like the USDA one (mix of volume, weight, count, etc. serving sizes in the drop-down). It's just that the default is 1 ounce rather than the usual 1 Cup, plus there aren't as many adjectives in there as a bureaucrat really prefers.

Sammi_x_

kshama2001 wrote: »

Tonight's entree salad:





Calories, carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, protein.

Corn was actually fresh, but I did not see a USDA database entry for that.

This is a gorgeous looking salad! Looks tasty. Thank you! I will have to give it a go

kshama2001

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Great looking salad!

Lately I've been making salads with broiled romaine lettuce, which I quite like. Grilled could work, but I don't have a grill.

As an ovo-lacto veg, dry-roasted soybeans and some calorie efficient cheese make a reasonable protein choice (cottage, lite Jarlsberg, Cabot 50% Light Cheddar, whatever). Or pickled hard boiled eggs in there - I've been getting them from a multi-option pickle guy at the farmers market, but a person can make their own easily. Black beans are good, too.

Other options, any combo of: Corn, cucumbers, hakurei turnips, jicama, tomatoes, any other conventional salad stuff.

It's on the web, but you cut the head of romaine into sections lengthwise (I usually do sixths or eighths, planning half a head as one serving). Put them on a sheet pan. Spray/mist lightly with olive oil or some other nice oil. Stick under broiler until just edges starting to brown. With mine on high, and the pan on the top shelf position in the oven, it seems to be 6-8 minutes, but watch closely because it goes from nice to disaster really fast. Flip the sections over, go a couple minutes or so more.

kshama2001 wrote: »

Tonight's entree salad:





Calories, carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, protein.

Corn was actually fresh, but I did not see a USDA database entry for that.

@kshama2001, "Corn, sweet, yellow, raw" looks like the USDA one (mix of volume, weight, count, etc. serving sizes in the drop-down). It's just that the default is 1 ounce rather than the usual 1 Cup, plus there aren't as many adjectives in there as a bureaucrat really prefers.

Thanks!

ddsb1111

I got home late and my husband had this waiting for me. Just added salt, pepper, and dressing.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, cucumber, banana peppers, orange peppers, olives, feta, I feel like I’m missing something else… oh lettuce of course 😊

teamholderhh1913

Hi! When I worked in an office on night shift, I would walk on my lunch break. I still did a regular workout .. but to get some extra steps in walked laps during break.

Sammi_x_

@teamholderhh Yeah thats what I focus on is the steps for extra even after a workout.

kshama2001

Sammi_x_ wrote: »

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Packing a big salad for lunch will save on calories in, plus it's delicious, doesn't need to be heated, easy to transport. I agree with Lietchi that cutting back on restaurant foods is a great change to make. Plus, you can make your salads the night before work and pack the dressing on the side. If you're a meat eater, add some chicken nuggets or favorite meat to your salad... if you're vegetarian, load up your salad with nuts, seeds, shredded Parmesan cheese. (Point being: be sure to add some protein to your salad so that it's a meal with more substance.)

If you have any salad recipes I would love them! I struggle with making salads as i never know what to put in as I don't like peppers or onions!

I thought of you after getting an email featuring Salad Framework from my current favorite youtube food guy, Ethan Chlebowski:


Make the vinaigrette: In a closed container, shake together the vinegar and oil (optionally add salt and other seasonings or emulsifiers, like honey or Dijon mustard)

Assemble the salad: Collect and/or cook/toast any components. Toss greens with your vinaigrette, then top with the other components.

Optionally add extra lean protein, like chicken or tofu, for a more filling serving.

https://newsletter.ethanchlebowski.com/posts/what-makes-a-salad-satisfying-try-this-framework

*********

His concern is balancing the flavor profile. For me, I want to also make sure I get enough protein, and since I'm an omnivore, always include chicken or tuna for my entrée salads.