I work in an Office, and losing weight is so hard!

RoseGoldDinosaur

I take a good, hard look at the people who have worked in this office for years and have no problem passing up the free donuts and pizza!

Do you want convince food or do you want a hot *kitten*? It's all a compromise and swim suit season is coming!

There are no excuses not to work out. Take the bus to the gym. Buy a used treadmill off craigslist and start running in your basement. Do those info graphic workouts that are all over Pinterest on your bedroom floor. 30 minutes every day. No excuses. Can't find time? 5am is available!

Bring healthy lunches and snacks, track what you eat and stay within calories, workout 30 mins minimum, keep a big water bottle with you and filled at all times, and skip the connivence. Free connivence food is why your co-workers look like the round people in floaty chairs from the movie Wall•e. And get out of your chair whenever possible! Talk to a co-worker rather than send an email, do lunges in the hallway when you go to the bathroom, stretch while you're filling your water bottle in the kitchen. Good luck and it is do-able!

1princesswarrior

Here are some things I do in addition to what's already been suggested.

I have a food scale at work so if I buy food at the cafeteria I can weigh it. It really helps with tracking. Also, I drink a lot of water and use the bathroom that is the furthest away from my desk, and I walk briskly to the bathroom. I do squats and wall push-ups in the bathroom, people think I'm silly but I don't care and they get to play with my service dog. Also, if your job is computer centric you are supposed to take a 10 minute break every hour to prevent eye strain. So for that 10 minutes I do chair crunches or get up and walk around the building. The way I look at it is smokers get a break every hour so I should to, at least I'm doing something healthy. In the winter I walk the hallways instead of around outside. And my dog needs to go outside twice a day, that's not an excuse to get a service dog. I certainly to do not support getting a service animal unless absolutely necessary.

Actually my productivity has increased since I've put my health first and started taking breaks because the time that I'm at my desk working I am working and focused.

Good luck.

jstout365

It isn't hard, you just need to exercise some control over your eating habits. It can be mentally difficult to make the transition from being extremely active to sedentary because you REALLY can't eat all the foodz anymore. This is where tracking your food intake can really come in handy. You can start to see where you need to make the changes.

I sit at a desk all day as well. I do make time for the gym, but I don't find the desk job a hindrance to my weight loss. I hinder my weight loss by not being diligent about watching my intake. You can add more activity to your day by implementing many of the good suggestions that have already been said.

As for the diet, that is the biggest cause of why you have gone up in weight. It will be the reason you lose the weight as well. You don't have to rely on the cafeteria for lunch. Pack your own food that you like and can easily keep track of. Keep to what you bring that fits your goals. Exercise will power and patience and commit to keeping a reasonable calorie intake based on your new lifestyle.

Nerdycurls

Sorry OP. I work in an office too, I walk ten steps to my car, twenty steps to my desk at work and sit for 8.5 hours. Stop making excuses, cut your calories, stop eating rubbish and stop making excuses.

Wow, what words of encouragement! Because ya'll already knew how to do everything right from the geto-go, too!

JustJennie13

I work in an office 9 hours a day. I also go to school full time for 4 hours 4 nights a week. I pack my own lunches and snacks. I get up at 4:30am to go to the gym and then go home to get my 3 kids ready for school and myself ready for work. I am exhausted 85% of the time. There are mornings where I struggle to roll out of bed!!! If I miss the morning work out I run when I get home. I had to decide that I am important. My health and fitness are a priority to ME. As already recommended, pack your own lunches and snacks. Make yourself a priority and find the time to fit it in.

Polarpaly05

Sorry OP. I work in an office too, I walk ten steps to my car, twenty steps to my desk at work and sit for 8.5 hours. Stop making excuses, cut your calories, stop eating rubbish and stop making excuses.

While this is tough love, it's true.

And while all the previous posts on how to add exercise to your work day are great, they all pale in comparison to fixing your diet.

Walking around the office for 5-10 minutes: a generous MAYBE of 60 calories burned.

Eliminating the muffin snack: 300-350 calories saved.

Do not try to bite off more than you can chew and do not assume that the exercise suggestions posted will allow you continue your current food intake. Your weight loss is generally 80% based on your diet. Fix your diet and get it under control. Get that portion of your life stable and make it routine. Then add exercise as an added supplement.

fast_eddie_72

Food:

Planning is everything. If there are vending machines at work, maybe make them off limits. There might be some choices that could fit into a healthy diet once you get good habits established, but at first, I'd stay away. Bring some fruit, nuts, and healthy meal pre-measured so you can track calories accurately.

Get a water bottle and keep it full. Drink water all the time. I have a big bottle that works out to just a tic under 4 8 oz. glasses of water. I try to drink it twice while I'm at work.

Have a couple of "treats". I keep Hershey's Special Dark snack size chocolate in my office. It's got good stuff for you and one of the little bars is only 51 calories. But it feels like a treat.

Exercise:

I assume you're taking public transit to work since you don't drive (you kids today!) Get off a stop early and walk the rest of the way. Same on the way home.

If you're not on the first floor of your building, take the stairs. Or if you're on the 20th floor, take the elevator to 15 and walk the rest.

Look for opportunities to get out of your desk. The water bottle will help here. You'll get a few steps in just making 8 trips to the bathroom. If you get a brake, find a place to walk a bit, or go back to those stairs. There's a conference room here that's rarely used and I do laps around the table. You'd be surprised how much you can get done in 10 minutes.

In short, it's not a big thing, it's a bunch of little things and they really do add up.

Stick with it! You got this.

SHHitsKaty

I also work a 9-5 desk job in an office where every day in the kitchen there is: cookies, cupcakes, candy, ice cream, etc. I have just learned to either enjoy a snack that is brought in occasionally or not at all, stick to what I packed, which is normally fruit, nuts, Greek yogurt, tuna, granola bars instead of a cupcake.

I also go to school full time as well as working full time, I make time for the gym at least 6 days a week, mostly after work. It's not about having time, it's about making time and making the right choices.

I lost 20 lbs by simply paying more attention to what I was putting in my body and working my behind off in the gym.

Therealobi1

Sorry OP. I work in an office too, I walk ten steps to my car, twenty steps to my desk at work and sit for 8.5 hours. Stop making excuses, cut your calories, stop eating rubbish and stop making excuses.

Wow, what words of encouragement! Because ya'll already knew how to do everything right from the geto-go, too!

lol. well put.

ImpishVanity

I have a FitBit to track my steps.
I bring healthy snacks, so I don't waste money in the lunch room.
I exercise after work, so I look forward to that.
I drink a lot of water, so I'm always walking to the bathroom.
I stand as much as possible.
For me, I typically don't eat "lunch." I walk for my lunch. I have 2-3 snacks per day at my desk.

I do most of this, except I bring my own lunch too, to avoid high-calorie choices at our cafeteria (mm pizza and chicken tenders and curly fries.... ). I love my fitbit. It helps a lot.

Basically bring things to snack on that are ok - and plan ahead so they budget in your daily calories. That way when you eat the whole bag you brought, you can still feel ok about it because it's part of the plan. I try to just drink water instead of snack, but to each his own.

Therealobi1

I remember the temptations at work so I think bringing in packed lunch is a good idea and then maybe on a friday treat yourself. SOme one else above also had the great idea of limiting how much money you bring into the office each day.

Fitnessblender.com and hasfit.com have great exercises so you can get something in before or after work which ever suits.

Good Luck you can do it.

Nerdycurls

Sorry OP. I work in an office too, I walk ten steps to my car, twenty steps to my desk at work and sit for 8.5 hours. Stop making excuses, cut your calories, stop eating rubbish and stop making excuses.

Wow, what words of encouragement! Because ya'll already knew how to do everything right from the geto-go, too!

lol. well put.

It frustrates me to see posts like that because everyone-- including us-- went through a period where we started on this lifestyle change and had to do a lot of trial and error to figure things out. We have ALL made excuses and wanted a pity party for ourselves, so it makes no sense to me to see people act like they have been above it.

The OP obviously hasn't experienced this kind of life change before or why else would she be asking. A lot of college students who found it easy to be skinny in college find out they get heavier with a full time job, and for some people it's the opposite. It's because people need to figure out how to get through the changes. If you never ask you'll never know and it doesn't help to admonish someone for just asking and admitting their mistakes.

ImpishVanity

First off i must say this is a very good forum topic that you started and im 100% certain that this is a majority issue with alot of MFP people today.

I am in the same situation and im just like you, always active, needing to move and that helps control my weight. Sitting around is not my strongest skillset ( even when i play video games i do pushups and situps to stay active)

To counter the many hours of mandatory sitting of a 9-5 desk job, i have dramatically changed my eating habits.

I would say of all things this is VERY key and the first thing you should adjust time NOW!

You can use my food journal logs as a reference if needed but like stated before change your snacking throughtout your ENTIRE workday.

This is actually the prime time for you also to get your water intake up for one of many reasons. First is that it gets your daily water intake number EASY and also it will force you to get up constantly to go to the restroom which is walking calories, running sometimes depending on how far the restroom is and how hard the runs hit you hahahaha

Make sure you use a 16.9 oz water bottle for this, reason for this is because it also forces you to constantly get up to refill your water bottle as well.

Now for the filler details as i like to call them. Snacking: make sure to bring a small yet active workday snack. For me its either sunflower seeds or pecans (you could even try light butter or no butter popcorn). This can also be fruit but you want to be careful because of the sugar that is in fruit. I would limit this if possible.

Sparatic workouts during the day: I dont know how your work place is set up but try sneaking in 10-15 pushups or crunches just to keep the body alive while you are sitting around all day. It will seem weird but trust you will look past it heck some people might get motivated by seeing you do that and join! (personal experience lol)

Lunchtime: Keep your lunchtime meal intake as light as possible especially since you can't get to a gym during or after work because of the distance. For example, turkey sandwhich with 100 calorie soup or homemade grilled chicken tenders with 1 minute brown rice.

I really hope this information helps out for you and if you need any other help or tips, just pop me a friend request and msg me away. I will be happy to help assist!!!!

I'm in the military and we call it "morale minutes" to get the whole office up to do a minute of pushups or situps. Make it a thing in the civilian world too!

Amanda0325

try working in car sales.. its land of people ordering out... and grabbing the last slice of pizza after moving cars in the snow etc... i've just been really accountable for what i'm putting in my mouth.. tracking my calories.. and i cheat too.. everyone has their moments but if your 80/20 you will loose weight! drink LOTS of water... and tea helps me feel fuller ( idk that i believe it helps metabolism) i've lost 10lbs since january and i quit smoking.. so it can be done!

eddiesmith1

do you work in the city, or out in Long Island - one of the things I did when I lived in the city was get of the subway a stop or two earlier and walk part of the way - I lived out in Washington Heights, but worked on the upper east side on 2nd Ave - so if time/weather permitted, just stayed on the west side trains and walked crosstown.

Living in Long Island, I suppose you can bike - or at work, do office exercises/chair exercises, you can exercise/walk in your neighborhood at home

you are on your own with the cafeteria, never had experience with an office that had one of those - but you can try bringing your own healthy snacks to munch on instead

^^^ good ideas, also If you can walk up to the office or down, stairs are great exercise. the only time i take an elevator at work is if i am moving something between floors. And the walk a few of the stops of your daily trip is an excellent suggestion (I can't walk in it takes too long but i do walk home (6.4 km or 4 miles - basically several stops on transit - takes a little less than an hour, longer if i pass something that distracts me

redwoodkestrel

I'll add a +1 for a Fitbit as well. Once I saw how little I was really moving during the day (I too, sit at a desk in front of a computer most of the time for my job), I got motivated to find ways to fit in more walking/running during the day - to reach 10,000 steps every day. Running in place at home before going to work. Taking the long way to everything in my work place. Running in place in the bathroom. Getting up and walking laps inside the building at work every couple hours. Walking a couple miles after work, before I go home.

Now, by the time I make it home from work, I usually have 10-13,000 steps done, which translates into around 4.5-6 miles. Then I actually feel good - not guilty - to just relax for a bit when I get home.

dorotheab2014

My job is sedentary (sitting at a computer all day), and I can't afford a gym membership (also I hate gyms). Here is what is working for me (I am just starting out):

--#1 thing is tracking calories in and planning your meals & snacks. A lot of good suggestions above. It takes me about 15-20 minutes in the morning to put together my bag of snacks (small banana, almonds, apple w/peanut butter), my lunch (usually leftovers from dinner or a salad), and my water bottle. I have a food scale so that I make sure my portions are accurate. There are a lot of good suggestions above. If I do have to buy a lunch, I go somewhere where calorie counts are posted and where they have good options so that I don't just end up buying something I'll regret later.

--I also bring my own herbal tea bags so that I can make my own tea with the hot water available at work. I like the Yogi Egyptian Licorice because it is naturally sweet (but you should avoid that flavor if you have high blood pressure).

--People have already pointed out that calorie intake, not exercise, is the key, but for me, the two go hand in hand. When I exercise regularly, I am more motivated to eat properly because I can see and feel the changes in my body. I don't belong to a gym, but I have dumbbells in three sizes, a medicine ball, resistance bands, and a yoga mat in the apartment. These things take up very little room. I use the Sworkit Pro app on my iPad, which uses only body weight and requires no equipment (although I have begun adding weights to some of the exercises). Even if I don't have a ton of time, I know that at minimum, I can fit in a 15-minute Sworkit session. I also own a decent pair of running shoes and walk/run with my dog every day. On Friday nights I play tennis for two hours, which I think burns a lot of calories.

Going from the stimulating world of college to the often stultifying atmosphere of an office can be a big adjustment, and I understand how easy it is to lose track of your eating habits just because of boredom. You need to be conscious of the choices you are making and make a real effort to change them.

cyclerjenn

I also work in an office and sit all day. here are a few things I do to get by.

1. Walk around the office for 5-10 minutes every hour
2. Use the restroom on another floor and use the stairs.
3. Ride my bike to work
4. Keep nuts, oatmeal and protein bars at my desk for snacking.
5. Bring lunch
6. Walk to the restaurant if eating out
7. Stand up when on conference calls

SapiensPisces

Don't worry too much about where you'll get your exercise(the above suggestions were great though). It's a relatively small factor in your quest to drop what amounts to the professional version of the "freshman 15". Your diet is far and away the most crucial thing to rein in.

My suggestion, cut out using the cafeteria. Plan out your work week breakfast, lunch and snacks on Saturday. Go to the store and buy things on Sunday, then cook it all up that day and separate it out into portions from the week. I bought a crock pot and just look for simple and healthy recipes online. Just throw everything in, come back a couple hours later (a downside to the crock pot is you end up eating the same thing for lunch for the week. But if you make something super tastey, shouldn't be a problem).

Also pick up some of those water flavoring drops (Mio, Dasani, etc.). I know I wasn't a huge fan of plain water, but with a bit of flavor it gets MUCH easier to drink up.

What you'll need:

1) 30 minutes on Saturday to plan
2) 2-3 hours on Sunday to shop and cook
3) A lunch bag/box to keep things cold/warm
4) Tupperware or other storage
5) A good water bottle you can easily carry
6) Scale to weigh out food/portions
7) Will power to change

You can also try only bringing $2 cash with you to work. Thus limiting your spending and snacking potential. So if you get the craving to snack/buy something... you can only buy $2 worth of snacks.

This is great advice!

OP: it's important to be accountable to yourself during this process, which is why people don't like hearing the excuses on here. Be honest with yourself about what you're willing to do to achieve your goals. If you're not willing to put in the work, then don't expect the results. Sounds harsh, but it's a simple fact and truth to everything in life not just weight management.

cutie2superhottie

GREAT TIP