DESK JOB........ I feel FAT!!

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  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
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    Are pear shapes harboring an irrational fear of chair sitting at their desks?
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Having a desk job won't make you gain weight on it's own....if you're eating right and exercising then no, what you do for work doesn't make a difference. That is why MFP asks for your daily activity level (outside of exercise) so it can set your base calories. So since you sit at a desk all day, your base calories would be lower than someone who delivers mail because their body needs more calories to replace the ones they're burning off at work.
  • Stinkerbelle84
    Stinkerbelle84 Posts: 328
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    I do! I do! I sit at my desk for 9 hours out of the day, and then I go home and work another 3-4 hours of overtime at my home office. Luckily, my job also requires me to go out in the "field" - oil and gas facilities - to do inspections/audits. So, I am either sitting on my @ss all day, or walking for 12 hours a day in steel toe boots, lol! Not too bad, I guess.
  • oreyna
    oreyna Posts: 88 Member
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    I pull my self away from my desk and walk around the building or take the stairs several times thru the day...I even tale calls and try working standing as much as possible. I wish I had one of those tall standing desks...that would be awsome...then i'd probably want to sit down...lol
  • medaglia_06
    medaglia_06 Posts: 282 Member
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    8:30-5 for me :S I make sure I get up more and go see co-workers rather than email, I will print to the printer at the far side of the office versus the one on my desk, I go for a 20 minute walk at lunch (I only get 1/2 hour). Also, I am thinking about getting resistance bands so I can do some bicep curls and such at my desk. There are lots of little things you can do to make your day feel more productive :) It sucks though, when I used to work retail, I would run around for 8 1/2 hours a day, I think this job was the major contributor to my weight gain, although the money is much better LOL.

    Good luck!
  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    I think the pear has to do with already having "secretary spread?" I know I'm pear shaped so I dont think sitting on my butt is helping it get smaller lol
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    8-5 at a desk for me. I walk to and from work (about 20 minutes each way) and I try to go for a walk on my lunch.

    Like medaglia I too used to work in retail running around for 8 or 9 hours a day...I went from that to this desk job and on came the weight! lol

    I find by mid day I start to feel really restless!!
  • alexsmith01
    alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
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    Add me as a friend all you desk jobbers - I need to see how you all do it, I've always been skinny, and put on all my weight from my desk job, I was putting on 1kg a month! I've managed to prevent it from increasing any more, but really struggling to reverse it!

    Also if any of you travel a lot for work as well, please please add me! It's really hard to get into routines when you can't do anything on mondays and fridays cos you're travelling, and every week you are in a different town. Also because I travel to quite small towns, they didn't have the same gym as me so couldn't use my membership there. Last year I travelled for 27 weeks. This year it's looking to be a bit less, probably about 15-16.
  • NitroS1988
    NitroS1988 Posts: 58 Member
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    I always feel like being more active at work but can't as I also have a desk job, although going for a walk at lunchtime is helpful i find, even if its cold (it is here in the uk most of the time!). Drink lots of water too :)
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    I think the pear has to do with already having "secretary spread?" I know I'm pear shaped so I dont think sitting on my butt is helping it get smaller lol

    LMAO!!!!
    I've never heard anyone else say that before.... I am also pear shape and my friend the other day referred to the "secretary spread" I had developed. That's terrible!
  • tiffany5839
    tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
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    HAHA funny you say that because I took up a desk last Sept and I feel the same way! Luckily, I've still been able to lose weight! I work out 5 days a week though!
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
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    PLan and pack healthy stuff...always.

    Walk on breaks.

    Be sure to get your exercise in outside of work.

    Don't just eat because you're bored.

    Keep up with your water intake.

    Honestly, I lost the majority of my weight having a desk job. It forced me to watch portions.

    You're doing fine and look great! Don't worry about it.
  • beckers80
    beckers80 Posts: 134 Member
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    Yes, I see someone has already started a group for desk job. lets make up challenges to help motivate us to get up and move.. Anyone game??
  • cardiokitten
    cardiokitten Posts: 401 Member
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    Yup, I hate it... pays good but I have no tasks that aren't on the computer so other then breaks I have no opportunity to get up and walk around :(
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Take advantage of breaks and lunch hour. Get moving girl.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    Yes, I see someone has already started a group for desk job. lets make up challenges to help motivate us to get up and move.. Anyone game??

    I'm in!
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Desk job from 9am to 6 pm.
    But when I'm not behind it, the real stuff goes. Desk job won't make you gain, it's what you do around that potentially would
  • ginsinnot
    ginsinnot Posts: 17 Member
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    There are actually studies which show that when we sit for a majority of a regular work day, and are not engaging the large lower body muscles like we do with standing, there are changes that take place in hormone levels which essentially means the more we sit, the more likely we are to have higher fat levels even if you have regular exercise outside of work day (lookup lipoprotein lipase)
    So a sedentary job actually are worse for your body.
    I have a sit down job and it's much harder to to lose the 10 pounds that I've gained since starting this job 3 years ago than it ever was before. I'm very lucky that we have 2 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch as well as the ability to get up and move around.
    Not to mention I actually developed a chronic piriformis injury from sitting too much that put me out of commission for my usual exercise for about a year!
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Desk job + STRESS = 60 extra lbs of me...

    I've got half my office doing this with me: www.fitbolt.com

    Every half hour, it gives you something to do, like a stretch or an exercise. Takes 30-90 seconds. Super easy to add a bit of activity to your desk job, but it's a definite plus to have someone else doing it too, because otherwise you may feel a little silly. My boss makes fun of us, but with 3 of us doing it all at once, it's no big deal. (Though he told us to make sure we didn't tell the CFO, because he might make it a company mandate to improve our health insurance premiums. I think that'd be awesome!)

    So the 60 lbs. weight gain had nothing to do with your habitual over eating?
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
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    can you gain weight like this?? even if you're watching what you're eating? Someone enlighten me!!

    Your metabolism will naturally slow down a tiny bit, over the years, unless you keep on moving around and lifting weights regularly. Lifting weights is especially important because as you get older, muscle strength decreases more quickly.

    Look around your office and see how the other ladies look, the older ones, who've been doing office work for decades. That'll help keep you away from the donuts...

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