Struggling to Stay Fit with Desk Job! Anyone else?

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I have joined myfitnesspal to keep myself accountable for my nutrition and my exercise. I have started a desk job after 7 years of post secondary school and am finding it hard to stay fit. I hope to meet some people in the same situation as myself.
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Replies

  • psse01
    psse01 Posts: 29 Member
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    Yup! I have had the same desk job for 12 years, not to mention I'm 53...it is amazing how the weight crept on and how HARD it is to get it off. I try and set up and walk around a bit during the day and when the weather is bearable again I will take a half hour walk at lunch. That is NO WHERE near enough but every step counts!
  • m79o83m
    m79o83m Posts: 1
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    Yes, I've sat at a desk for 26 years....used to be able to exercise and get weight off, but now that I'm older (57), menapause, and arthritis taking over so early, I just can't seem to get it off as quickly or easily. I am trying and that's the important thing. I'm out of denial now and admitting I will never be what I was, but I can get healthier and feel good about my choices and myself in the time I have left here. It will have to come day by day....I can't think ahead at all or I get discouraged.
  • MargoPineda83
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    You're not alone. I just started a new job and have gained about 8 pounds...... on top of the 30 that I am already overweight. WE can do it thought, I know we can. Just takes some cooking creativity and a lot of will power!
  • LaMiaVita
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    It's one of my daily struggles. I try to set an alarm and get up and move around every hour, and take a longer walk break at some point, but somehow the day always seems to get away from me and I miss more often than achieve that goal. I guess it's mostly a matter of making it a priority. Easier said than done!
  • Gingy87
    Gingy87 Posts: 4
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    I'm also in the same sittuation, I'm in front of my computer all day and can't seem to find any energy to work out after work. I'm hoping that I can get some motivation to get up and move. If anyone has any kind of tips or favorite excerises that has worked for you please let me know it would be greatly appreciated.
  • LittleNicci
    LittleNicci Posts: 284 Member
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    Not only am I working a desk job...it's an overnight desk job...Im quite the vampire...I eat well but am not as active as Id like to be, mostly because Im always tired
  • awdamm
    awdamm Posts: 375 Member
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    i work an overnight desk job. Its tougher to get good/regular exercise in just because sleep is such a big hassle!

    while at work i walk at my desk. a minimum of once an hour i get up and walk around the building. I do have the availability to take a mobile phone with me in case work comes across so that helps.

    I use reams of paper as weights to do some strength exercises. GET CREATIVE WITH IT! I do tri cep dips on the filing cabinets. I can't really get down on the ground to do sit ups or planks or anything ( i work in an OR and the stuff on the floor you don't even what to think about! )

    USE your IMAGINATION!!!! Make it FUN!
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
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    Deskjob is simple, control your calories, eat a lower amount than you would. Need to find time out of work to stay active.
  • obeserat
    obeserat Posts: 218 Member
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    I have a sedentary job in a call centre , I cycle to my job and back , 10 miles per day.
    I've lost 40lb since March with exercise and diet.
  • Jishmeister
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    I worked in a call center for 3 and a half years and ended up gaining 37 pounds. It didn't help that it was a call center for a pizza place that offered 50% discounts to all employees......yea. I managed to lose some weight, then gained about half of it back, and now I'm currently working to lose it all once and for all.
  • iKandoit28
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    I'm in a desk job too - gained 5kg in my 1st year!!!
    It's not rocket science but I managed to lose those kilos by:
    a) joining a gym right near work (it saves so much time since it's walkable distance and i go straight from work!);
    b) going for a 20min brisk walk at lunchtimes (bring a pair of flats to swap into!);
    c) walking over to peoples' desk instead of emailing them;
    d) bringing lunch and snacks from home at least 3 times a week;
    e) walking around/standing when asnwering phone calls (esp. the 1 hour conference calls);
    f) using MFP to log everything!!

    Now that i have lost all that desk-job weight... I am working on losing all the excess weight i had BEFORE my desk job:)

    Happy Shedding!
  • Jimmytreatingtons
    Jimmytreatingtons Posts: 128 Member
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    it is really tough having worked behind a desk for years! I have found that I do not need to eat a normal lunch and try to adjust my intake accordingly. It only ytakes a few days to adjust too.

    I tend to have a bigger lunch on the days I am going to the gym and going to use the calories. I do have to walk just over 1 mile each way to the car, sometimes 1.5 so that helps and I try and time myself and beat my previous time. So even on the rest days of the gym I am doing a little bit.

    By looking at what you are eating (by listing it) you might be able to adjust you food in take. By eating bread at lunch time I found myself feeling bloated, so I try not to now more so on rest days but try and eat a little more when I am due in the gym.
  • laxwyo
    laxwyo Posts: 192 Member
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    I don't haves desk job, but not really an active job either. I lost good weight by just staying under calorie goal. That's about it. Log everything and measure! Eat when u are hungry.
  • erindurant4
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    Its great to see everyone's comments! Thank you for the support and advice!
  • unlocke
    unlocke Posts: 149
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    I have a desk job....and this quote is taped on my computer: "If it's important to me, I will find a way. If not, I will find an excuse."
    That has helped me to start thinking outside the box when it comes to eating healthy and exercise. I'm in a cubicle in a big open room, so I can't do all the desk exercises that people often recommend. But...I can find ways to do SOMETHING. Like, raise my legs straight up while sitting in my chair, or "crunch" my stomach muscles, like a sitting crunch. No one knows I"m doing it, but it's giving me a little boost while I sit here. I also use my lunch hour to walk or go to the gym (we have an on-site gym).
    As for meals, I have to be extra careful to keep my calories under the daily allowance. Then, I give myself a good, swift kick in the behind and make myself get some extra exercise in the evenings.
    You can do it. You just have to decide if it's important enough to you. If it is....find a way. :glasses:
  • hp17023
    hp17023 Posts: 2
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    Yeah, I understand how hard it is to lose weight on a desk job.. but I found that it is good to do some cardio before work to jump start your metabolism... stretch legs, stretch arms.. I workout twice a day and it definitely helped... GOOD JOB EVERYONE!!! GOOD LUCK IN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS!
  • ndblades
    ndblades Posts: 233 Member
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    Is anyone aware of the the application they can get on their computer that makes their screen go blank every 30 minutes? I read about it once and can't remember it... anyone use it?

    I end up with another problem - the more I exercise, the harder it is to SIT at my desk, my legs and butt get so ancy- I have to get up otherwise I feel like I am going crazy - -it is such a fine line, either fall asleep or can't sit still!
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
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    2 things that help me.

    I won't let myself eat at my desk. I take a 30 lunch break and then if I get really hungry in the afternoon I'll take another 10 but I have to go to the breakroom to eat. It has to be a choice - nothing mindless.

    I work in a really big building so twice a day I do a lap around it. Usually takes 10 min. It's something and it keeps my blood moving.
  • PurpleEpiphany
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    I work a desk job and find it difficult to get up and move around, especially since it's a call center and our breaks and such are regulated. I saw a few comments on being too tired to excercise, and that used to be me. The thing is that exercising is what gives you the energy, or at least it's a huge help. When I started, I never felt like I had the energy, I just made myself go anyway. Having my husband go with me helped keep me accountable.

    Now (about two months in) I start feeling fidgety if I don't go to the gym. I've got more energy in everything, and find myself moving around more at work as well.
  • Cmadridk
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    No food at your desk! Take your lunch away from your desk and same for snacks. The French ladies I work with influence me a lot, they would never eat in a place that wasn't designated for eating. I only consume black coffee and hot tea at my desk.