Has your job played a part in your weight gain?

I work a desk job, and am behind a desk for 12 hours a day. But, I don't blame my job, at all, for contributing to my weight gain. It was all me. I was the one who after going home came up with the excuses of why not to exercise. I was the one who did pay attention to what I ate, and I am the one who just flat out was lazy. Don't blame your job for contributing to your weight problems. You can create a standing work station, or get up early and exercise (or after work for that matter). Saying "my job contributed to my weight gain" is just another excuse and something to blame other than ourselves.

I blamed my job for a long time – 9-hour days at a desk job, eating lunch at the computer because I was under deadline. But I have lost the weight and I didn't change jobs. Blaming the job is like blaming the food. The job didn't force me to make poor food choices, it didn't hold a gun to my head and force me to go home afterwards and flop down on the couch and watch TV. It was easy for me to use the job as a scapegoat but, in hindsight, I just didn't want to make the changes I needed to and I would have found any seemingly plausible excuse.

I work in an office, which is inside a huge kitchen. (I am a healthcare food service manager) Soooooo yes, indeed.

I work in Gregg's the baker's....... it hasn't helped thats for sure! :laugh:

My old job waiting tables did, so much high calorie food around for free or discounted! Now I'm at a greenhouse doing a lot of hard labor & it has been helping me lose

Whoo...Yes...Absolutely. Before this job (which I've had for twelve years), I was a web developer/server administrator that ran around off and on fixing computers and visiting client businesses to take pictures for their websites. Now I fly a desk and only get to move when I want to. Further, this office is around the corner from the cafeteria. When I started working here I think I weighed between 130 and 135, and at my highest, last January, I weighed in at a whopping 192.

So now I MAKE myself get up and move around as much as I can (in addition to implementing MFP and strength training) and getting to the point where if I sit still too long, I get fidgety and have to mover around, be it taking the stairs to the top floor or walking around the building.

ETA: And I don't blame the job - ultimately it's my own fault for allowing it to get to this point - though it has been a bit of a factor - I also kind of point the finger at the fact that while I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce, I can't do that anymore.

I would have to say YES and NO. I too have a "sit down" job (auditing) but I can only "partially" blame the numerous vending machines available to me in the work plc. ACCOUNTABILITY--tht's wat i'm learning--so now I try, as much as poss, to bring my own "snacks" (those tht are good for me) and eat HEALTHY lunches (instead of always grabbing a "burger")

You just can't let it be a reason for your weight gain. I was obese well before I started working a desk job. Hell, I was obese working retail! I was on my feet all day and very active but as they say, you can't out exercise a bad diet - I'd eat candies all day, snack cakes on break and continue eating crap at dinner. As soon as I cleaned up my food choices a bit, planned & packed meals and got consistently active, I was able to lose my weight, even working a desk job. Full disclosure: it helps that we have a gym here at the office but even if we didn't, I'd be working out at home or finding another way.

OP, you may not feel like you have the energy to do anyting when you get home but you just have to keep reminding yourself that you'll feel better once you do it and it will help in the long run. And if you can, take short walks and/or walk up and down stairways on your breaks. I know being in a call center means you're chained to your desk (been there, done that) but you should still get breaks. The more you take advantage of time, the better off you'll be. No need to become a workout addict, just do what you can when you can. Going for a 10 minute walk is better than doing nothing at all.

Take care!

Yes. I sit at a desk 10-12 hours a day. And I really have to be sitting there to get work done. I have a long commute on top of that and by the time I get home, I barely have enough time for dinner, basic chores, and bed (usually way too late).

On the other hand, I have also learned to use my office to my diet advantage:
Set eating times--minimal snacking between (it helps that I hate eating at my desk).
Use the loo on another floor and take the long way to get there.
Print to the far printer--and get up every time to pick up my print jobs. While I'm there, drop off others that haven't been picked up.
Walk around the building--up the stairs, around, down the stairs, around...--at lunch.
Get up and talk to people in the same building rather than using the phone or IM.

Those changes have been my biggest exercise-wise and have made a HUGE difference. Part of it is that I am just plain moving more; part of it, I think, is that I am moving often enough to keep my metabolism sped up a bit more than just sitting. I don't know, but it really has helped!

medical field based marketing..all day driving and long expensive lunches and dinners with clients = morbid obesity before you know it.

I definately gained my weight back during a job I had a few years back. Not that it was the jobs fault however with me living 3 hours away (each way commute) and having weird and early shifts I never made the time to make proper meals or exercise. It was all grabbing food on the run. That paired with a very stressful and not usual job made it worse. As much as I loved that job I am glad I no longer have it.

HECK YEAH! I work in a chocolate factory (I DON'T eat it) and you'd think we get our fill of sugar right?! Apparently NOT. Every week there are birthday cakes, cookies, snacky things like chips and stuff, and THEN there are the "just because I want to " cakes and brownies, etc. :noway: Seriously! I just can't do it to myself so I quit participating in their "morning snack fests".

On top of all of the junk around me, I go in to work for 330am so I used to skip breakfast (not anymore), the job is mostly sit down and CONSTANT stress - especially from September (for Halloween preparing) through Easter. Essentially most of the time.

So while it wasn't the ONLY thing that got me there, it certainly was a contributing factor.

30 years at a desk job here. Yes, it definitely plays a role. I was thin for most of that time, but sitting all day definitely made it harder. Some days it feels like all I do is work, commute and workout.

Yes! I work 12.5 hour rotating shifts. We frequently have "feeds" or people bring in snacks to share. It's not unusually to see 3 bags of chips and dip and a couple of cartons of cookies out (there are only 6-7 of us), I also counted up the calories in one of our feeds one day and it was over 37,000 calories - for 10 people! I had gained over 20 lbs over 4 years of employment before deciding it was time to make a change; I'm now down to my pre-employment weight and looking to lose the last 20 lbs. I think my gain was due to the nature of having a very high stress job, boredom and the night shift munches.

Definitely- I went from working a job where I was on my feet 12 hours at a time to sitting for 8 hours. I do walk around during the day but the majority is spent sitting. Add that to my 1+ hour commute each way and the exhaustion once I get home and I've gained weight.

I'm not trying to hit the gym on my way home from work so there's no excuses and also being mindful of snacking.