People who work? I need advice! I start work tomorrow..

Bioc
Bioc Posts: 96
in Motivation and Support
Hi,

The topic doesn't really explain this. But I start work tomorrow and I honestly need to know how to include and work with the fact I want to lose weight. Any advise on diet, eating, exercise and that?

I'll be doing a month placement with the NHS (UK), in London and doing administration. If they like me, after the month.. I'll be offered an apprenticeship, on £200 pw and it'll sort my diet out because at the moment I can't afford to eat. I live alone and all the money goes on bills.

Where I'm working, is a travel distance away. Two trains, a bus ride and then a walk. Plus the 2 double flights of stairs up to my office! Least my bum and thighs will be getting toned up eh?

So yeah, any advise would be appreciated.

Replies

  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Make sure you have a good breakfast - porridge or poached egg. Take your own lunch and healthy snacks. Will you have use of a fridge? I'm a teacher and I take a salad and things like rice cakes, banana, nuts, yoghurt etc for snacks. I also drink coffee to fill me up, and keep me awake lol. Also plan your evening meals ahead so you know you have something healthy ready for when you're tired after a long day.

    Since you live alone you have plenty of opportunities for exercise. Is there a gym en route from work to home? Could you skip one of the buses and walk? Do you have a bike?
  • kellster111
    kellster111 Posts: 113 Member
    Planning is the key to working, eating right and exercise. I plan the family meals each week and shop for what I need, cuts down on the time needed to decide what to eat.
    Also you could cut out 1 bus ride and walk a little further, start by getting off the bus 1 stop earlier and cut out 1 stop each day, that will help to work out how much time is needed to still get to work on time.
    Concentrate on the work for a month so that you make a great impression and then you can focus on the weight loss/exercise after to get the position.

    Good luck.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
    I agree with the above posters; planning is key!! I live in the US, I worked approx 25 miles from home (about a 40 minute drive each way) so I don't get to bike or walk. I do make sure I plan all my meals for the day the night before and I always have my lunch and snacks packed along with a gym bag for after work. I make sure I keep a few healthy snacks in my desk in case I need an extra boost during the day (mostly granola bars and individually packaged nuts) and I drink lots and lots of water. A great way to really stretch your food budget is to go to local farmers markets if they have those were you are...you have access to lots of fruits and veggies usually for a resonable price. Good luck with your new job!
  • stephenidea
    stephenidea Posts: 30
    I think you've got some great advice there - I think once you have settled into the roll and figured out the distance and best route for your travel you could cut your train or bus journey short on one or two nights a week and jog / bike ride home a reasonable distance, say one or two miles. When I was trying to loose weight the first time I started running home from work once a week, then twice a week and when I saw what a difference the added exercise was doing to my body I started going for a run every evening once I got home... Now this might not be possible for everyone but I think if you can integrate a bit of exercise into your daily activity especially work life you will quickly see good results. Good luck!
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    "Least my bum and thighs will be getting toned….
    Make sure you have a good breakfast - porridge or poached egg…."

    “bum” & “porridge”, , , , I LOVE Brit-speak ! ! !
    I should start a new thread asking for more.

    BTW – I travel nearly an hour each way to work. Put your workouts on your appointment schedule and treat them at least as equal to, or more important than any other appointment.
  • Emma470
    Emma470 Posts: 2
    I aggree with all the advice you have had. Planning and useful exercise. By useful exercise I mean ruinning or cycling to an from work. I always think to myself why drive to and from work and then run or go to the gym afterwards. It eats into the trime I get to spend with my family. I live 5k from my work and I often run home along the canal or cycle depending on the weather. I get a bit of exercise, save petrol ad I get home quicker on the bike and only 10 minutes or so after if I run. Win win if you ask me.

    Make sure you eat the right foods, eating little and exercising hard is WRONG!!! IT will not help you. You can't train efficiently without the right foods, your body will start to eat your mucsle and the first sign of a decent meal it will hang onto every scrap of fat!

    I used to weigh 9st 7lbs before I hadchildren, now i weigh 11st 6lbs and look pretty much the same. I train 4 times a week at the gym with a mix of interval training, weights, Body Combat and Spin plus throw in a few 5-10k runs when the weather is nice. I could do with losing a good stone which I am in the process of now but my point is do not get hung up on weight. Focus more on Health, nutrition and Fitness. You will feel so much better! Best of luck in you placement.
  • joolsweb
    joolsweb Posts: 81 Member
    Hi Bioc
    Excellent news on your placement, hope it all goes well and they take you on full time. I'm UK based and work in admin as well, so feel free to add if you want any suggestions/help or to moan about office politics!
    So no idea what your building will be like, but couple of suggestions- if you have a mobile app use that to log your calories (you can always do so in the loo if you need to be discreet about mobile use), try to use the loo farthest away, and whilst there, do some squats, push ups, try to drink lots of water, if you have water coolers try to use the one furthest away, avoid the canteen if you can and bring your own lunches, try to log everything, it really is as simple as burn more than you eat (use mfp for you daily calorie goal), but most of all enjoy the job, don't get too overwhelmed by all the info on your first day, you'll settle in well and I bet you make lots of new friends. Good Luck :smile:
  • dnunny70
    dnunny70 Posts: 411 Member
    Maybe I read it wrong: You can't afford to eat?
    Did you mean you can't afford to eat out?
    Planning is the best; when I'm working I find that having my food/menus planned out is best.
  • fitbum19
    fitbum19 Posts: 198 Member
    I work fairly close to home, but I still always take my lunch and a snack or two to get my through the day. Then I have my meal for evening planned out before I even get home. I always know in advance what I will be making the next evening. That way, you have something to look forward to and no temptation to eat out. If you get held up at work, it can be hard not to just grab something on the way home, but this is where your willpower comes into play. Always make sure you have healthy snacks around to keep you from binging on something very unhealthy.
  • Elegra2006
    Elegra2006 Posts: 144 Member
    Lots of good advice given. One key thing is get into a routine early on, if you're able go out for a walk every lunchtime, don't get caught in the trap of being expected to be at your desk at lunchtime.

    Schedule in going to the gym/to exercise classes, after a day at work it can feel like the last thing you want to do but once you're there and you've done a work-out then you'll feel so much better.

    Take your own lunch and snacks, you'll save money and eat healthier. Make up your snacks the night before so you're not rushing in the morning.

    You'll soon get into a routine but make sure it's a good one! Good luck with the placement.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    It sounds like you are on a ramen noodle budget right now! I think we have all been there at least a few times. Even now I still 'brown bag it'. I take my lunch, I take snacks. I try to always have a clue what I am going to have for dinner too. It is less expensive and I get to control the ingredients.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Do you know what kind of amenities you will have like refrigerator, microwave, etc? I keep a stock of yogurt and cheese sticks in the fridge and at my desk I have a stock of raw almonds, apples or bananas.

    Log all of your food. Take a 5 minute walk every so often.
  • MommaChocoLatte
    MommaChocoLatte Posts: 389 Member
    Planning ahead. Lots of meal planning. In fact, today is one of my days off and I just bought some new plastic containers and tons of food.. and I will be making my lunches for the week. I have been having such a hard time eating at work because I end up working through my lunch so I need to be able to take something I can eat at my desk.

    I bought some soups that I can just heat up and drink from the can, going to make some salads and add some chicken to. Deli meat, cheese & crackers (home made lunchables) with fruit, etc.
  • Dieting_Jen23
    Dieting_Jen23 Posts: 29 Member
    Well done on the job, I'm sure you'll do really well. I work in an office environment and I'm desk based all day.

    I tend to make a big pot of homemade veggie soup on Sunday night and have that for my lunch for a few days (I've got use of a fridge and microwave in work). Breakfast is porridge and a banana (once I get into work) and I've got a drawer I keep my snacks in, as well as things like cherry tomatoes etc in the fridge if I need them.

    I try to take my lunch break as often as I can and I walk for 45 mins, leaving 15 mins to grab some food once I'm back. I walk to a bus stop 2 stops further away than I have to on the way home, and I do a class at the gym Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night. I plan quick and easy dinners for when I get home so I don't even need to think about grabbing something fattening once I leave the gym.

    The MFP iPhone app is brilliant for logging on the go. It keeps me right throughout the day. Good luck with the job!
  • joolsweb
    joolsweb Posts: 81 Member
    Hi Bioc
    Just wondering how your first couple of days went? Hope you had a good time and are beginning to enjoy the job. Good luck.

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