Desk Job and Losing Weight?

I also work at a desk job and 2 months ago when I started back here, I decided to get my eating under control first - start logging consistently and completely, and start developing a healthy relationship with food, then moving back to getting active again. I didn't really exercise, but I stayed within my calorie goal and got a handle on that.

Just this week, I started back at the gym and I feel a lot more stable. I think changing one thing at a time helped me.

As far as the workout at home: if you like exercise DVDs, there are a TON. I like pilates and basically anything using my body as resistance.

You can do this!

:flowerforyou:

I have a desk job too. I work out at lunch.

soxobsessed wrote: »

I drink a lot of water so I have to go to the bathroom a lot lol

Same here! Make excuses to get out of your cubicle and walk around.

I make sure to take my workout clothes with me to work, put them on before I leave the building and head straight to the gym. That is only way I am consistent. I still convince myself sometimes that I will workout when I get home, but it rarely happens after I get home.

caloric deficit = weight loss. Additionally, a lot of office workers, walk or run stairs at lunch.

As mentioned previously, lots of water = lots of bathroom breaks. Find a bathroom sufficiently far from your desk so that you can get some steps in on the way. Bonus if it's up or down a flight (or more) of stairs!

I also was very careful about packing a known number of calories in my lunch bag every day, just to avoid excess snacking. Try not to keep snacks in your desk 'just in case' because boredom or stress might drive you to binge on them.

Good luck! I went from a lab-based role where I was always on the run to a desk job and definitely gained some quick weight due to inactivity, but all of my weight loss has been while still doing my desk job, so it definitely can be done!

Like others have indicated, you need to create a deficient and light exercising is not going to buy you much. Starting an exercise routine will help with your overall health but unless you are willing to devote the time and intensity to it, you just cannot burn enough calories verse just eating less. (Huge assumption built in below but just to illustrate the point).

Calorie Burn | Duration | Burn/Workout | 3X/Week | Estimated Fat Loss
5 cal/min | 30 minutes | 150 calories | 450 calories | 0.128 lbs
5 cal/min | 60 minutes | 300 calories | 900 calories | 0.25 lbs
10 cal/min | 30 minutes | 300 calories | 900 calories | 0.25 lbs
10 cal/min | 60 minutes | 600 calories | 1800 calories | 0.51 lbs

Calorie Burn | Duration | Burn/Workout | 6X/Week | Estimated Fat Loss
5 cal/min | 30 minutes | 150 calories | 900 calories | 0.25 lbs
5 cal/min | 60 minutes | 300 calories | 1800 calories | 0.51 lbs
10 cal/min | 30 minutes | 300 calories | 1800 calories | 0.51 lbs
10 cal/min | 60 minutes | 600 calories | 3600 calories | 1.1 lbs

For some people, like myself, exercise does blunt hunger but I do between 6-8 hours of cycling per week averaging 16-17 mph. The point is, get you diet in gear and then slowly introduce exercise (and intensity) to enhance your overall health and keeping the pounds off. Incidentally, 5 cal/min is equivalent to slow jog or fast walk at ~4 mph while 10 cal/min is equivalent to running/jogging at ~6 mph (depending on your weight and mph to calories expended is for someone weighting around 130 for simplicity).

I have a desk job also.

And I drink a cup of coffee in the last hour of work and go directly to the gym / trails after work, before I can get home and get settled in.

kemacc213 wrote: »

I live in a very rural area so I need to find things that I can do at home. The closest gym to my house is a 40 minute drive from work and I live in the middle of where I work and where I would be able to go to the gym so it would be a lot of circular driving around large blocks of country-ness. I am interested in having more at home options though!

I came from a super rural area, so I totally get your situation (I'm totally spoiled now with everything close by). When I didn't have access to a gym, I used to do exercise DVDs at home for cardio, and lately I've been using an app that I really like called Bodyweight Training: You Are Your Own Gym for strength training -- it doesn't require equipment, and it pops up reminders on your phone when it's time to do the workout. Good luck!

I lost a fairly terrific private message from someone explaining how she eats up to 2400 calories per day in maintenance even though she's quite tiny mainly by moving. I think she had a fitbit so one thing that's easy to do is just walk walk walk everywhere. I know for me some meetings can be far enough that I rather just call in, but as I've become stronger and more interested in physical activity in general, I'd walk. I used to be the one waiting for others to visit the shop floor and other errands so we could combine things we need to look at or get done. Now, well, I still do that, but I also get moving and try to be the one asking folks if they need anything

Anyway the lady would stop for a few minutes every hour - take a quick walk, do push ups, jumping jacks etc just anything to move. One thing I'm curious though, for those who walk a lot especially during lunch, I tried this once and wound up sweaty and stinky. How do you avoid this?

My true source of activity is the gym. Personally I'm there for hours every week. I go after work. My drive is longish but my gym bag is already packed in the car and I do drink diet dew to keep me awake and alert during the drive and also to help me get through my workout. I also get McDonald's coffee on the way home again for the drive, but nowadays more as an awesomely tasty post workout ritual (40 calories of creamer lol)

Weekends can also be used to get in a longer workout if your week days tend to be more limited for exercise