I work a Desk Job.

country88girl
country88girl Posts: 35 Member
edited November 15 in Getting Started
At my job I sit at my desk 90% of the day working and when Im not working I am in school. Also sitting. I have to find little ways to do be more active at work besides getting up to get somethin g off of the printer. Anyone successful find a way to loose the weight while working a desk job? I am looking to loose about 50lbs. I have a FitBit and have been using it since December and now im trying to do even better. Feel free to add me and we can encourage each other!

Replies

  • HappyTrails7
    HappyTrails7 Posts: 878 Member
    I work from home and am at my desk between 9-11 hours a day. I just recently bought a Varidesk, which allows me to quickly and easily work standing up or sitting down. Here's a thread with a little more information if you're interested:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10121488/standup-desk#latest
  • sunburntgalaxy
    sunburntgalaxy Posts: 455 Member
    I second the varidesk if your company will let you get one. Everyone in my office (well us cube dwellers at least) has one and we all love them. And honestly I am in the same boat - I do print things one at a time just to try to get a few more steps in, and I take the long way to get from one spot to another. I am lucky because I can go out in the warehouse and walk around a bit too. Also try standing while you are on the phone if you can (if you aren't also on the computer, and writing stuff down and 1000 other things at the same time - which you probably are at a desk job - at least I know I am). You can pace around a little while you are talking to get some movement in too.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    I worked a desk job for 30+ years (10 hour days) and it is easy to become very sedentary. That being said, I have been successful over the years at losing and keeping weight off and keeping the dreaded 'secretary spread' at bay. (Old school term, I know)! LOL

    A couple ideas that helped me:
    • Walk on your break and lunch anywhere you can. You can do a mile in less than 30 mins!
    • Park as far away from the office as possible and hike in from the furthest space.
    • If you take public transit get off a stop or two before the office.
    • Ride a bike to work, if you can. (I never could do this because I commuted.)
    • Go to the bathroom on a different floor EVERY time. If it's a one story building then take the long way around. Do a few exercises in the stall (squats work well).
    • Stand up and do squats at your desk.
    • Stand up and do leg lifts at your desk.
    • Get a small hand weight and do bicep curls and tricep kickbacks.
    • Tighten your core while you sit up straight. This works to tone your abs!
    Of course, some of the above wouldn't work if you are manning a reception desk, but just the walking on breaks and parking further away are quite helpful.

    Good luck!
  • swirlybee
    swirlybee Posts: 497 Member
    Those are great ideas. If you can, walk to other people's offices/cubes instead of calling them on the phone or sending them an email.
  • JeanMBK
    JeanMBK Posts: 728 Member
    Within a couple of weeks I will be moving into a cubicle area at work. I'm not sure where the bathroom is at this location but I will look at using bathrooms on different floors. I park as far as I can from the entrance and my new work area will be closer so I will have to park even farther away to get the steps in. This week I set a goal to get 3000 steps in during work. Not a problem when I run after work the last couple of days, but will be more challenging tomorrow when I may end up being at a desk all day. I know 3000 does not sound like a lot, but it is a goal to get me up out of the desk chair and if I find I am reaching this daily without too much effort I will up the steps.

    I couldn't get out to run and I couldnt get to the treadmill so I spent 20 minutes running up and down my stairs one evening. It truly was a workout and if you can do that between work and school it will help as well.
    Not sure I actually gave you advice, but I wish you the best. Feel free to add me if you would like a new friend.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    I have a desk job and lost all the weight I wanted to lose and then some. I had to find ways to be active outside of work. At work, best I can do is drink lots of water and walk to restroom frequently. My steps on rest days are pitiful. Usually under 2000.
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    You can set alarms so your Fitbit will buzz and remind you to move. When I was working I had it go off every hour. I'd get up, walk up one flight of stairs, around the building, down the stairs and back to my desk. It's surprising how quickly the steps and stairs add up.
  • nonoelmo
    nonoelmo Posts: 3,941 Member
    Stand whenever you can - when on the phone for example. Flex your legs under the desk. Lunch walks or runs and break walks are great.
  • 00figg
    00figg Posts: 111 Member
    i also work in an office and some days the workload makes it impossible to move! but other days, it is easy to get up every hour or so and hit the stairs for a few minutes. the more water you drink, the more times you have to go to the ladies room (double bonus!) also, eat your lunch at your desk and walk during your lunch hour - outside or in the parking garage if the weather is bad. you can log thousands of steps that way! i average 15k steps a day doing this...usually 12k by the time i leave the office. good luck!
  • tequila5000
    tequila5000 Posts: 128 Member
    These are all super ideas to be more active when at a sedentary job. I too, sit at a desk all day. In my experience, though, what I put in my mouth is more important than how much i moved, when it came to weight loss. I saw this somewhere, "You can't out-exercise a bad diet". Of course, the more active we are, the better it is for our overall health, so its definitely important to be active in whatever way works into your schedule and lifestyle.

    But since your question is: Anyone successful find a way to loose the weight while working a desk job? I think the answer is to log your food and intentional exercise and stay at a calorie deficit. I have my deficit set to 1/2 pound a week, and even though its slow going, I can see results each month!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I work a desk job and lost over 30 lbs. I get up early to work out for an hour and do a little mini-workout in my office at the beginning of lunch (only 10 minutes; just to keep my body moving). I also walk my dog in the evenings, but it's only about a 20 minute walk.

    Not sure what working a desk job has to do with losing weight. Calories in vs. calories out. Eat less than your body burns and ta-da, weight loss.
  • smashley_mashley
    smashley_mashley Posts: 589 Member
    country88girl wrote: »
    At my job I sit at my desk 90% of the day working and when Im not working I am in school. Also sitting. I have to find little ways to do be more active at work besides getting up to get somethin g off of the printer. Anyone successful find a way to loose the weight while working a desk job? I am looking to loose about 50lbs. I have a FitBit and have been using it since December and now im trying to do even better. Feel free to add me and we can encourage each other!
    Yes... You make time to exercise (maybe on your lunch break) and eat less.
  • elet27
    elet27 Posts: 8
    @country88girl Yeah I can relate! I also work a desk job for 9 hours/day too, so I looked for a program that will suit my lifestyle and it really gave me best results. I want to share it with you http://www.nourishweightlossandwellness.com/six-weeks-to-slim-healthy-program/
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    I work a desk job, and am still pretty active at work.

    On breaks/lunches, I'll take a walk around the outside of the building. If your building isn't that big, just walk around it a couple of times. Mine is nearly 1/3 of a mile around the perimeter, so three times a day is just about a mile.
  • Kimberly_Harper
    Kimberly_Harper Posts: 409 Member
    Yes, I work a desk job too and have for over 20 years. I forget to get up a lot but like you, I have a fitbit and try to find ways to get my steps in during the day, and I read many great suggestions how to do that (in this thread) - but I also overhauled the way I eat, which is when I started losing weight.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
    edited April 2015
    Every little bit adds up. For bathroom breaks I use the furthest restroom on the work campus. I didn't used to take my 10 minute breaks but I do now and use it to walk. My half hour lunch is split 50/50 walking then eating (I eat the main part of the lunch during my 15 minutes then nibble on the veggies/side for another half hour while I"m working).

    On a really busy day I can add about 2 miles to my day. On a quiet day I can easily add 5 miles.

    ETA: My company is pretty health conscious and set up an indoor "Activity Trail" with plagues on the wall indicating where to turn and where to go next. It takes you up stairs through random hallways back down stairs and loops around to make a 5 mile 'hike'. They encourage us to use it daily, it's awesome!
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
    I go for a brisk walk on my lunch break before I eat and it really helps to energize me during the day.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    Desk job here and I'm down 89 pounds. I have always worked a desk job. You lose weight by eating at a deficit, not exercising. Don't get me wrong, exercise *helps* and it feels good and it helps you maintain a loss, but eating less calories than you burn is what causes you to lose weight. You have to faithfully measure, weigh and track your food, but you can easily lose weight while working at a desk job.

    To get exercise, I go to the gym before work or I walk at lunch. I also wear a fitbit and make a point of walking around the office and I go to the floor below to get water and use the bathroom.
  • ScottyBeBop
    ScottyBeBop Posts: 174 Member
    I set up a stand up desk. love it. I never get tired anymore but my legs are pretty sore by the end of the day (10 hours days:(
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    I have got a reminder popping up on my screen every 30 minutes telling me to take a break from my computer, which "forces" me to at least remember to take a break. I do approx. 500 steps every break, preferably walking up and down the stairs a couple of times.
    You step-counter will become an addiction very quickly
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Yes desk job ..now aiming for maintenance after losing 50lbs

    Fitbit - stairs and lunchtime walks, dog walks after work

    Workout 3 times a week with cardio and a progressive lifting / calisthenics programme at the gym

    And eat at a defecit
  • fvtfan
    fvtfan Posts: 126 Member
    I have my alarm on my Fitbit set to go off every hour - makes me remember to move and I just get up and walk around the office for a few minutes. It is kind of amazing how fast those steps add up if you do it every hour.

    That being said - losing weight is all about calories, so just stay at your calorie for the day and you will lose. Harder to do if you don't move much because your calorie goal will probably be low, but it is possible.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories