When your job requires you to sit down 8 hours...

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Replies

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Could you get a standing workstation? (Might not be an option.)
    My job originally was intended to be done sitting. My "co-worker" still sits most of the time. She's also pretty round.
    I got them to raise my work table so I can stand. My back feels a lot better.
    So I'm standing, walking, etc. maybe half of most days. (Still have to sit to sew.)
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I work 8-4 and it's mostly sitting down. I get up and work out before I go into work and on my lunch breaks I go for walks outside weather permitting.

    It's all about burning more calories than you are taking in. Make sure you are eating in a deficit and you will lose weight. Invest in a food scale if you don't have one already :)
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    I work 8-5 without lunch break (gotta take it at the desk...corporate america for ya). Aside from it meaning I burn a little less during the day, it hasn't been a problem for me. You just ensure you're active outside of work. You exercise and don't just go home and sit until bed.

    It really all comes down to food. A desk job shouldn't hinder you.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
    I walk in the mornings for 45-60 minutes, and then lift 3x per week.

    Obviously, the calorie deficit through food is the biggest component, but I find it's easier to make the deficit if I walk. Those extra calories burned add up.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Also I workout out right after work.
  • KatyP29
    KatyP29 Posts: 19 Member
    I had a similar problem, went from standing/walking up to 8 hours a day plus walking to and from work to sitting for 9 hours and working too far away from home for walking to be an option. I wasn't too big to start with but it made the difference of at least a stone increase in weight.

    I cannot really help as I have not managed to put myself right. Yet. But to all those who don't work in an office, please don't assume that because our jobs are not physically challenging we bounce home each day, the job itself can be very mentally draining and doesn't necessarily put you into an energetic mindset when you are finished for the day. At least in my experience.

    And to whomever told the OP to use the other 16 hours a day!......do you not consider that 8 of those are used for sleeping, a couple could be used for travel, cooking and eating evening meal and possibly many other things that cannot be avoided.

    I agree with the eat less option but who said the OP was eating a lot in the first place.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    You've got to break up that sitting; it's deadly. Do some research; find ways to move more.

    For losing weight, I agree with everyone else - you have to eat less.
  • sineadt84
    sineadt84 Posts: 51 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    The same way anybody loses weight. Eat less, move more, or do a combo.

    Yeeeeaaaah. I'm not even sure what the question is supposed to be here. Do most people have jobs that require them to jog for 8 hours per day?

    I sit for 8-10 hours a day in an office. When I was a student and working in retail I was on my feet constantly and yes - "jogging/running" up and down stairs to get stuff for customers. Not to mention all the lifting and carrying when accepting deliveries! I didn't realise it at the time but I would love it if I were on my feet all day again. Sitting in front of a computer makes you so sluggish!

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,262 Member
    KatyP29 wrote: »
    I had a similar problem, went from standing/walking up to 8 hours a day plus walking to and from work to sitting for 9 hours and working too far away from home for walking to be an option. I wasn't too big to start with but it made the difference of at least a stone increase in weight.

    I cannot really help as I have not managed to put myself right. Yet. But to all those who don't work in an office, please don't assume that because our jobs are not physically challenging we bounce home each day, the job itself can be very mentally draining and doesn't necessarily put you into an energetic mindset when you are finished for the day. At least in my experience.

    And to whomever told the OP to use the other 16 hours a day!......do you not consider that 8 of those are used for sleeping, a couple could be used for travel, cooking and eating evening meal and possibly many other things that cannot be avoided.

    I agree with the eat less option but who said the OP was eating a lot in the first place.

    Anybody who is overweight has been eating more than necessary to maintain at a healthy weight. That doesn't necessarily mean a lot, or a lot more, but more, period. And as for the advice to use the other 16 hours a day, it makes perfect sense to me. I don't see what is wrong with that advice. A large percentage of people who successfully lose weight do so while holding down full time sedentary jobs. If you want to lose weight you figure out how to be more active outside of that (assuming activity while working is not possible) or you eat less or you do a combo of the two.
  • ThatMouse
    ThatMouse Posts: 229 Member
    You work 8-5 5 days a week - what do you do with the rest of your day?

    Me, I work out for 1-1.5 hrs before I even set foot in the office. Then I go home, play video games/do laundry for 2 hours and then head out for an evening activity of 3 hours. Come home, shower and sleep. This happens 3x a week. On the 2x a week in the remaining 5, I do my 1-1.5 hours of working out, my 8 hours of work, then hang out with my partner for the evening (and we sometimes take walks, otherwise we sit on our *kitten* and watch TV), then head home to sleep.

    On the weekends, I have 3 hours of karate on Sat mornings, then the rest of the weekend as rest.

    I ask again - what do you do with the other 16 hours of your day?

    @KatyP29 I'm not the original person who said to use the other 16 hours of the day, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that the OP of that statement meant "work out for 16 hours straight - do not leave your desk, store a barbell and plates under your desk and go straight from sitting to lifting many heavy things. Do not eat, sleep or *kitten* - just lift".

    But what you do in those 16 hours - whether it's sleep, working out, sitting on the pot, doing meal prep - will dictate how your results look despite those 8 hours. If you try not sleeping, obviously it's not going to be a good time. If you try not *kitten*, obviously it's not going to be a good time. I think the OP knows how to properly use 16 hours to get in the required bodily/social functions and still have enough time to workout.
  • sineadt84
    sineadt84 Posts: 51 Member
    KatyP29 wrote: »

    But to all those who don't work in an office, please don't assume that because our jobs are not physically challenging we bounce home each day, the job itself can be very mentally draining and doesn't necessarily put you into an energetic mindset when you are finished for the day. At least in my experience.

    Agreed, I'd much rather be physically tired than mentally tired. I had much more energy finishing work after 8 hours running about than I do now!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    I have had a desk job for the past ten years and I managed to lose weight, keep it off, and run a bulk/cut cycle...I typically work out in the afternoon after work. What matters is that you are in calorie deficit = CICO.

    But here is my standard advice:

    this is my standard advice:

    1. Enter stats into MFP and set for x amount of weight loss.
    2. Eat to the number that MFP gives you.
    3. get a food scale and weigh all solid foods, and as many liquids as possible.
    4. log everything
    5. make sure that you are using correct MFP database entries
    6. realize that there are no bad foods and that while the majority of foods should come from nutrient dense sources, there is nothing wrong with having pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc, as long as ones micro and macro needs are met.
    7. macro setting are typically .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight; fill in rest with carbs.
    8. find a form of exercise that you like and do it < not necessary for weight loss, but is for overall health and body comp.

    couple stickies I would recommend:

    Recomposition:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/33125652#Comment_33125652

    Bulking:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10049766/bulking-a-complete-guide-for-beginners

    sidesteels guide:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

  • askfitnessblog93
    askfitnessblog93 Posts: 4 Member
    East less, change macros, get up early or go the to gym and nite - i do it. 6am fasted cardio, 8pm-10pm weight lifting, at desk you can do calf raises and abb movements can even do tricep dips if u wanted to
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
    You eat less and move more. I was working in a cubicle for 55-60 hours per week when I lost 40 pounds. Just take a break at some point and run a 5k every day. It's a lot easier than it sounds.
  • bigorangemichael
    bigorangemichael Posts: 27 Member
    Another resource I've found is YouTube. There are some good workouts with trainers on there that you can stream to your TV or computer and use. I've got a Kindle Fire stick that allows me to stream on the YouTube app and I like to use a workout there when I can't make it to the gym. There are a variety of levels and you should find something there.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
    sineadt84 wrote: »
    KatyP29 wrote: »

    But to all those who don't work in an office, please don't assume that because our jobs are not physically challenging we bounce home each day, the job itself can be very mentally draining and doesn't necessarily put you into an energetic mindset when you are finished for the day. At least in my experience.

    Agreed, I'd much rather be physically tired than mentally tired. I had much more energy finishing work after 8 hours running about than I do now!

    +1

    My job is more mentally demanding than any physical job I've ever had (and I was military).

    Mentally draining jobs can fatigue a person just as much as physical ones.

    I feel for you folks who work in an office. I work from home; a nap does wonders for concentration and recharging the batteries in the afternoon. But very few workplaces allow naps.
  • QueenKristine77
    QueenKristine77 Posts: 67 Member
    I work 8-4, 5 days a week. I get up super early to make sure I get at least an hour of exercise in. Then i take a walk at lunch, anywhere from 20-60 minutes. I try to get up often during the day to stretch my legs and whatnot
  • impromark
    impromark Posts: 119 Member
    Definitely eat less. Drink more fluids - I drink a lot of tea and water. It'll make you head for the head more often, but good news - use that to move around and do something. I work on the 14th floor of a 22-floor building, and when nature calls, I use the bathroom up on 22 and then take the elevator back to the main floor, and climb back to my desk. I also eat at my desk and then take a quick walk around over lunch. Luckily my city has an enclosed system of bridges to get around downtown without going outside, and over the past three years at my current job I've explored darn near every public second floor hallway in the network. :)

    I also work out first thing in the morning... For me, it gives me energy and keeps me from wanting to nap when I was heavier. Still don't understand why, but I'm not complaining. Best of luck to you! Even those who are less sedentary at work still have challenges getting the RIGHT combination of work and food to get to their goals. Be patient, try a bunch of stuff out, and find what works for you.

    Mark