How does your career help or not help your weight loss?

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Jpinpoint
Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm a Director of Projects for a huge Utility in North America. I've worked in the power industry for 10 yrs, prior it was gas utility and phone utility. I changed industries to a demand and not luxury.

I work 50-70 hours a week. I travel 3 weeks a month.

Since moving or taking a bigger step in my weight loss and fitness I've made my gym time a priority and I do meal prep. If I have a client meeting I make very critical food choices to make sure I feel good about my choices.

My work is HIGH stress. I get excited to get I to the gym every day and hit cardiovascular or weights hard to work out some of my stress.

My work makes me feel supported in my weight loss goals.

How does your work/weight loss clash or benefit for you?
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  • neithomp
    neithomp Posts: 19 Member
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    I work 10hr shifts in a small trailer that I have to sit in that whole time. No stress job..I try and pace to get some exercise and steps on my Garmin...if I pace A LOT I can get maybe 3000 steps a day, but that makes me more motivated to go to the gym.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    free gym access here too, but we have a cafeteria that seems to delight in baked goods. It also seems to be someone's birthday like every day. I try to stay strong, but have been known to have weak moments. lol.

    I also sit on my *kitten* all day when not at the gym so that's not great.
  • Dekayla13
    Dekayla13 Posts: 64 Member
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    I'm a cook. The long days are great for calorie burns. I don't eat at work because I work in a seafood restaurant but I'm allergic to it and we rarely get breaks. (Developed the allergy there, from over exposure, perk of the job...) The down side is that after three 14+ hour a day, no eating shifts, I'm worn out and lazy and want to sit around and eat everything on my day off.
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
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    I'm a computer programmer with a team that's all over the world - which means I can't have walking meetings, spend long times away from my computer, etc. Our old office had a gym and winding walking paths but this one doesn't.

    So....it doesn't help me at all. But at least my schedule is regular so it's easy to fall into a routine.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    I sit on my behind at a desk all day and only get up to go to a photocopier etc. It definitely doesn't help but I'm usually so busy that I don't have time to get bored and snack, the odd time even missing meals and the day flies, so in that sense it's good.
  • jbuzzed
    jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
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    I'm a fitness instructor so it hasn't helped at all :lol:
  • GypsyHeartRN
    GypsyHeartRN Posts: 17 Member
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    I am an ER nurse and I walk about 11,000 steps on average a shift but there are donuts in the break room all the time so kind of ruins the exercise.
  • Jpinpoint
    Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
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    neithomp wrote: »
    I work 10hr shifts in a small trailer that I have to sit in that whole time. No stress job..I try and pace to get some exercise and steps on my Garmin...if I pace A LOT I can get maybe 3000 steps a day, but that makes me more motivated to go to the gym.

    My normal job is in a construction trailer. I make it an effort, like you, to get extra steps in. I used to smoke so I would use it as an excuse to go outside and walk my job site. Now I go outside and walk until I don't want to anymore. Sometimes though, I forget to get up and go walk. It's easy to slide into work mode and ignore the need to stretch your legs.
  • Jpinpoint
    Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
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    fascha wrote: »
    I sit on my behind at a desk all day and only get up to go to a photocopier etc. It definitely doesn't help but I'm usually so busy that I don't have time to get bored and snack, the odd time even missing meals and the day flies, so in that sense it's good.

    I worked in an office for about a year and I noticed the ladies would get together and go walk the industrial park on their lunches.
    I often found myself like you, so busy that it would keep me from snacking and sometimes I'd forget to eat at all.

    It's great to find a balance.
  • Jpinpoint
    Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
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    jbuzzed wrote: »
    I'm a fitness instructor so it hasn't helped at all :lol:

    Well...lol that's great. :)
  • Jpinpoint
    Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
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    GypsyHeartRN wrote: »
    I am an ER nurse and I walk about 11,000 steps on average a shift but there are donuts in the break room all the time so kind of ruins the exercise.

    Donuts. So evil.

    Thank you for being an ER Nurse. Your work helps so many and I appreciate it. I could never be a nurse of any kind so I can deeply appreciate a nurse, especially an ER Nurse, I can't imagine it's very glamorous. :)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I work overnights at the front desk of a hotel. In some ways it helps, in some ways it doesn't. I have almost complete control over when I eat and how much I move around, which is nice. But during the downtimes, which are frequent, it's super tempting to snack, and I'm also tempted to snack to stay awake. Also, there are some tasty foods just sitting around (I prepare breakfast, too).
  • DoneWorking
    DoneWorking Posts: 247 Member
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    No effect... I'm retired! :-)
  • endlessloser
    endlessloser Posts: 106 Member
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    I struggle to fit it in but am working on it. I work for myself... technically at home so "kind of" no excuse, except that I'm always running around doing something (errands etc) - so not always behind my desk. Those days it's easier to get my steps. Also I take my daughter to school (college) in a city 45 min away (no licence/no other way for her to get there - we live in too small of a town, no one else goes on the same schedule even remotely).

    I get to go sit at starbucks for the few hours she's there and focus. (No, I don't indulge - I stick with tea which has free refills lol). However - I have started going to an indoor track nearby us right after so that we get at least a 5k walk in 3 times a week.

    Then I strive 5 days a week to get another 30-60 minutes in the evenings of toning (abs, brazil butt lift, sometimes combat 30). I allow 1 full day off (I'm usually still running around that day anyway, i.e., shopping etc).

    The issue is really going to be when she's done school in 5 weeks, I have to be sure NOT to get back into my rut - working from home, behind my desk, and only getting up when I'm getting a drink, food or washroom break. That kills my step count to a crawl. Hard to make that break during the day when it's "work time" - because if I worked for someone else, I couldn't just up and leave for a workout. On the other hand, I could use my lunch time if I worked elsewhere - so it is definitely motivating myself and finding that balance.

    On a good note, for the past 3 weeks, it's starting to fall into a regular routine and I'm finally getting results again. Oh - I also am planning on signing up for a "Run Disney" for 2017, so it's a helpful motivating factor (even though I was never a runner lol) - but to know I have to reach a goal, it's keeping me going even with a desk job.
  • nojuicejustjin
    nojuicejustjin Posts: 112 Member
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    I'm a photographer. It helps since I'm running around all day lol
  • bmcohen2780
    bmcohen2780 Posts: 17 Member
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    I work in sign/light service so I'm moving a lot during the day but travel job to job all over lower New England. I used to eat a lot of fast food but I bring lunch now. I also work tiring, long days from 7-5 so I'm usually too tired to exercise when I get home.
  • debmom2boyz
    debmom2boyz Posts: 86 Member
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    I have been able.to resist treats at work. I do have to get better at bringing a lunch. School lunches are kind of gross.

    I am going to start walking the track (during recess) and I am going to work on eliminating the elevator.

  • ParadiseLost91
    ParadiseLost91 Posts: 28 Member
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    I'm a student, which means I'm sitting on my bum at lectures the whole day, and sitting on my bum to study when I get home.
    So my "work" is not really helping me. I do try to stand up during our short 5-minute breaks, and go for walks during lunch time.

    I do find it difficult to fit gym time in, because my studies are very hard, and going to the gym is taking time away from my studies. As a student you never have time off, there's always something you need to read or an exam to prepare for.

    So gym-time is mostly on weekends, where I can work out in the morning and then go home and study.

    Things are looking up though, since I will soon start my clinical rotations (I'm in vet school). This means being on my feet the whole day at our hospitals, and walking around.
    The large animal rotation should prove especially beneficial, when we are "wrestling" young calves to get a blood sample or doing rectal exploration on a horse (which is HARD work I tell you, much more than it looks like!)

    So I'm looking forward to being more active soon, once we start our clinical rotations :)
  • Jpinpoint
    Jpinpoint Posts: 219 Member
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    You all are awesome. Thank you for so many comments. It's nice to read how so many of us are in the same boat. Keep up the good work!!!!!

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