Not working, does that make it easier or harder ?

andysport1 · August 2016

So I worked full time, self employed gardener/maintenance had a cycling accident, won't work for 6 months, won't be able to do heavy manual for 2 years. Sickness insurance doesn't cover broken back from cycling. Financially its a set back but won't cause stress.
I'm now able to walk 1 mile non stop,
To the question, does being off work make the whole exercise/diet thing easier or harder ?

I've found myself picking at sweet stuff a lot, I generally think I'm eating less "don't log"
In the last month my weight has stayed equal.
I've jumped on a walking challenge as its the only exercise I can do at the moment.

Any of you guys used to work and now don't what are your experiences, advice to me please.

Trailtramper74 · August 2016

My husband who did similar work found it to be harder, but he walks a lot and lifts a bit. He made it work. Of course, he only gained a bit after he retired. Before that, he had no issues. I find it easier because fitting workouts in is challenging while working long hours, but my job provides little exercise. When I didn't work, I walked a lot and cleaned. Cleaning really burns calories for me.

fatgiraffe2 · August 2016

I'm recently unemployed and have found it much easier. In the care service I used to work we had a lady who was a fantastic chef and I could never say no to her cooking. With commuting to and from work I very rarely worked out, but now I'm at home I workout around 3 times a week. Now I'm looking for work closer to home so I'll still fit it in.

However since I've been at home, I've made sure that my weekly shop doesn't involve buying things that I can snack on all day, because I would be picking at things. Making sure the fruit bowl is full of different types of fruit is working okay for the snacking urge at the moment.

sweetilemon · August 2016

It's just different challenges. I always thought if I didn't work I would be sooo slim as I would have the energy to go to the gym everyday. When I work im on my feet all day and there is plenty of freshly made healthy food available. I'm on maternity leave now after losing my baby at 1 month so trying to focus on losing weight and being healthy as I want to use the time my daughter gave me for some good. I think it's just as hard. I do get to the gym/pool most days but I don't 'have' to get up early and be on my feet all day so generally lie in and some days I'm too depressed to move. As people know I'm off I get invited for coffee and lunch a lot so more temptation. I suppose my situation is slightly different as I planned to be breastfeeding and out walking with the pram. It's still a battle.

VintageFeline · August 2016

I think it can depend on your job. If you had/have a physical job then adjusting your intake down whilst staving off boredom can be tricky.

Personally, I don't currently work due to mental health issues and it's a lot easier. I have the mental energy and time to actually get my workouts in. I'm more sedentary in daily life but it's easy to compensate. Working takes so much out of me that dealing with anything else is just not a thing, even on days off. At least not in recent years.

kommodevaran · August 2016

It depends. It can go both ways.

andysport1 · August 2016

kommodevaran wrote: »

It depends. It can go both ways.

Thanks that's really helpful :-)

gillie80 · August 2016

i find if i'm at home i snack. we dont have vending machine where i work or a staffed canteen so i have to bring my breakfast and lunch with me. at home i can just jump in the car or walk down the road if i want something sweet.

vespiquenn · August 2016

I thought it would be easier, but I'm finding out otherwise. I'm a teacher and decided to take the summer off. I thought I would be able to stick better to a schedule. Workout wise, I was. But in the middle of July, I ended up with a running injury that some days I couldn't even walk. So now workouts and food have been a struggle.

I'm sorry to hear about you back. It seems like you're making strides in the right direction, which is awesome.

TLCFORM · August 2016

sweetilemon wrote: »

It's just different challenges. I always thought if I didn't work I would be sooo slim as I would have the energy to go to the gym everyday. When I work im on my feet all day and there is plenty of freshly made healthy food available. I'm on maternity leave now after losing my baby at 1 month so trying to focus on losing weight and being healthy as I want to use the time my daughter gave me for some good. I think it's just as hard. I do get to the gym/pool most days but I don't 'have' to get up early and be on my feet all day so generally lie in and some days I'm too depressed to move. As people know I'm off I get invited for coffee and lunch a lot so more temptation. I suppose my situation is slightly different as I planned to be breastfeeding and out walking with the pram. It's still a battle.

So sorry to hear this x

nickisa28 · August 2016

I took voluntary redundancy just under 2 months ago and decided to take 3 months off before looking for employment again. I was a recruitment manager for a chain of restaurants. Although I was always busy and worked long hours, my job involved either sitting at a desk, sitting in meetings or sitting in my car for hours on end! So in most respects it's been easier to lose weight while not working for me but I think it's because my job was the worst kind-long hours but not physically active. I have more time to cook fresh, healthy meals, i have time to work out more now and now my days are spent 'working' around the house. So even though I've set my activity level to 'not very active' I'm probably more physically active now than when I was working. Although I'm guessing that's not the case with you

I don't snack half as much as I used to because I'm eating my meals at the right time and how I plan my day is dictated by me, not my boss so I can keep busy when I know I might be tempted, I can plan my meals and workouts around what works for me rather than around my job. I'm planning on starting my own cleaning business when my 3 months off are up..which I'm actually really looking forward to (diet wise) because it will mean I can set my activity level to 'active' and get a few more calories a day.

I guess everyone comes across issues/obstacles no matter what their lifestyle so don't let it hold you back..good luck X

Muscleflex79 · August 2016

I was off work for 14 weeks after knee surgery and thought it would be great - part of the rehab was being in the gym and working the legs so thought it would be a great chance to lose weight and get in the best shape ever! Well, didn't quite work like that. The knee surgery failed, couldn't do all I wanted in the gym and ended up having so many more opportunities to eat junk. Now that I'm back at work, I find the routine definitely helps - easier to stick to my pre-planned logs and not tempted all day to be eating stuff at home. I think while the exercising is easier when you are off (I could base my whole day around going to the gym!), the eating part (for me) is easier to control now that I'm back at work.

tjones0411 · August 2016

I find it much easier to stick to my eating plan during the week while I'm at work. I'm busy, I pre-pack my food...and I'm just in a set routine. When I'm at home and have free time on my hands, I want to graze and it's harder to stay on track when you can hear the Oreos calling from the next room.

If I was in your situation, I'd be forced to come up with a new routine. Or I'd quickly slip into bad habits.

kaiwenyao · August 2016

sweetilemon wrote: »

It's just different challenges. I always thought if I didn't work I would be sooo slim as I would have the energy to go to the gym everyday. When I work im on my feet all day and there is plenty of freshly made healthy food available. I'm on maternity leave now after losing my baby at 1 month so trying to focus on losing weight and being healthy as I want to use the time my daughter gave me for some good. I think it's just as hard. I do get to the gym/pool most days but I don't 'have' to get up early and be on my feet all day so generally lie in and some days I'm too depressed to move. As people know I'm off I get invited for coffee and lunch a lot so more temptation. I suppose my situation is slightly different as I planned to be breastfeeding and out walking with the pram. It's still a battle.

I am really sorry to hear of your loss.

Lounmoun · August 2016

andysport1 wrote: »

So I worked full time, self employed gardener/maintenance had a cycling accident, won't work for 6 months, won't be able to do heavy manual for 2 years. Sickness insurance doesn't cover broken back from cycling. Financially its a set back but won't cause stress.
I'm now able to walk 1 mile non stop,
To the question, does being off work make the whole exercise/diet thing easier or harder ?

I've found myself picking at sweet stuff a lot, I generally think I'm eating less "don't log"
In the last month my weight has stayed equal.
I've jumped on a walking challenge as its the only exercise I can do at the moment.

Any of you guys used to work and now don't what are your experiences, advice to me please.

I have been home the whole time I've been losing weight. From what I read on the forums it isn't harder or easier just a few differences.
Positive- I have a lot of control over my food. No one is knocking at my door with doughnuts, cookies or pizza. No one judges my lunch choices. I plan the meals, buy the food, cook the food. I have time to cook. I can exercise at any point in my day really.
Negatives- I am around food all the time. I don't have a structured environment and firm schedule. It is easy to blow off exercise and read, play video games, surf the internet or sleep. I can easily get less than 3,000 steps a day if I don't make an effort.

I put food out of sight mostly. I get out of the kitchen. I plan meals and prelog my day's food every morning. I got a pedometer. I try to walk at least 30 minutes a day.

Not working, does that make it easier or harder ?

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