Does your job contribute to your weight gain?

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  • beginforthelasttime16
    beginforthelasttime16 Posts: 533 Member
    I sit and sit and sit and it sure isn't physically exhausting but extremely mentally exhausting. So sometimes yes- but if I force myself to go workout I never regret the exercise
  • 25lbsorbust
    25lbsorbust Posts: 225 Member
    Yes! It's actually a huge issue- some days I'm busy and running around the office building, up and down stairs and all around. And then other days I have absolutely no reason to move from my desk except during my lunch break.

    Usually mentally I start to get worn down by those latter days, so I end up taking a lot of 10-15 min walks in the middle of my shift. I just put on a podcast and go! Way more productive after, much happier, and I've gotten upwards of 2k steps extra to boot.
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
    Yes, definitely. I sit all day When I'm bored, especially in the afternoon, I go get snacks. It's a bad habit I'm breaking.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Sitting a desk job all day certainly doesn't help with weight control. But since I had a desk job for over 20 years before I became overweight I don't think I could really blame the job. It still comes down to whether I choose to overeat or not.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Sitting a desk job all day certainly doesn't help with weight control. But since I had a desk job for over 20 years before I became overweight I don't think I could really blame the job. It still comes down to whether I choose to overeat or not.

    Yep. There was a time when I blamed my job (at least to myself). Then I realized that plenty of people with my very same job weren't overweight, so it wasn't the job, it was my own choices. That was an empowering realization when I had it, obvious as it probably sounds now.
  • a_candler
    a_candler Posts: 209 Member
    For me, yes, I'm a cook at a school and I'm constantly taste testing to get things just right. All those samples add up.
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    It did. I was a teacher, high school, and my husband and I ran a mom and pop motel for 24 years while we were raising our family.

    I was stressed, overworked. I overate. I didn't have time for me. Th days were too long and when I added time on a treadmill or stationary bike to the beginning of my day, I lost even more sleep.

    Now that I've been retired for just over five years, I've got my energy and my life back. I can d vote myself to hobbies, eating well no exercising.

    Thankfully I stayed healthy despite the pounds I had packed on my body. Being tall likely helped me. Now I feel like a 20 year old, despite being 60. In a year I lost over 60 pounds and have maintained that loss since the spring. There is hope. You can do this!
  • Nads36
    Nads36 Posts: 108 Member
    Thanks everyone...its lovely to hear how you are tackling your healthy eating/weight loss whilst dealing with demands of your jobs. Keep up the fantastic work!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    I use to poo poo people who said they gained weight due to their job....until I changed jobs. And gained weight because of my job. Really it's due to a lack of self-control. But being under crippling stress with free cookies in my face was/is horrible. I feel like I'm almost back to my starting weight.
  • hdonaldsonm
    hdonaldsonm Posts: 22 Member
    Yes, mostly because of the stress and frustration associated with it. When I'm in the field I walk a lot and it's great exercise but those days are far and few between now. Actively looking for a new job with normal hours that will allow me to join teams or go to fitness classes regularly and help me meet people in town.
  • astrdomitter
    astrdomitter Posts: 120 Member
    I travel 85 % of the time for work so I eat out alot. I've put on 5 pounds in the past two years but I also sit more at this job than the previous one so I really have to exercise.
  • ashcky
    ashcky Posts: 393 Member
    @KristenJackie you might appreciate this post since you've been trying to figure out how to manage work.
  • TrailRunn3r82
    TrailRunn3r82 Posts: 126 Member
    Quite the opposite. I walk a lot at my job. A fellow co-worker logged 13 miles on their FitBit with GPS while working a typical 10 hour shift. Not every position at our company requires this much walking but I would guess quite a few require 5+ miles of walking per day.
  • Nads36
    Nads36 Posts: 108 Member
    Many of you have inspired me on here...I will be packing my trainers so when I get any cancellations at work I can go for walks (my work shoes are not practical) I used to sit around in the car with a coffee (and cake) waiting for my next appointment!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    Nads36 wrote: »
    Many of you have inspired me on here...I will be packing my trainers so when I get any cancellations at work I can go for walks (my work shoes are not practical) I used to sit around in the car with a coffee (and cake) waiting for my next appointment!

    Good idea!

    For a while there, I was going out at lunch, parking myself in a local park and reading a book. Nice ... but doesn't burn a lot of calories. Plus if I've been sitting all day at work, more sitting is the last thing I needed. Now I walk. :)
  • jhdz95614
    jhdz95614 Posts: 9 Member
    Mine does, I work at the local 7eleven. It makes it hard for me to stick to my life style change, with so much junk food and soda
  • Cheerios0392
    Cheerios0392 Posts: 46 Member
    When I first started I noticed my weight starting to creep up so I nipped it in the bud within the first three months of working there. Pack my lunch the night before, and sometimes dinner as well if I'm working later than 5pm. Bring healthy snacks and a water bottle I refill throughout the day. A coffee thermos to fill with tea, coffee or fruity tea. Could even go for low calorie hot chocolate if I really wanted. And I go for walks during my breaks. I manage to get up to 10,000 steps every day since I catch public transport as well and have to walk from the station.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    Potentially my job could contribute to weight gain, but ultimately I feel it is and always has been about my choices.

    My options:
    Take the car to work. Stay behind my desk and only communicate by email. Take the elevator to the company restaurant or meeting rooms three floors down. Eat the really nice meals they serve as well as a meal at home. Say yes to all the nice stuff that people bring in and birthday celebrations. Drink the lovely hot chocolate we have in our machines
    My choice:
    I walk to work (granted I can, but it is an hour back and forth walking). When I need to talk to somebody U go over there and talk to them face to face whenever this is possible. I take the stairs to the meeting rooms and restaurant. Bring most of my lunch - I only buy the soup usually. I bring my own snacks and day no to just about all cake, chocolate and other caloriebombs Most of them I would only out of politeness anyway because I really did not like the stuff and I have tea instead of the hot chocolate.

    So I feel my job does make it a little harder, but I feel I need to make the adjustment to fit my food pattern within my budget. My job is not the reason I gained weight, I am the reason I gained weight
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It did, but for opposite reasons than others. I work retail in a large supercenter. Very active throughout the day, and I'm regularly at 10,000+ steps after a shift. My problem was the calorie dense foods available that I gravitated towards.
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