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A little frustrated

wellthenwhat
wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
A while back I went from a highly active job to a sedetary one. I could eat whatever I wanted, and still lose weight. I went from 140 to a low of 122 without trying. Now I am up at130. Its really hard for me to get exercise in, especially in winter between a full time job, taking care of the house and my 6 year old. Its also hard for me to eat the amount I should, and its really easy to snack on food laying around at work. I tend to want to binge eat as well. Some days are really good, other days are not. But I'm constantly in fear that I'll put the weight back on. I'm not really putting on a lot of weight, but its really hard to lose what I do put on. I loved the activity of my old job, and really miss the physical exertion, but my new job has much better hours, allowing me to be a better mom.

Replies

  • FitLaughLove
    FitLaughLove Posts: 125 Member
    That is frustrating! What kind of work do you do at your new job? I know a few people who use yoga balls instead of swivel chairs! Sounds funny but you're basically doing a constant ab workout to keep yourself balanced. Also, I know of some people who will take a ten minute brisk walk around the building with their coworkers over lunch. For the snacking..maybe try chewing gum! It will keep your mouth busy and keep you from eating
  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    I've already made massive cuts to the amount of food i eat. I used to drink at least one if not 2 or more sodas a day, now I have one once a month or so. Same with Ice cream. Lunches are much smaller too. It's just hard when it feels like I cut so much and its still not enough. I'm trying to treat it like an addiction, forgiving myself for messing up, knowing that itll happen less and less.
  • rdevol
    rdevol Posts: 278 Member
    Maybe you can set a reminder (like a beep on your watch or something) to go off once an hour, and just get up from your desk and walk a bit to keep your metabolism going a little better, even to go make a copy or something. A quick walk at lunch and taking the steps whenever you can might help, too. My job is also sedentary, so I feel ya!
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
    I work a job where I sit all day. Here's what works for me.

    We get 2 ten minute breaks, which I spend walking outside with a coworker (it's snowing today...so I throw on my boots, gloves and earmuffs and walk anyways). We also walk 1 mile at lunchtime before we eat.

    I plan my lunch and snacks for the week and then only bring the food I plan to eat today. I've tried bring a container of something to snack on throughout the week...but then I end up eating the whole thing by day 2. I need things portioned out. (Sundays I prep my food for the week, including portioning out my snacks.) There are still temptations from food that people bring in, but I really try hard to limit how much of that stuff I eat.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited February 2017
    Walk on breaks and lunch. Take the stairs (I work on the fourth floor and use the bathroom in the basement. 5 flights of stairs every time I have to pee). Park further away. Pre-log your food for the day. Pack your breakfast (if applicable), lunch and snacks.

    Basically make a plan and stick to the plan.

    ETA: Ha! @Bianca42 and I said basically the exact same thing at the same time. Great minds!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Lots of us are in the same boat...desk job, families etc.

    If you want to lose it you will.

    Best advice....log your food with a food scale because if you have cut out significant amounts then you need to know how much you are eating esp if you aren't losing.

    I have a desk job...a home, a husband etc...

    I go to the water station furthest away, same with the bathroom and take the long way to get there...I park further away, take the stairs etc.

    On my breaks I walk (I am lucky there is a treadmill downstairs in the gym)

    as for the eating at work...just don't. Take your own snacks etc.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    You can do it. Yes, it's hard, but it's not beyond you. Make your plan and do your best. You will not be perfect, but if you keep plugging away you will reach the point where your eating and exercise are adjusted enough to let you reach your goals. It takes time, it takes experimenting, but you can definitely do it.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I did the single mom thing for years and rarely had time for a lunch break. At least yard work, shoveling, etc is more activity, but one of the things that I still do to save time is batch cook. If I can cook only on weekends, that saves me maybe an hour of cooking/cleaning that I wouldn't have to do everyday during the week.

    Think about exercising in the morning before your child wakes up or at night after s/he goes to bed. At one point I signed up for a fitness class in the same building as my daughter's dance class. Now that she's in competitive sports, I have enough time to drop her off, go to the gym, and pick her up.
  • BootCampC
    BootCampC Posts: 689 Member
    you can try what helped me in the same situation , I cut back on carbs and sugars during the day while I was at my desk , I stuck with protein/fat based foods , then when I got home and was moving around I would eat more carbs, my theory was your body burns more fats and protein at rest for repair, during activity your body will burn more sugar and carbs which are faster for the body to process. Eat for what you will burn..
  • joaniebalonie088
    joaniebalonie088 Posts: 93 Member
    You can do it!

    If you're like me, all of the temptations at work will become less and less of an issue at work. I love being able to walk by the box of free donuts and not even feel tempted anymore! It becomes kind of fun in a way.
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
    I also signed my kids up for karate and am doing it with them. I figured I could sit for 45 minutes 2x a week a mess with my phone or I could participate.

    We joined the YMCA and I go to classes when they have free childcare available. The kids have swimming lessons at the YMCA once a week, and I try to get into the pool and swim while they are as much as I can.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    edited February 2017
    If you're having a lot of trouble sticking to your goals, and you're feeling the urge to binge, is it possible the goals are too strict? It might help you to reduce your deficit, or even go into maintenance until you've adjusted to the new job. It could just be a case of too much happening at once.

    (note I am not suggesting you should stop logging and quit. I'm suggesting you keep logging but increase your calories to maintenance levels for a while).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    wellthenwhat wrote: »
    A while back I went from a highly active job to a sedetary one. I could eat whatever I wanted, and still lose weight. I went from 140 to a low of 122 without trying. Now I am up at130. Its really hard for me to get exercise in, especially in winter between a full time job, taking care of the house and my 6 year old. Its also hard for me to eat the amount I should, and its really easy to snack on food laying around at work. I tend to want to binge eat as well. Some days are really good, other days are not. But I'm constantly in fear that I'll put the weight back on. I'm not really putting on a lot of weight, but its really hard to lose what I do put on. I loved the activity of my old job, and really miss the physical exertion, but my new job has much better hours, allowing me to be a better mom.

    I'm in Massachusetts and spend a lot of time exercising outside in the winters here. Yesterday I went snowshoeing. I borrowed the snow shoes from my mom, who'd received them as a gift from someone who paid $5 for them at a yard sale.

    Normally I walk at the state park. When it snows, they plow a half mile plus the parking lots, and skiers, etc, pack down many of the rest of the trails. Where I used to live volunteers snow-blowed a half mile, and again other users packed down the rest.

    There's also shoveling, and picking up sticks in the yard after it's windy.

    For indoor exercise, I've belonged to YMCAs in several states and have noticed they are very kid-friendly with lots of programs for kids. Their fees seem high but they have a sliding scale.
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