I quit my job because I thought it was making me fat
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Good luck with the change!
Of course it's possible to lose/maintain weight in a sedentary job - and many people on here have done just that.
RE-reading the initial post again, I don't interpret it as being purely about weight loss.
Even though you say you enjoyed the job very much, the long hours, no breaks and implied stress-eating make it sound like it was pretty all-consuming and left you little time for other things that are important to you in life (including, but not necessarily limited to keeping healthy).
I also currently have a desk-based job I enjoy very much and feel valued in - which is pretty great.
It's not a major issue for me right now, but I'm aware it takes me some conscious effort to monitor calorie intake/fit in exercise to make up for being at a desk all day and that (combined with a long commute and long work hours) reduces free time available.
I can imagine wanting to reassess whether it still works in a few years too.
(On a related note, I just switched to a standing desk at work, which is great! When no-one is looking, I try to stand on one leg for as long as possible
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I kind of agree with this. While you loved the job, there seemed to be some built in stress that may have led to your weight gain. Yes while your habits will always be you habits unless you change them, sometimes you need a catalyst to help facilitate that change. Perhaps a less stressful job will be that catalyst for you. I have been there before as well. I loved what I did but it left me little time to make good choices about eating and working out when it is mattered most - in the beginning a your weight loss journey. Hopefully the job change is the catalyst you need.
I say good luck to you.3 -
A job is not responsible for our weight loss journey, we are.7
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I hope OP comes back. She has started tracking which is great and what needs to happen. But I notice she's way under on protein every day so far. So I'd recommend she focus on hitting that number and let everything else fall where it may.1
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I've done this! Several times, actually as I tried to find a job that I could make part of a healthy routine. In my experience the activity level of my job did not matter nearly as much as my diet, exercise and sleep. You'll do fine as long you are mindful of these things.4
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It could help. High-stress jobs can put you in fight or flight mode. Your body makes more cortisol and this can contribute to weight gain.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/stress-weight-gain#1
If your happy and relaxed it's easier to lose weight. Good luck!6 -
If jobs make you fat then it's all a government conspiracy to kill you before you collect Social Security.8
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »If jobs make you fat then it's all a government conspiracy to kill you before you collect Social Security.
lmfao^2 -
I personally have no weight issues when I have an active job and struggle when my job is sedentary.
However, it is of course possible to out-eat an active job.1 -
Hello, I was working full time at Tim hortons and gained a good 15 pounds working there. I decided to cut down to working only weekends since my fiance got a promotion, and it would help me to focus on school, as I graduate next semester. As a result, it is much easier for me to avoid the horribly unhealthy food there staring me in the face, as well as making it easier to eat healthier throughout the day. I think If u can afford it and aren't 100 percent committed to your job I say go for it. I wish u the best of luck and hope this helps you1
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So I had this fantastic job, I enjoyed it and I'd been doing it for 6 years. Unfortunately I often worked long hours, sitting down, and not taking breaks and stuffing my face with rubbish while doing other things and over that time I slowly gained 20kg (44lbs). So recently I became convinced that it was my jobs fault I'm fat so I resigned. I'm now about to start a job where I will be on my feet all day and will actually have to take breaks because I won't be able to eat while I work. So realistically is this going to make any difference?
Well, you've traded a job that you love for an unknown. I've made this mistake before and it ultimately cost me in terms of stress eating. It might be better for you to try to develop better personal eating habits. Of course, as I write this, I'm in the process of taking a heaping teaspoon of my own advice.1 -
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Having an active job that makes it more difficult to eat whenever will make it a little easier to make good decisions, but you still have to make the decisions.
This discussion is really helpful to me because I just went the other way - I just took a job that I think I'll love, but has a reputation for making people fatter - lots of travel, eating out, etc. The comment here have been really helpful because they have reinforced that gaining weight on this new job is a choice and I can make different decisions!3 -
Zombie thread zombie thread2
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oops, zombie thread.
Will pontificate elsewhere... 0 -
I know this is a zombie thread but it seems to be taking off again, so here's my take.
I currently work a strictly office job that is mostly sitting. I used to work a job that was fairly heavy on field work. And I would still gain or not lose weight in the field job because all that field work made me hungry and it was important that I sustain my energy levels in the field. Plus is was an excuse to not really educate myself about weight loss/maintenance or change my eating habits. And cookie breaks in the field are amazing!
Short answer - for my personally, a higher activity job was not the answer to my weight issues.5 -
I actually did work with someone who quit because he believed the job was making him fat.
We are required to work very long hours at my workplace, so as a benefit, meals are provided by our employer. We have an in-house catering company that makes fresh breakfast, lunch, and, on the evenings we have to work, dinner as well.
This is good food, made fresh, with so many options that just about anyone could find something that fits their needs. "Healthy" snacks are also available throughout the day.
It's kind of a morbid joke with new hires that they should expect to gain weight at the start, and most do. It's hard to resist so much good (and FREE!) food. That's how I ended up gaining weight, but then I learned to make good choices and moderate my intake. I was able to lose the weight while still staying employed here.
This particular co-worker, though, was not able to moderate the amount of food that he was eating. He gained a lot of weight and blamed the company for it. He complained that some of the options were "unhealthy", even thought he could have chosen the lower-calorie options or brought food from home. He ended up quitting and cited the constant flow of food as his main reason.
I don't fault him...I think a lot of people would have problems in this enviornment. But he's the only one that I know for sure sacraficed his job for his health.5 -
VintageFeline wrote: »By blaming the job you have ultimately shifted responsibility from yourself and believe you are powerless because of circumstances. The reality is, you and only you are in charge of what and how much you put in your mouth. That's the stone cold reality. I wa sa full-time dance student ten years ago and still overweight. Why? I didn't care about how much I was eating.
Until you take responsibility, the job you do is irrelevant.
How is a person changing jobs to better suit their behavior patterns "powerless?" This is a story about taking control and making a big change to improve.9 -
NorthCascades wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »By blaming the job you have ultimately shifted responsibility from yourself and believe you are powerless because of circumstances. The reality is, you and only you are in charge of what and how much you put in your mouth. That's the stone cold reality. I wa sa full-time dance student ten years ago and still overweight. Why? I didn't care about how much I was eating.
Until you take responsibility, the job you do is irrelevant.
How is a person changing jobs to better suit their behavior patterns "powerless?" This is a story about taking control and making a big change to improve.
Because it's externalising. It's shifting the blame which ultimately absolves the person from being able to do anything about it rendering them ''powerless"
"Oh it's not my fault I'm overweight. It's my job's fault because I'm so inactive and can't help eating" so they quit and get a new active job and it becomes "Oh it's not my fault I'm overweight. It's my new jobs fault. I'm on the go all day and it makes me SO hungry and I eat too much" so they quit that job and then when they don't lose weight it'll be "Oh it's not my fault I'm overweight. My family aren't supportive enough" and then it'll be "Oh it's not my fault I can't lose weight "My new job has snacks available" then it's one excuse after another and none of them are their fault.
This sort of thing renders people "powerless" because there's always something or someone else to blame which absolves them of responsibility. It's never their fault and they're a victim of their circumstances that they are 'powerless' to change.
You can only change and fix things that you accept responsibility. It's harsh. It can be an exceedingly difficult thing to say "No, this is on me" but doing so gives you the power to take control and do what needs to be done. The downside is, it also comes with accepting the blame if you don't succeed.10
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