Desk divas???
hfry297
Posts: 2 Member
Looking for a group of women trying to lose weight while sitting in an office all day.....
14
Replies
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I too have an office job which stinks for weight loss! I try to take walks after work and try to make it to the gym more often. Of course it's really all about the eating though.3
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I struggle a lot having an office job. I waitressed for years, all through school, and I did MFP for a couple months and got down to a great goal weight and stayed there for years. Then I finished school, got an office job, and gained 15 pounds. The only thing that changed was my job. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my lifestyle couldn't stay the same without the active job.1
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I used to work in an office. I lost 50 lbs while doing it. My focus during work was primarily diet-centered, not munching on snacks and drinking sugary sodas all night (I worked 4 to midnight), and I'd take a 20 or 30 minute walk around the building on break. The walk was more to shorten my time around the free cafeteria food and guide me to smaller portions I could finish in the minutes I had left. Focus on increasing overall activity happened before and after my shift.
Office work isn't the nail in the coffin that the wellness industry would have you believe. You just have to work around it.13 -
I struggle a lot having an office job. I waitressed for years, all through school, and I did MFP for a couple months and got down to a great goal weight and stayed there for years. Then I finished school, got an office job, and gained 15 pounds. The only thing that changed was my job. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my lifestyle couldn't stay the same without the active job.
Ya, I seem to want the same amount of calories no matter how active I am. It sure was easier to get in that activity when it was part of my work day. Well, it's not that hard now, I just need to plan more and be more disciplined about it. Like pushing away from the computer now so I can get a decent amount of sleep and get up in time to do some You are Your Own Gym before work in the AM.2 -
Same here, desk job and grad school equals a LOT of time spent sitting on my butt. The first three months I just watched the calories, didn't do any exercise at all other than regular daily activities. I've lost right on target for mfp and sedentary settings. I also found that while I cut out all snacking at work that is not my own food, I missed the social time with coworkers over a snack much more than the actual food.
Three months in, I started a lifting program 3x a week and I've gone religiously. It's scheduled it my day and it happens on time and I haven’t missed one yet. It helps that I'm really loving lifting so it doesn't feel like a huge chore. I get a lot of muscle soreness still and retain water so the loss hasn't been right on schedule but the monthly overall is just about on target. Closing in on 30lbs lost on the trend app. I agree with what I've read all over this forum. Extra activity is good for your health, but it's not necessary for weight loss. Desk or not, it just comes down to calories.6 -
I maintained my initial weight loss of almost 90lbs for years before switching to a job where I sit in a car commuting to sit at a desk. I gained 30lb in a year because I ate the same but my activity had dramatically decreased.
Now I eat a little less, track my macros, and make intentional exercise a priority. I have really gotten into boxing lately.
The loss has been slow but I have dropped 20 of the 30lb I had gained back now4 -
I don't sit in an office all day, but I do sit in a car, cafes, libraries, and people's homes most of my day. It really requires strict adherence to calorie limits when the majority of your day is sedentary!1
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There are a lot of ways you can stay fit and healthy with a desk job. You just have to be thoughtful about it. Here's a few ideas that I have used.
Tracker - I used to wear a pedometer, then switched to a tracker when those came out. Set a step goal and try to meet it. Challenge other co-workers to do the same.
Parking - I parked as far as possible from the building so I'd get extra steps in. When I got moved to parking under the building, I'd take the stairs instead of the elevator. Four flights of stairs is a good workout, especially if I left the building on breaks or lunch. Do it again, sometimes 3-4 times a day.
Breaks and Lunch - Keep a pair of tennies at work and walk on breaks, walk at lunch, walk to the furthest bathroom, basically take the long way around everywhere. I'd often walk up two flights to use the bathroom, then walk around that floor to the furthest stairwell to get back to my desk. Rainy days walk around inside the parking garage.
At your desk - Lots of things you can do at your desk. Due to back and neck issues I requested a sit-stand workstation. These days they're standard in a lot of places anyway. Standing up while you're working you can do all kinds of exercise. Calf raises, glute clenches, high knees, mini leg raises, mini squats. If you have to sit, grab some dumbbells and work out your arms while on a conference call, do mini crunches. Take short stretch breaks, as allowed.
Food - bring your own lunch and snacks. Food prep on the weekend for the work week so you have good choices. Avoid the break room junk food, the cafeteria, and the espresso bar, except on very special occasions. Bring healthy stuff like veggie tray or fruit if you have a potluck or shared treat day.
The above is all just stuff you can do at work. If you have time and opportunity, fit some really active stuff into your weekends. Not everyone at the office is overweight and you don't have to be either!13 -
I'm at a desk all day and I have found a trick that works for me to keep me active: Mini HIIT sessions focusing on largest muscle group, the legs. I calculated how many squats I can do in one minute going as low as possible and as quick as possible without affecting form. For me is 40 squats. So I give myself an amount I need to do throughout the day (currently at 200 squats). After one week and a half of doing it, I have moved past my plateau and I'm now 5 LBS closer to my goal.8
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I work in an office, spend most of it sitting at my desk. I make sure I get plenty of walking in to and from work, deliberately taking a longer route and leaving earlier so I can get that in. I've also found a gym on my route home which I can pop into and do a class a couple of times a week or use the equipment - even half an hour is better than nothing!
But as others have said, I find mostly it is being strict on yourself with calorie limits - especially difficult if you work in one of those types of offices where people are always bringing in cake and doughnuts, but you just have to learnt o make it fit into your calories or resist! Good luck
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I am a desk-bound worker but I am fairly active outside of work (walk 2 miles in to work and back most days, jog/strength train in the evenings or dog walk), the biggest change I had to make was food.
I've stopped buying sandwiches and snacks from the shop everyday, I meal prep on a Sunday and have all my lunches for the week, pre-weighed snacks and a couple of evening meals prepped. I have far more energy when I get home since I started eating right and increased my protein intake. On the odd occasion I do go out for lunch I try to make a half hour walk out of it and I make better choices than I might have previously.3 -
I also have a desk job. If the goal is purely to lose weight, I don't think the type of job has anything to do with it. If you gained weight it means you are eating more than you need, desk job or not. The little things you can do to work around having a desk job won't matter as much as eating less.
With that said, I try to walk around for a bit every so often, just to stretch my legs. But drinking a ton of water and having to go to the ladies room kind of takes care of that.2 -
Desk Diva here. I do spend most of my day sedentary, but I walk to and from work (it's only 15 minutes each way, but still) and always take the steps two at a time during my many trips up and down the stairs. I'm on the first floor, the coffee machine and water cooler are on the ground floor, stationary and other equipment that I need on a day to day basis is in the basement, and the manager's office is on the top floor. It's an old building with steep steps, so I do reckon I end up burning quite a few calories just going up and down. Also, because we're such a small office, there's quite a bit of manual labour I end up doing on a daily basis. For example, the other day I signed for a delivery of 150 headsets, 5 to a box, and just ended up carting them 2 at a time to the basement by myself. That's 15 trips up and down the stairs carrying about 5 kilos at a time. And then there's the water tanks for the water cooler. I reckon I'm pretty much the only person that ever changes them!
But please feel free to add me if you ever want to lament the woes of the sedentary lifestyle! I'm always looking for new friends
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I've been working in an office for about 7 years now.
I use my full 1-hour lunch break to go for a long walk and listen to my audiobook. Great way to clear my mind for the afternoon. I do yoga classes after work - it's a wonderful way to stretch out my back after sitting all day.
I stock lots of food for myself in the office fridge and pack leftovers for lunch. At my desk, I have a few boxes of Fiber 1 bars for a quick snack if I'm craving something sweet (especially if someone has brought donuts in, argh!).
I also have a massive collection of tea at my desk which I sip on throughout the day.4 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I am a desk-bound worker but I am fairly active outside of work (walk 2 miles in to work and back most days, jog/strength train in the evenings or dog walk), the biggest change I had to make was food.
I've stopped buying sandwiches and snacks from the shop everyday, I meal prep on a Sunday and have all my lunches for the week, pre-weighed snacks and a couple of evening meals prepped. I have far more energy when I get home since I started eating right and increased my protein intake. On the odd occasion I do go out for lunch I try to make a half hour walk out of it and I make better choices than I might have previously.
^this
am at a desk 9-5. Eat lunch at my desk and read.
But I swim/run/lift weights before work and then sometimes so the same or play squash after work.
Mainly it was prepping food on Sundays, logging food, sticking to MFP allotment of calories and not buying things at work every day which has made the difference. The exercise I was doing before I started losing.5 -
Me.
I walk during my breaks or trek the 15-story staircase in the hotel resort I work at. After work I either swim, bike or go to the gym. If I'm too lazy for any of that, I do a few ab exercises at home to the best of my ability. For this reason, my activity level is set to "lightly".
For 5 or 6 days out of the week, I spend a good two hours on my feet after work just cooking. I don't like left over food much, so I cook most of my meals on a daily basis. Maybe that burns a few cals too? I dunno,1 -
Having a desk job absolutely DOES make it more difficult to lose weight since you have to fit your "moving around" time into a much smaller window than those folks that work on their feet. And if you don't have much time, then clearly it is harder to do. I've had a sit-down job for the last 35+ years, so I have always had to to implement purposeful exercise into my evenings, and lunch hours, whenever possible. And clearly, snacking at the desk is one of the tempting pitfalls that add to the growing butts of desk-workers.
So log your food religiously, eat satiating foods, and get up and walk whenever you can.4 -
I too have a desk job. I was never overweight until I started my job. I definitely track my food and go for 2 15 minute and 1 45 minute walks during my breaks/lunches. I try to hit the gym 4-5 times a week as well. It is definitely not easy getting the extra activity in, but I make it a priority and it helps me relieve stress getting out and moving.2
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Same here i sit in front of a computer and on the phone all day 8-5, i use to be at 169 now i am down to 151 i walk and run and jog when i get done with dinner if i have to cook. i use to complain that i have a desk job and that's why i am over weight or fat but it was me that was doing nothing about it. i started running, walking more, jogging, working out my arms i see a big difference now. even my boyfriend. i enjoy now to run and jog because i am seeing changes in my body i cant make excuses and be upset and stressed how fat i was or how ugly my body was. my calorie intake is 1200 and its working for me. i do have cheat meals and sweets once a week but i make sure i run to make up for it but never over my calories.5
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Hi there! I sit at a desk all day long, but I have a FitBit and really try to get up and move around as much as possible. I walk during my lunch break. But the have to set an alarm or I might get wrapped up in stuff and let time speed by.
What has your experience been like so far?1 -
Desk job here! I pack lunches/snack daily, walk on my breaks, and go the gym regularly. I have lost 42 lbs doing this while having a sedentary job. You can totally do it, just stick with it and learn what works best for you and your situation.2
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I've had a desk job since the beginning of time, it seems. I try to get up at LEAST once an hour to stretch my legs for a few minutes, I take the stairs, park as far away in the parking lot as I can, walk on my break, avoid the vending machine and pack my own snacks/lunch. You know what I'd like, though? One of those under the desk steppers. Is that stupid? LOL2
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Desk bound too. I try to get up and do laps around my floor, take the stairs, and count calories. I work out 7 days a week and include a mix of challenging strength and cardio routines. I'm also into meal prepping too, and that helps a lot!1
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I work in an office, typical 9-5 computer job. How do I stay fit/get fit? It seems so hard to gain ground while sitting in an office all day.0
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I work at a desk also although mostly from home. When in the office, I use the restroom 3 floors down from where I sit so I have to take the stairs. I also sit on the 6th floor and never take the elevator. I also walk during lunch and breaks. Park my car the furthest away I can in the lot. And if I go out to lunch, I walk there.
Lots of walking!1 -
I spend my day at my desk or in meetings. I get my exercise by walking to meetings and to the bathroom and lugging my lunch with 32 oz of coffee and water. On weekends I walk around the house and push a grocery cart and lug groceries. I live in a house with 4 floors / 3 sets of stairs. According to my FitBit I average between 1 mile up to 2 miles doing this.
I eat mostly low carb and sugar, high protein and fat meals and between 1300 to 1500 calories a day.
I have lost 40 lbs so far.1 -
esperanzab93 wrote: »I work in an office, typical 9-5 computer job. How do I stay fit/get fit? It seems so hard to gain ground while sitting in an office all day.
The comments above have lots of useful tips. Work activity into your workday, even if it's just taking the stairs or getting up to stretch your legs every hour. Find an activity you enjoy and do it after work.
And keep in mind that weight loss can be achieved purely through diet. Calculate your Sedentary TDEE and eat at a deficit! Accurate tracking with a digital scale is all you need.3 -
Food really IS the biggest thing. One day a week I exercise for an hour, four to five days I exercise for 30 minutes, and I rest for 1 - 2 days a week depending on how tired I am. I work 50 - 60 hours a week at a desk and I've lost 36 lbs and hit goal weight. It's ultimately about commitment.3
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Lost 73 lbs working at a desk. What worked for me:
Food: Portion control and meal prep. Weigh and measure everything. Log accurately. Bringing breakfast, lunch, and snacks from home. Avoid candy jars, luncheons (unless I know what's being served and preplan for it) and break room snacks. Water to prevent mindless munching.
Activity: 4 am dvd or Youtube workouts, walking all my errands, taking the stairs, 1/2 hour cardio at gym during lunch when schedule permits. Walking in the park during lunch breaks if I can't get to the gym.
Since most of my day is work, family, and household responsibilities, being careful with food is priority. You can't out exercise a bad diet.3 -
How dare you call me a diva! *huffs*
I'm an IT rat with a desk job. I have back issues so the doc gave me a note so that my overlords will let me up every half an hour. I take walks over lunch, have a recumbent bike and Stepmania at home, and walk a lot. My back therapy's almost up so I might be able to go back to running and karate soon.
I also do all the normal weight loss stuff--weigh food, prep in advance, etc. 38 lbs. down, 12 to go. 1
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