Recovering from a desk job

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paulerdmann1
paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey friends,

My name is Paul and I love pasta. Oops, sorry I thought this was the carb fetish site I go to in my lonely times. I had, for many years, been the funny fat guy. That all changed in my late 20's when I decided to do something about it and become the regular funny guy or SansFat funny guy. I exercised and ate right until I was at my lowest weight and highest strength. Nearly 100 lbs down I looked good, felt great and landed a smoking hot honey to boot. I had a lot of free time to devote to my body and my diet. Shortly after my wedding I started to put some of the weight back on but was still in decent shape. 6'2" 245lbs with a cute little beer belly. But then it happened... promotion to a desk job. I went from working 36 hours a week in an active position, to nearly 60 hours riding a desk. The food people left around was high carb and high calorie.

2 years into this job my wallet had never been thicker but sadly neither had my stomach. I had gained everything back that I had lost and was tipping the scales at 345 lbs. 10 pounds more than my previous highest weight. So for the past 6 months, I've been working hard and eating right. When I say eating "right" what I mean is putting in nutrient rich food at the recommended amount, simple concept but many people (myself included) sometimes think the solution is starving yourself. I'm happy to report that the scale said 301 today which hopefully means by the end of this week I'll be back in the "200's" which is a great feeling. I use MyFittnessPal to track calories and have for years, but today I thought I'd give it a shot using what may be it's greatest resource, it's community.

To round out the story for you a bit more, I left that desk job and started my own woodworking business. I'm active again and away from my greatest temptation, break room donuts.

All my love,
Paul
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Replies

  • paulerdmann1
    paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks Carla. I think you're awesome for caring about yourself. Keep killing it.
  • Happysoul0317
    Happysoul0317 Posts: 119 Member
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    I too work very hard to hold down this chair and desk. I'm now at my heaviest weight (160ish at about 5' tall :/ ) just got back into MFP after a hiatus of sorts. So far so good. I just keep telling myself that I deserve the time and effort it takes to get "me" back. You deserve it Too! Very best of luck. You have a great attitude and that will help you more than anything!
  • paulerdmann1
    paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
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    sunnycloud82 wrote: »
    I hear ya on the desk job! I sit on my butt most everyday from 7:30am-5:00pm. It sucks! I lost a lot of weight before but gained a bunch back. It's hard starting over but I plan to kill it this year! I'm sure you will too! :)

    2018 is our year! Let's kill it!
  • paulerdmann1
    paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
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    gypsysoul0317 wrote: »
    I too work very hard to hold down this chair and desk. I'm now at my heaviest weight (160ish at about 5' tall :/ ) just got back into MFP after a hiatus of sorts. So far so good. I just keep telling myself that I deserve the time and effort it takes to get "me" back. You deserve it Too! Very best of luck. You have a great attitude and that will help you more than anything!

    You do deserve it! I'm a firm believer that I haven't peeked yet. I'm getting the impression you are on that same path to reaching your peek. Best of luck on your journey and kick some *kitten*!
  • sunnycloud82
    sunnycloud82 Posts: 59 Member
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    paulerdmann1 wrote: »
    *update*
    The scale said 299.6 this morning! Back in the 200's!!!

    Woot woot! :)
  • lindseyrey92
    lindseyrey92 Posts: 5 Member
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    Desk jobs are the WORST, I work in insurance and I sit at a desk all day every day and finding time to walk away is so hard!!!! Therefore I need to change my diet up a bit. Best of luck to you and others!!!
  • ZombieKillaPrincess
    ZombieKillaPrincess Posts: 404 Member
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    I am at a desk job I hate so I know the feeling! I am also in school and will hopefully transition to full time and quit this job in a year or so but for now it pays the bills and as a single mom of 2 I need the money. You are def inspiring though! Keep it up!
  • Happysoul0317
    Happysoul0317 Posts: 119 Member
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    paulerdmann1 wrote: »
    *update*
    The scale said 299.6 this morning! Back in the 200's!!!

    Thats a great start!
  • marquisbob
    marquisbob Posts: 22 Member
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    Great positivity and attitude, good luck. Im in a similar situation, job change to less active role while still eating the same equaled bad news. Going in the right direction.
  • ponyosquid
    ponyosquid Posts: 18 Member
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    Wood work is better than a desk job for countless reasons but my favourite is explaining the scars from the workshop incidents.

    Well done on your continued life improvement :)
  • paulerdmann1
    paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
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    ponyosquid wrote: »
    Wood work is better than a desk job for countless reasons but my favourite is explaining the scars from the workshop incidents.

    Well done on your continued life improvement :)

    The scars have good stories. Let's just hope I get to keep all my fingers.
  • momandhercoffeeblog
    momandhercoffeeblog Posts: 6 Member
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    Nicely done on the progress!!

    I too am battling the desk job fluff. There was a definite freshman 15 (or 20) that I added on top of my not ideal weight anyway. I recently got a standing desk to add a little movement to my day, and now I just need to avoid the constant barrage of donuts and treats.
  • KatieNicole95
    KatieNicole95 Posts: 133 Member
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    I know the desk job struggle as well as losing and gaining it all back. Though I had only lost about 30 lbs at the time, I didn't have much to lose back then and then I gained it all back plus a bunch. Gained more when I got married, but I am down 46 lbs since July and I am back to my pre marriage weight but I have quite a bit more to go. I lost the 46 lbs and now I am sort of stuck. I know at this point I should be adding in extra exercise or cutting calories a bit more, both really, but I have stuck with this plan and I am struggling to make more changes.
  • anl90
    anl90 Posts: 928 Member
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    I know the pain - my husband and I both went from retail jobs where we were constantly moving and being on our feet, to a desk job where we were stuck for 8 hours. Because of this change, we both packed on more weight than I care to admit. I am trying to do better - my water intake has went up significantly, I am more aware of the food I am shoveling into my face, and being less restricted at my current job I try to walk around when possible. Super proud of you making back into the 200s, and I have faith you will reach your goal! Just keep up the awesome work, my dude!!
  • hud54014
    hud54014 Posts: 3,777 Member
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    The struggle is so real. I used to wait tables and bartend. Because I was on my feet all day, I never bothered with an exercise regimen. Now that I work in an office setting, sitting for 8+ hours has killed my back and slowly helped me pack on over 50 unwanted pounds. But what was done can be undone. It just takes a plan, consistency, and patience. Best of luck to you all!
  • paulerdmann1
    paulerdmann1 Posts: 55 Member
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    thanks for sharing all your stories. I'm confident we can reach our goals if we work together. Maybe we can start a friend group of desk jockey warriors?

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