Desk Job Putting on the Pounds

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jenspadafora
jenspadafora Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!
I never had an issue with my weight and didn't have to watch what I ate until I graduated college and got a desk job. People warned me it would lead to weight gain and other issues, but I didn't pay any attention. Fast forward 2 and a half years and now I've noticed some clothes don't fit and my weight has slowly creeped up 15 lbs. I believe it's mostly due to my desk job, but also could just be that I'm getting older (currently 25) and can't eat junk anymore. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Replies

  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    Eat fewer calories than you burn. Also, if you can get up and take a mile long walk a couple times a day you'll burn some extra calories. Be sure to log everything you eat. I log in the morning so I know exactly how much wiggle room I have and if I need to walk more during the day.
    Age actually has nothing to do with it. Yes, your body does change as you get older but I'm 42 and in the best shape of my life and I just had two kids in the past two years.
    Just move more and eat less, it's that simple.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited November 2018
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    If 25 is older then I'm a dinosaur :wink: (I'm 41 and in the best health of my life)

    Weight loss comes from calorie deficits. Let MFP choose a reasonable deficit for you (0.5-1 pound a week is good for most). If you are not exercising then choose sedentary. Activity will increase your NEAT and help with weight loss as well as being beneficial for cardio and musculosketelal health.

    Get a food scale. Weigh your food. Log everything you consume using correct entries. Have patience.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    You just have to counteract the sedentary job with more activity outside work, fewer calories in, or some combination of both. The last is what most of us here seem to land on.

    Oh, and I'm 39 and in better shape and weigh less than when I was 25 :smiley:
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Tips: eat a little less, move a little more.

    Sitting at your desk doesn't directly make you gain weight, eating the same amount of food as when you were more active is what does it.

    Try getting up from your desk more often, avoid mindlessly eating at your desk, plan snacks and meals ahead.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    You just have to counteract the sedentary job with more activity outside work, fewer calories in, or some combination of both. The last is what most of us here seem to land on.

    Oh, and I'm 39 and in better shape and weigh less than when I was 25 :smiley:

    Ditto. Except I'm in my 50s and I've had a desk job for the past 35 years. Nothing to do with your age and everything to do with eating more than you burn.

    I park my car on the top floor of the parking garage and walk up and down the stairs rather than use the elevator. I get up every hour and do a circuit of the office building, walking up and down the three floors. And at lunchtime I got for a walk outside. Doing this can get me to 10,000 steps each day.
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
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    Yes, you probably move less than when you were in school. However the average office is full of tempting goodies and vending machines with poor selection. Add in coffee runs and lunches out and you will quickly gain weight.

    If you're going out for lunch, look up the menu items nutrition information and make your selection in advance. Keep healthy snacks in your desk and pack a lunch. If your building is multi-story use the bathroom on a different floor and take the stairs. Park in the back of the parking lot. Don't email and call people, walk to their desk when possible.


  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    My mom is 80 and struggles to stay above Underweight due to her high activity level ;)

    You'll have to figure out how to increase activity outside of work and/or eat less.

    I made a point of developing the habit of exercising at lunch time, moving around during the day, and being active outside work hours as well. Less Netflix from bed; more Netflix while working out.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
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    I put on 25 lbs in my last year of college despite being active, and then I put on another 25 lbs in my 1st year at a desk job when I was very inactive. Regardless of my activity level, the trouble was that I was over-eating.

    It's all in the choices you make. If you're gaining weight, you're eating more calories than you burn in a day. Consume fewer calories (eat less) and/or burn more calories (move more) and you can lose the weight.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    You just need to be more mindful of getting more activity into your days and/or how much you eat.
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
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    I have been at a desk job for the past 4 and a half years, but also lost 80lbs since February 2018. It is possible, it matters what you do outside of office hours :)
  • robthephotog
    robthephotog Posts: 81 Member
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    I think a deskjob is honestly ideal for weight loss. Weight Loss happens in the kitchen, not at the gym. Just monitor your diet and those extra pounds will fall off with a proper caloric deficit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    jenspadafora wrote: »
    Hi everyone!
    I never had an issue with my weight and didn't have to watch what I ate until I graduated college and got a desk job. People warned me it would lead to weight gain and other issues, but I didn't pay any attention. Fast forward 2 and a half years and now I've noticed some clothes don't fit and my weight has slowly creeped up 15 lbs. I believe it's mostly due to my desk job, but also could just be that I'm getting older (currently 25) and can't eat junk anymore. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Nothing to do with age...you were more active as a student and more sedentary with a desk job. This is how I put on 40-50 Lbs over 8 years. I went from walking all over campus and riding my bike and walking most everywhere because I rarely had a vehicle to sitting behind a desk 10-12 hours per day.

    I lost my 40 Lbs like 5 years ago...diet is the big part, but trying to get more movement in is also a good thing. I park further away from my office building...I take the stairs...I try to get up every hour and walk a little (basically the scenic route to the bathroom or water cooler)...when I'm running errands or shopping, etc I will forgo the "rock star" parking and park further away. Beyond that, I make time most days for deliberate exercise...weight room 2-3 days per week and on my bike 4-5 days per week.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I have a desk job as well so I have to build extra activity into my day wherever I can. If you get a coffee break walk somewhere. I live in Canada and it snows alot in winter so I walk in the +15's (kind of a covered over road walkway system between buildings). I go every morning for a short walk then I walk at lunch time. I walk the long way around to the washroom throughout the day and since I drink so much water I walk there often, lol. It's amazing what a difference this makes. On top of that try to avoid the lunchroom snacks everyone puts out if that's a problem for you. It's true that the main part of weight loss is what you eat (or don't eat) but a little extra activity can certainly help curb your appetite and settle your nerves. Good luck.
  • RealWorldStrengthLLC
    RealWorldStrengthLLC Posts: 552 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Eat fewer calories than your body uses. Weight loss is about calorie deficit, not what job you have.

    @quicksylver296 How in the *kitten* are you getting "wooed" for this?

    What she said is completely accurate. If you have an active job, it affects your average TDEE...an "active" job would be a construction laborer. A "moderately active" job would be a mechanic or a mailman, something where you're moving a lot but not usually breaking a sweat or getting your heart rate up a ton. "Lightly active" would be a teacher or something where you are just on your feet a lot. a desk job is "sedentary"...someone with a sedentary job is going to burn the least at TDEE, therefore they need to consume the least.

    The fact that you are "getting older" has little to do with it. Metabolic slowdown due to age doesn't hit in your 20s.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    Pretty much what has been said. I didn't really get a desk job until I was in my 30's, and prior to that, never really had to worry about my weight - putting on a few pounds? Cut back on the fast food and soda for a few weeks.

    Then, the desk jobs started, but I had never learned to adjust my eating, and my appetite did not adjust on it's own. The pounds crept up, and I got fatter and fatter. Went up a full size in clothes, and when those pants finally didn't fit (at all), I knew something had to change.

    It really does boil down to eating less and moving more. Invest in a food scale, measure and weigh everything you eat. Avoid eating out (lots of hidden calories, and nutrition information is nothing more than a best guess most of the time). Figure out what you are eating for starters, then work on eating in a deficit (to lose) and understand what maintenance means for you now.

    Adding activity to your day is a good thing too! There's a recent thread about how to add activity to a desk job - probably worth reading through it, there were some good ideas shared.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    For years I blamed my desk job on my weight gain. Then I took responsibility for my actions and lost it all whilst still working in the same office. You can do it too.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    It is tough to adjust caloric intake when your calorie expenditure decreases due to work, but it definitely needs to be addressed. You either need to find time to replace the free exercise you use to get naturally with something or you need to eat less. I realize there is nothing earth shattering in hearing this, but millions of people work desk jobs and not all of them gain weight!

    I gained weight (a lot of it) when I worked construction and was lifting, walking, and shoveling all day long. I needed to address my caloric intake before I saw any changes. The job itself didn't make a difference. I found my appetite increased because I was so active :(

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