Office Jobs and Weight Loss
AquaMeow
Posts: 296 Member
So this goes without saying: anyone here working a 9 to 5 office job and maintaining and losing weight?
What's your fitness like in and outside the office?
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts?
Let me know!
What's your fitness like in and outside the office?
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts?
Let me know!
3
Replies
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i work full time office hours monday-friday. My most recent weight loss is 53lbs (i've lost 100lbs in the past with the same routine).
Currently i don't do much purposeful exercise outside walking due to injuries. Since August so coming up on a year now. I walk an average of 17,000ish steps a day.
It's all about calories in calories out.
I keep foods in my day to day diet that curb most cravings. i eat chocolate 2x a day (most days) - so dessert with lunch and dinner. I eat meals i enjoy and look forward too. For me i'll all about volume so i ensure to have lots of "fillers". I even fit home made pizza i like into my weekly diet.
When I do get random cravings (ex: fish and chips) I'll plan for it and go and indulge. I'll cut some snacks that day and likely eat maintenance to fit it in but so what. it luckily doesn't happen often. Some cravings i can actualy fit in to my normal calories. others i make it work in my maintenance (or what I assume will be maintenance).4 -
I work 9-5, and am actually the one bringing in treats to the office for everyone (cookies, cupcakes, muffins, ect...). I also keep a drawer of snacks in my desk because I eat every coupke hours. My lunch is normally around 300 cal because I know I like the snacks. I will skip or cut down on the snacks if I know we are doing a group lunch that day.
On the flip side of this to make up for the desk job in terms of activity, I do cross fit 5x a week, run 2-4x a week, some other type of cardio 1-3x a week, and walk my dogs for 20-30+ min everyday. Since I am in maintenance/working recomp this gives me 2400-2700 during the week and usually around 2100 on the weekend when I am not as active.2 -
I work 9-5, and am actually the one bringing in treats to the office for everyone (cookies, cupcakes, muffins, ect...). I also keep a drawer of snacks in my desk because I eat every coupke hours. My lunch is normally around 300 cal because I know I like the snacks. I will skip or cut down on the snacks if I know we are doing a group lunch that day.
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me too! i am the one bringing in baked goods for others.
i am pretty picky so this helps me not eat ehat others bring in. i pre-log most days in the morning and have my treats accounted for. so i balance if i want my stuff or a bite of random office treats (which are usually not great anyway)
ditto on having my planned snacks and some back ups at work. and eating more often.2 -
I work in a small office (a nonprofit), and I am currently in the process of losing weight. One change I made is that I am eating low carb, which has helped me immensely. I pack a lunch that is protein based. Since I've started eating differently, I really don't have cravings or the afternoon crash where I used to reach for a snack. I think there are still snacks in one desk drawer, but thus far I have been able to stick to what I bring for lunch.
Unfortunately, we started these once a month lunches that are designed to get to know our volunteers a little better. The idea is for the staff to pitch in for a lunch that everyone partakes in. This has been difficult, because it was originally pizza. Since everyone has noticed my weight loss, I stated that I'd rather not have pizza, it doesn't fit my plan. I figured I could just eat my own lunch. But instead, it turned into salad for lunch. I brought the salad, another employee brought grilled chicken, and someone brought a dessert. So, I guess that's kind of better for everyone, but it was driving me crazy debating about how to handle these lunches before I finally spoke up. I'd rather not have the lunches at all (we are all introverts, and it's therefore stressful for everyone), but I understand the positives for the organization and the volunteers.
I think one of the main things that has helped my weightloss is the tracking in MFP, staying accountable in that way. So, it doesn't really matter whether I'm at work or at home. I record everything.1 -
You don't have to exercise to lose weight. Weight loss happens when you are consistently in a calorie deficit, and if you're following MFP's calorie goal, then you eat back exercise calories and don't use exercise to create a larger deficit. However, if you do want to exercise, then you need to figure out whether you'd prefer to do it early in the morning before work, after work, or on your break.
Pre-log your food. Keep snacks in your desk/bag in case you forget your lunch so you aren't tempted to go out and get something you didn't plan for. I always have Quest bars in my desk and in my backpack. I also drink a lot of tea instead of snacking.
Just because food is present does not mean you have to eat it. A lot of snacks that are brought into offices aren't special. If I can get something easily at the grocery store or local bakery, then I can have it anytime I want it and don't need to eat it just because it's here now.
On the other hand, if it's something that is obviously special and I want to eat it, then I'll eat it and fit it into my calories. I may eat half a piece of whatever the thing is, and there's usually someone else who will eat the other half. You don't need to stop eating the desserts if you want them; you just need to make them fit your calories. If it's not worth using the calories on it, then it's not worth eating.
I like to bake, and I also have a small group of students I advise who will happily eat cookies, so when I bake I will eat a cookie or two and then share the rest. Some students take half a dozen cookies home with them, and others don't want any cookies. This way I get to bake and enjoy a little of it, and the students who want cookies are thrilled.2 -
Yes. There is no reason that an office job is incompatible with weight loss. I do heavy exercise 4-6 days a week outside of the office, and that does help me, but it's not required. Weight loss is all about a calorie deficit. Most offices have a refrigerator and microwave. Take advantage of it and precook lunches for yourself over the weekend to heat up during the week.2
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So this goes without saying: anyone here working a 9 to 5 office job and maintaining and losing weight?
What's your fitness like in and outside the office?
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts?
Let me know!
I lost weight quite easily while working a 9-5 job.
I walk as part of my commute. I walk/run at lunch. I work in a 10-storey building so I climb stairs. I was up to 40 flights a day at one point. Right now I'm doing about 14 flights but working on increasing it again. I also exercise in the evenings: walking, running, cycling, rowing.
The free yummy food and desserts aren't mine so I don't eat them. Also who knows where it has been and who has touched it. The "bubonic plague" runs rampant in our office each winter so I'm not going to eat something that may have been touched by someone who is a carrier.2 -
I sit for a living, somebody has got to do this hazardous work. I drink a wonderful cup of coffee in the morning with no added cream or sugar, drink plenty of water and practice IF with a feeding window generally beginning after work.
Maintaining my ideal weight is more important than any food temptation so I face no struggle. I realize everyone is different and am grateful for my current discipline.2 -
Yep. I sit my butt at a desk from 8am to 4:30pm.
I have yummy snacks of my own so I don't indulge in office cake, though I still eat the occasional donut if it fits in my calorie goals.
I play video games for exercise. Fun is the only way I can get exercise, working out for the sake of working out is not sustainable for me.
Anyways I've dropped nearly 30 pounds so it's working.4 -
I work in a small office (a nonprofit), and I am currently in the process of losing weight. One change I made is that I am eating low carb, which has helped me immensely. I pack a lunch that is protein based. Since I've started eating differently, I really don't have cravings or the afternoon crash where I used to reach for a snack. I think there are still snacks in one desk drawer, but thus far I have been able to stick to what I bring for lunch.
Unfortunately, we started these once a month lunches that are designed to get to know our volunteers a little better. The idea is for the staff to pitch in for a lunch that everyone partakes in. This has been difficult, because it was originally pizza. Since everyone has noticed my weight loss, I stated that I'd rather not have pizza, it doesn't fit my plan. I figured I could just eat my own lunch. But instead, it turned into salad for lunch. I brought the salad, another employee brought grilled chicken, and someone brought a dessert. So, I guess that's kind of better for everyone, but it was driving me crazy debating about how to handle these lunches before I finally spoke up. I'd rather not have the lunches at all (we are all introverts, and it's therefore stressful for everyone), but I understand the positives for the organization and the volunteers.
I think one of the main things that has helped my weightloss is the tracking in MFP, staying accountable in that way. So, it doesn't really matter whether I'm at work or at home. I record everything.
I am also doing low carb and more protein but I recently found out too much protein can make you gain weight and I did not know that
6 -
Yep. I sit my butt at a desk from 8am to 4:30pm.
I have yummy snacks of my own so I don't indulge in office cake, though I still eat the occasional donut if it fits in my calorie goals.
I play video games for exercise. Fun is the only way I can get exercise, working out for the sake of working out is not sustainable for me.
Anyways I've dropped nearly 30 pounds so it's working.
I also play video games too and I'm trying to drop 30 pounds too! And congrats on your weight loss!!
0 -
So this goes without saying: anyone here working a 9 to 5 office job and maintaining and losing weight?
What's your fitness like in and outside the office?
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts?
Let me know!
I lost weight quite easily while working a 9-5 job.
I walk as part of my commute. I walk/run at lunch. I work in a 10-storey building so I climb stairs. I was up to 40 flights a day at one point. Right now I'm doing about 14 flights but working on increasing it again. I also exercise in the evenings: walking, running, cycling, rowing.
The free yummy food and desserts aren't mine so I don't eat them. Also who knows where it has been and who has touched it. The "bubonic plague" runs rampant in our office each winter so I'm not going to eat something that may have been touched by someone who is a carrier.
I need to start using the stairs to walk up 10 floors as well.1 -
I work a 9-5, I do IF as well. I eat breakfast, lunch, snack at work. Then go to the gym after. When I'm home, its just water until bed. If I feel really hungry I wont starve myself but most days I'm able to stick to the plan.1
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I work in a small office (a nonprofit), and I am currently in the process of losing weight. One change I made is that I am eating low carb, which has helped me immensely. I pack a lunch that is protein based. Since I've started eating differently, I really don't have cravings or the afternoon crash where I used to reach for a snack. I think there are still snacks in one desk drawer, but thus far I have been able to stick to what I bring for lunch.
Unfortunately, we started these once a month lunches that are designed to get to know our volunteers a little better. The idea is for the staff to pitch in for a lunch that everyone partakes in. This has been difficult, because it was originally pizza. Since everyone has noticed my weight loss, I stated that I'd rather not have pizza, it doesn't fit my plan. I figured I could just eat my own lunch. But instead, it turned into salad for lunch. I brought the salad, another employee brought grilled chicken, and someone brought a dessert. So, I guess that's kind of better for everyone, but it was driving me crazy debating about how to handle these lunches before I finally spoke up. I'd rather not have the lunches at all (we are all introverts, and it's therefore stressful for everyone), but I understand the positives for the organization and the volunteers.
I think one of the main things that has helped my weightloss is the tracking in MFP, staying accountable in that way. So, it doesn't really matter whether I'm at work or at home. I record everything.
I am also doing low carb and more protein but I recently found out too much protein can make you gain weight and I did not know that
Too much protein will only make you gain weight if it puts you in a calorie surplus.6 -
I work in a small office (a nonprofit), and I am currently in the process of losing weight. One change I made is that I am eating low carb, which has helped me immensely. I pack a lunch that is protein based. Since I've started eating differently, I really don't have cravings or the afternoon crash where I used to reach for a snack. I think there are still snacks in one desk drawer, but thus far I have been able to stick to what I bring for lunch.
Unfortunately, we started these once a month lunches that are designed to get to know our volunteers a little better. The idea is for the staff to pitch in for a lunch that everyone partakes in. This has been difficult, because it was originally pizza. Since everyone has noticed my weight loss, I stated that I'd rather not have pizza, it doesn't fit my plan. I figured I could just eat my own lunch. But instead, it turned into salad for lunch. I brought the salad, another employee brought grilled chicken, and someone brought a dessert. So, I guess that's kind of better for everyone, but it was driving me crazy debating about how to handle these lunches before I finally spoke up. I'd rather not have the lunches at all (we are all introverts, and it's therefore stressful for everyone), but I understand the positives for the organization and the volunteers.
I think one of the main things that has helped my weightloss is the tracking in MFP, staying accountable in that way. So, it doesn't really matter whether I'm at work or at home. I record everything.
I am also doing low carb and more protein but I recently found out too much protein can make you gain weight and I did not know that
Too much protein will only make you gain weight if it puts you in a calorie surplus.
Ahhh true. I should cut back on the eggs and meat then and stick to fish mostly.1 -
I work a 9-5, I do IF as well. I eat breakfast, lunch, snack at work. Then go to the gym after. When I'm home, its just water until bed. If I feel really hungry I wont starve myself but most days I'm able to stick to the plan.
Haha I do the same too! I make sure to have breakfast and lunch and after work it's the gym 3x a week. And after I usually end up falling asleep so no dinner or a natural blended mixed berry fruit smoothie and a cup of apple cider vinegar in water. I'm trying to eat smaller dinners.2 -
I am also doing low carb and more protein but I recently found out too much protein can make you gain weight and I did not know that
I don't think too much protein will make you gain weight. You need to look at the total amount of calories you're eating. If it's too many calories, and you're gaining when you want to be losing, then you need to decide where to cut calories. I keep the amount of carbs I'm eating to a minimum because of blood sugar problems. Then I eat protein & fats for the rest of my daily calories. It is working for me. The main thing that has helped me to lose is tracking all of the calories.
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I am also doing low carb and more protein but I recently found out too much protein can make you gain weight and I did not know that
I don't think too much protein will make you gain weight. You need to look at the total amount of calories you're eating. If it's too many calories, and you're gaining when you want to be losing, then you need to decide where to cut calories. I keep the amount of carbs I'm eating to a minimum because of blood sugar problems. Then I eat protein & fats for the rest of my daily calories. It is working for me. The main thing that has helped me to lose is tracking all of the calories.
You're right. More calories out and low calories in for weight loss!0 -
I work full time at a desk, too, but at home. If I'm busy, snacking is not an issue, but if I have down time, man it's another story. I walk or hike most days after work, and work around the garden. There's a gym going in about a half-mile from here, opening in the fall, so I'm planning on joining. So far, I'm down almost 70 pounds, but hoping to lose another 5 or so.0
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Desk job here too. I'm planning on walking to work, taking the stairs up to my floor and going to the gym after work. I find it easy to avoid the office snacks if I have already pre-planned my food for that day.2
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I have worked at standard M-F office jobs, sitting at a desk most of each day (though not tied to it like in a call center), for the entire time I've lost 120-ish pounds and maintained it for almost 6 years so far.
I have always been pretty active but it was my nutrition and calorie counts that changed, not my activity level so much. I try to get in brisk walks/jogs several weeknights and help out my mom who is disabled which means twice the housework of caring for my own home...but I really only do "serious" exercise on weekends, that's anything from an easy 1 hour stroll through a botanical garden to a fairly rough 4-5 hour day hike (usually more on the hiking side).
As for yummy free meals and snacks, that doesn't apply very much to my current job. Thankfully we don't have that kind of office culture at all and we're attached to a manufacturing plant so any excess food or sweets is hauled out to the guys who are doing physical labor. We all know we don't need much/any of it in the office so we'll maybe grab a donut and send the rest out the door.
When I travel for work (every couple months) I do find that more challenging, but try to stick to my same "80/20" type of plan as I follow at home...combining healthy stuff from the hotel breakfast, a relatively decadent business lunch, and then do dinner on my own with random bits from health food stores or supermarkets nearby. So far so good.3 -
So this goes without saying: anyone here working a 9 to 5 office job and maintaining and losing weight?
What's your fitness like in and outside the office?
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts?
Let me know!
I work in an office. I do meal prep for my week and am very strict about it. I make a point to get up and walk regularly, usually to get water. I am in the gym almost every day as well. It's not always easy to avoid all the cakes and treats that are always around, but with a bit of resolve, it gets easier to say now.1 -
I have an office job 7a-4p (not that it matters) and have an incredible appetite. I run and hike on nights / weekends, and I don't eat carbs because that helps quite a bit with BG management (type 1 diabetic) and with appetite as well.1
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I do an office job from 6 AM to around 4:30 every day now. I worked 7 to 5 for years. My hours have changed because I moved to AZ from the Midwest and I'm trying to be available to my clients on the East Coast.
I originally gained all my weight working in an office, then lost it tracking and adding in exercise. I used to eat a lot of the office goodies. Luckily, I work from home now. My wife, for my first year or so, wasn't on board with healthier eating. She jumped on board after I lost 80 lbs. I've kept it off for 9 years.
I have ever so gradually gone from a couch potato to working out six days a week. You do not have to workout to lose, but research has shown that very, very few keep it off without working out. I workout an hour a day at lunch. I have a home gym, so that makes it much easier. With workout, shower and lunch, it takes 90 minutes (thus, the extra half hour at the end of the day to make up for the missed time).
For every 8 hours sitting, I read a study that you should work out one hour. Most of us already don't move enough. Working from a desk makes it even more important. It's not just about weight loss, it's about living and health too.0 -
i have an office job that i'm at 8-10hrs a day (depending on the crisis of the day)...and i'm maintaining/losing slowly
i requested and got a standing desk which helps; i also make sure to walk every hour even if only for 5 minutes; i also drink lots of water so i have to go pee (which gets me to talk more)...
i'm lucky (if you call it that) - that any meetings i have typically involve significant walking between offices0 -
So this goes without saying: anyone here working a 9 to 5 office job and maintaining and losing weight? Yep
What's your fitness like in and outside the office? I go to the gym 3 to 5 times a week for an hour, alternate days cardio and weights( strong lift 5x5) Once I get over a nagging small injury I plan to start running again, outside on the roads.
How do you stop cravings for the free yummy food and desserts? Act like a grown up in control of me.4 -
I should have looked here years ago.
I've been chained behind a desk and 2 computer screens for 30 pounds, err I mean 11 years. I'm trying to increase water, decrease portion size of meals... but as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder.
I'm looking for support, motivation and discipline.1 -
I should have looked here years ago.
I've been chained behind a desk and 2 computer screens for 30 pounds, err I mean 11 years. I'm trying to increase water, decrease portion size of meals... but as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder.
I'm looking for support, motivation and discipline.
Same here especially when I eat very well in the office while avoiding cravings but when the weekend comes and my stress is down, I wanna indulge which keeps setting my weight loss back:/ self control is easier said than done.1 -
I should have looked here years ago.
I've been chained behind a desk and 2 computer screens for 30 pounds, err I mean 11 years. I'm trying to increase water, decrease portion size of meals... but as I get older I'm finding it harder and harder.
I'm looking for support, motivation and discipline.
Same here especially when I eat very well in the office while avoiding cravings but when the weekend comes and my stress is down, I wanna indulge which keeps setting my weight loss back:/ self control is easier said than done.
Yes I agree and it looks like we're all in this fight together. Too bad we all don't work in the same office.... keeping each other accountable.
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"I'm looking for support, motivation and discipline. " To find these you must look within. They are not available from anyone else. You either want to do what is necessary to achieve your stated goals, or you do not.4
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