24, office job, a LOT of weight to lose

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EuphonyChloeH
EuphonyChloeH Posts: 107 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi there, I'm hoping to find people in the same jam as I am in. I'm 24 and in just over three short years working in an office setting, I've gained a ton of weight - a ton being 80 pounds or so. Scary, right? After hopping on and off the wagon too many times to count, I need to lose the weight and adjust my lifestyle so I can keep my office job without letting it kill me.

One of the biggest obstacles I have is that I sit for seven hours a day, only getting up every now and then to run to the printer. Anyone have suggestions on how to keep my metabolism up during the day? I'm trying small meals and snacks during the day and I plan on getting stationary bike pedals that will fit by my desk so I can cycle while I type. I'd like to keep my activity efforts fairly discreet, as I am not about to do jumping jacks in my office for fellow coworkers to see LOL.

I'd love any suggestions you can provide, and I'd love to form a support team as well. Thanks!

Replies

  • Iwillbemeagain
    Iwillbemeagain Posts: 163
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    Samee thing happend to me, use your breaks and lunches to hit the stairs!
  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 595 Member
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    sneak in some squats in the bathroom, take stairs when ever you can, park away from the door, take a lunch walk
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    Hi. I suggest you get a pedometer & then do as much incidental exercise as possible. If you have stairs at work, use them. If you have a decent lunch break, go for a walk. If you catch public transport to work, get off an extra stop earlier or if you drive maybe park somewhere a bit further away from work. Also just be determined to up your exercise as much as possible. It doesn't have to be hard core stuff at first. Baby steps first. You can do this :smile:
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    Do you work in a big building? Mine is quite big and drinking a lot of water means going to the toilet a few times a day. I choose to go to the toilets furthest from my desk which is a good 2 minute walk each way, with one flight of stairs. It's not much, but it might be a start?
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
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    Just work out before or after work. The idea that your metabolism starts and stops is greatly exaggerated. Calories in and calories out - it really is that simple.
  • ashreneeknutson
    ashreneeknutson Posts: 77
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    I am in the exact same boat (24 yrs, need to lose about 80 lbs)! Feel free to add me as a friend and we can keep each other on track.
  • tdoerr2
    tdoerr2 Posts: 89
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    I have had a desk job for 16 years now and have 134 pounds to lose. Feel free to add me. And the others suggestions are great ideas!!!!!
  • determined2lose89
    determined2lose89 Posts: 342 Member
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    Hey there,

    In a similar situation. Between an office job and moving out on my own I have 40-45lbs to lose. Down 6 so far!

    Luckily at my job I can get up and move around when I want. I go for a quick walk around the office or simply work standing up. I looked into getting peddles for underneath my desk too but haven't decided whether to get them or not because I don't spend the entire day typing. It's usually type a bit, get up look for some papers, sit down, look at the papers, get up, etc. My best advice is go for a walk on your breaks and lunch. Even if you only get a half hour lunch...eat for 15, walk for 15! Make sure to workout either before or after work as well.

    Take things slow at first. I rushed into diets and exercise before I found MFP. This website has seriously been great for me. I log everything I eat and track my exercise. Seeing the calories in vs. out on a screen really does it for me as well as being able to weigh in and share with my MFP friends how much weight I lost that week.

    Feel free to add me. Would love to have you a supportive member!
  • Christie_Berry
    Christie_Berry Posts: 2
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    I'm in the same boat as you are! The only difference is I am traveling from site to site and sometimes the easiest stops are fast food places! I have learned to pack a lunch, and get up extra early to get some form of exercise in before I head to work lol
  • SooZ1138
    SooZ1138 Posts: 65
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    I gained 30 pounds also from going from a retail job where I was standing all day to a desk job... I feel your pain!! I work as a Personal Banker so it's even harder to sneak away to do things since the phones are always ringing and I get customers for long periods of time.

    What I do is:

    -We have 3 floors to our bank, every 30 minutes I try to walk all the way to the top, all the way down, all the way up again, and then to the main floor (that's going up 6 flights and down 6 flights every 30 minutes!!). If I don't get to it for 60 minutes, I double the amount of stairs I go up and down
    -Lunch time, I take a walk around the outdoor mall we are a part of (will be harder now that it's getting cold... maybe I'll walk around Target =P)... even if it's for 15 minutes
    -Do squats in the bathroom everytime I go (it ranges from 5-10... depending how I'm feeling)

    Just doing these few things will give you more energy during the day (as well as focus!) and you'll be burning them calories right up!
  • katatak1
    katatak1 Posts: 261 Member
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    Same boat here! I've learned that it's not just calorie in, calorie out as many will say. For weight loss, yes... but for cardiovascular health and well-being, no! You have to get up and be active throughout the day. Research studies have shown multiple times that even fit people who work out often are at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes when they work in an office (seated) all day.

    So what can you do? Like others have said, take the stairs, go to a bathroom that is farther away, walk more. One thing that helps me out is emails. Instead of sending an email to a coworker, I get up and walk to their office/cubicle. Also, I have my smartphone set to remind me to stretch three times per day. It gets me up and active, and it helps with muscle fatigue. It may not be as practical if you're in a cubicle, but since I have a door that closes, I don't have to worry about people seeing me stretch.

    To prevent workplace injuries, most offices expect/accept taking 5-10 minutes every hour. It helps your eyes from getting strained, it helps your muscles, and it helps regroup your mind! Good luck, I'm going to send you a friend request :D
  • EuphonyChloeH
    EuphonyChloeH Posts: 107 Member
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    Squats in the bathroom - awesome! I'll definitely give it a shot!
  • horror_hamster
    horror_hamster Posts: 278
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    sneak in some squats in the bathroom, take stairs when ever you can, park away from the door, take a lunch walk

    ^ this ^

    I'm in the exact same situation. 24, desk job, blah blah blah. Above is what I do all the time. (Except I dont squat in the bathroom, i do it in my cubicle)

    Calf raises also. Print something, walk to the printer, and while you're waiting for it to print, do calf raises. You can do chair dips and desk push-ups, but I dont know if those might be too public for you

    Otherwise, i just park on the far side of the parking lot, i take the stairs, i make excuses to get up from my desk (which is hard working in my office) I refill my water bottle often, take the long route to the bathroom, sometimes fit in a walk during lunch. You can do it! i've lost 16lbs in 5 weeks
  • thesarahsundae
    thesarahsundae Posts: 240 Member
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    I work in an office, too. Try to get up as much as you can and walk around the office. A pedometer is a great idea (I have a FitBit) but try working out in the morning if you can. That is what I do. I try to have 6 small meals a day if possible. I always make sure to eat within 2 hours after my workout, too.

    You CAN do this!!
  • andi_isit303
    andi_isit303 Posts: 30
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    man oh man -- office jobs just stink!!

    i'm 24, i have gained about 30-40lbs since graduating college (and admittedly, my senior year thanks to my friends vodka and redbull) -- these suggestions are awesome. i've honestly never thought to do squats in the bathroom!

    also, i might do the stairs thing, walk up down and up every 60-90mins. interesting!


    Thanks for all the suggestions and feel free to add me!!

    -Andi
  • bhalter
    bhalter Posts: 582 Member
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    I'm in the same boat! I'm 25 and have been at office jobs since I got out of college. VERY hard to stay active, but like others have said, I try to take the long way to somewhere, I wear a pedometer during the day, park further away, etc. Once you make stuff a habit, it gets easier!
  • fayglet
    fayglet Posts: 72 Member
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    Hey! This is my first reply to someone :)
    I am also 24 and also have a lot of weight to lose - about the same amount. We should add each other as friends!

    I walk to work and it has been AMAZING. I walk about 50 minutes, partly uphill, wearing a knapsack filled with books. I also walk at a leisurely pace so not to put too much pressure on 'working out'. Nearly 2 hours of walking a day and none of my clothes fit anymore...

    Depending where you live, try to make this "your thing". Even if only part way is walking, you will arrive with a fresh glow and be more awake and alert than your coworkers.
  • CrawlingChaos
    CrawlingChaos Posts: 87
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    I'm in the exact same position. I got a desk job about 5 years ago after working in a warehouse type environment throwing furniture and pallets of water and all that stuff around. I gained about the same amount of weight and surely lost a lot of muscle mass. I've been off and on trying to stay active but there are things that keep getting in my way, most recently I was part of a big project and I was spending over 12hrs a day at work where it became too easy to garbage to eat, and then I got stuck on a business trip for a month where extended hours continued. When I got back and saw I gained all the weight I lost the few months before I decided I really need to stick with it.

    I sent you a friend request. Maybe having somebody in the same situation as me on my list will help me stick with it. Anybody else is welcome to add me, too. :)
  • MissPeppers
    MissPeppers Posts: 302 Member
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    Sure.. sounds very familiar...
    I've got a tall desk and stand up all day working on the pc. With some music, I move a bit with the rhythm, I walk fast to get coffee - half cups because then I need to go more often, that has helped me a lot!
  • lrd2010
    lrd2010 Posts: 161 Member
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    Ditto here, though I can't blame my office job for my lack of effort for the many years before I had it!

    I started taking my full allocated hour at lunch time and walking as far as I can and back during it. Sneak my sandwich at my desk when I get back :)

    The baby steps are the greatest things that you can do at this stage. To get yourself into a new routine that makes you feel more energetic and sleep better at night (best side effect of exercise ever by the way - my terrible sleep pattern is all but gone!)

    Anyway, good luck with it and feel free to add me as a friend if you like!

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