WFH will cause more obesity

[BalloonCityBaseline]

I can't see how it wouldn't. Stuck at home, alone, mostly based a desk. Not even a walk from a tube station or up a few flights of stairs. Access to more food. Usually I just bring what I know I should eat and then I don't buy more or use the vending machine, but at home I'm eating much much more.
What does everyone think? I'm sure there's some counter views.

It’s not as clear cut as that is it? Yes some people would’ve got their daily steps in when they walked to a station or from a bus stop etc but equally there are those who drove to work anyway. As yes some may eat more at home but then there are those who would’ve grabbed something quick/unhealthy from the canteen who can now prepare healthier meals at home. Or dont snack on the communal cakes/biscuits people bring in. It’s not a single blanket rule for all.

My OH actually lost weight in the first few months of lockdown and realised it was most likely as he wasn’t having several pints a week with colleagues after work or one with lunch on Friday if they went out etc.

There probably have been people who gained weight when they started WFH full time but if that’s the case then it’s about working out where else to get your exercise and sticking to healthier eating. It’s an adjustment rather than an inevitability.

I'm with you, I've always been able to maintain my weight, I used to go to the gym 2/3 times a week and take healthy lunches to work. Since wfh my workload has increased, I rarely manage a lunchbreak but when I do I do walk but can only fit in about 15 minutes. I haven't really saved commuting time as still have to take DD to nursery and pick her up, but it's a drive away, I've put on about a stone at a guess. I'm working on it but my back aches from sitting all day, there's no getting up going to the printer etc, I literally walk downstairs to make a drink and grab something to eat every couple of hours. I think its the workload that means I struggle as I just feel like I'm tied to my desk. I used to do a lot of presentations where I'd be standing and could move around, now they're on zoom so just sat, I'm looking forward to being a mix of office and home hopefully by summer!

I lost 10 kg from last March and I feel and look great. Since I don't have to commute anymore I can exercise 3 times a week at 7 AM and it's bliss. I also have time to eat a proper lunch & dinner. Dinner always had to be after 7 when I went to the office, now we eat at a 6PM.

For me, there is far less temptation at home.
I work with a large team of people and there is always a birthday or someone stops at the shop for treats because it’s Monday, or Wednesday, or Friday - or people bring in home bakes etc. There is temptation everywhere- cakes, biscuits, donuts, crisps, chocolate.
At home I simply don’t buy it so if it’s not there I can’t eat it.

I think a key factor is whether your work has expanded during Covid to fill your commuting time. Those of us working directly on the Covid response, for example, are busier than ever and bosses fully expect us to use the commuting time to take extra work. DH is a corporate lawyer and his firm has taken the same view. Short of getting up at the crack of dawn to exercise (which I’m just not motivated to do), there’s no time!

My gym is 10 minutes away from my home. When open, easily accessible at the end of a working day.

I agree.I used to do 17k steps between the tube and walk to nursery and then back home. Now I'd be lucky to do 2k steps. Needs less to say I've put on 7kg

I got a job WFH full time last November. The snacking is unreal.

All my previously lost weight had piled back on.

I think if you’ve got enough self discipline then it can work but my god I have no self control.

I have started replacing the usual chocolate bar basket we have as a treat (which i regularly dip into during the day now!) with fruit, the ready cut up stuff so I can’t make excuses.

So far, so good.

“ You can't blame WFH for a lack of willpower nor laziness.”

No one is “blaming WFH” for anything FGS

OP, YANBU. I have been the same weight my entire adult life, give it take a kilo here and there. I have put on five in the last year, for all the reasons you mention.

I am not the sort to insert exercise artificially into my daily routine. The brisk walk of my commute used to be enough. Now I’ll need to start jogging or something to get back to where I was - and I don’t want to. I know I am not alone in this.

I definitely have less natural movement working from home as I used to walk to work and back and probably did more stairs and things.

However wfh means I have more flexibility about when to exercise so I go for runs and lunchtime walks and can get up and move and stretch from my desk more often which I can't at work so it's swings and roundabouts

People have more time to eat better meals? Bullshit. You chose to eat crap before simply because you chose to!

People have more time to eat better meals?

Eh.. my lunch break is still only 30 minutes - I haven’t had a lunch break upgrade since WFH. Should I contact citizens advice?

When I worked from home I went running on my lunchbreak. I really missed doing that when I changed jobs. It meant I had to run in the evening and often I didn't have time, or lost my motivation.

YABU you can always find a reason not to do something and WFH is just another excuse. Take responsibility for your health. If your working environment has changed then you need to change your mindset too.

I have lost 16 lbs since I have been WFH.

No office cakes, biscuits etc, different routine has been great. I was always out walking at 6.30 anyway but now can walk for longer and walk again in the evening as have an extra hour of the day with no travel time which was just door to door driving anyway.

Different for everyone but dont presume it's a bad thing.

I think it can go both ways. I used to take public transport door to door, and with a busy desk job was totally sedentary. I’m much more active now that I can use the 3 hours a day I used to commute for exercise.

I'm another who has got fitter and lost weight (nearly a stone) during lockdown because of having more time to exercise when I would have been commuting.

I can totally see how it could go the other way though.

You cannot blame working from home for obesity. It’s your choice what you eat and it’s your choice how you exercise

I have actually lost weight since wfh. Less cake, less unhealthy lunches

I’m with you OP - my commute and wandering around the office is an easy 10k steps for me that’s not being replaced elsewhere. My normal exercise routine is a team sport which has obviously been banned most of the last year. I go for a walk at lunch most days and I do jog but either of those is only 5k steps - I’m definitely less fit.

I used to walk to work so I agree to some extent. WFH is also more expensive in terms of heating etc. But I'm getting into a regular walking habit and now we (or DH at least) is full time at home we can get a dog. We've always wanted one but would have ben cruel leaving it during the day, we'll probably end up doing 6 miles a day. So exciting.

@Oblomov21

People have more time to eat better meals? Bullshit. You chose to eat crap before simply because you chose to!

I mean yes, if you're speaking literally it is a choice, but it's a lot easier to motivate yourself to cook healthy meals instead of grabbing freezer food if you're not already shattered from getting up early and a long commute.

I mostly hated WFH but this was the one aspect of it that I did prefer.

Depends where you live doesn't it? My office is on a business park and public transportation isn't great, so I drove to work. Wfh I have more time to exercise!

@LifesLittleDeciders

People have more time to eat better meals?

Eh.. my lunch break is still only 30 minutes - I haven’t had a lunch break upgrade since WFH. Should I contact citizens advice?

Well yes, in 30 minutes in my own kitchen with a stocked fridge and access to all equipment, you can make and eat something quite healthy and appetising.

Compare that to queuing for the microwave at work, or trying to get excited for the sweaty salad that you made the night before and it's easy to see how people end up using vending machines and sandwich shops.

While I’ve been wfh I’ve been able to exercise 6 x a week, alternating running with online workouts, because I am saving 2 hours commuting. Also have been walking the kids to and from school rather than dropping them off in the car on the way to or from work, and have time to plan and cook healthier evening meals. So I am fitter and healthier than ever before.