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.

@currahee

I've managed to lose weight while WFH, for the first time since a hypothyroidism diagnosis, as it's given me back nearly two hours a day in which to exercise, get better sleep and meal plan effectively.

My incidental movement is admittedly no different to what it was in the office as I drove door to door (rural, cycling or public transport would be impossible) and the car park, kitchen and loo were no more than 20 steps from my desk. Attending a meeting meant swivelling on your chair to face the middle of the room.

Now however I can run or work out in the morning and/or in my lunch break and still be at my desk early, showered and with a fresh pot of coffee on.

This is exactly my experience of WFH. I've lost two stone. On the odd day I go into the office these days though, I find my eating pattern reverts to the way it was, as I'm too tired from the commute to cook properly or exercise.

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

I think the opposite. No commute, not stuck in an office in the city all day, I have far more time to exercise than I had before. And its much easier to make healthy food in my kitchen at home , no work take outs or crap from the shop.

Its just another thing to blame "oh its not my fault, its the WFH". There's always an excuse if you want one.

I think it obviously is going to depend from person to person, but when I worked in an office there was much more pressure to have “treats” at certain times, I feel much more in charge of what I eat at home.

I think it depends on your personal circumstances. For me I had a great routine of coming back from work straight into gym kit out to the gym . Now I have to motivate myself to leave the house which I am not great with as I can always find an excuse. I am deeply envious of all those who exercise at lunchtime but how long a lunch break do you take? For me even if I only do 5k that is still 30 mins door to door assuming I am in my kit already, then get showered, changed , make lunch, eat it and back at my seat . Is it all doable in an hour? Sounds exhausting just writing it down!

I have lost more weight wfh in the last few months, than I did trying to lose weight while working in the offfice in the previous 20 years put together. I get more sleep as I don't have to get up so early.

I've always worked outside of my town, so car commute, stuck at a desk, comfort eating while working, lifts in the buildings, and so on.

Now, I wfh, can go shopping while walking out and about in my lunch break, shop and walk after work, walk pretty much all the time and use the car once a week for a big shop. May use the car a bit more for days out, but we'll be walking plenty on the days out too. I use a smart watch to track and make sure I'm hitting my step count.

And it looks as if wfh will be largely the way forward for my division at work, as virtually all of my work can be done at home.

I'm looking forward to getting more weight off.

@Stirmecrazy

I think it depends on your personal circumstances. For me I had a great routine of coming back from work straight into gym kit out to the gym . Now I have to motivate myself to leave the house which I am not great with as I can always find an excuse. I am deeply envious of all those who exercise at lunchtime but how long a lunch break do you take? For me even if I only do 5k that is still 30 mins door to door assuming I am in my kit already, then get showered, changed , make lunch, eat it and back at my seat . Is it all doable in an hour? Sounds exhausting just writing it down!

I used to take 30 mins at lunch when in the office. I take an hour now, and tack that extra half hour onto the end of the day. I still find I'm finished with work for the day earlier than I would have arrived home from the office.

There are some quite smug people on this thread. I don’t mean those who wfh has helped, just the “personal responsibility” crowd. It’s perfectly possible to both take responsibility for your actions and understand that environmental factors may lend themselves to certain behavioural patterns.

Like other posters I’ve found the exact opposite. I’ve actually been able to stick to an exercise regime for the first time in my life because I don’t have to choose between going out at the crack of dawn or after work when I’ve been commuting and I’m knackered. I have more time to cook from scratch and actually think about what I’m eating. I’ve lost 3stone in the past year and for me personally it’s because of WFH. I’m in no hurry to go back, I love it.

I've really put on weight since working from home. Any extra time gained has been sucked up by my children and work getting busier. My plan for after Easter is to move my home office to my mil house which is a 25 min walk away to get my arse moving.

I started WFH before covid times and it's definitely made me a lot less active. Walking to the station and then from another station to work was an easy way to get my daily steps in. Unless I go for a walk, I barely get 1000 steps a day in now. Have just started to make an effort to address this with more walks and getting up from my desk regularly.
At least for me it's also easier to eat too much of the wrong things when I'm alone. There's only so many times I would have gone to get a biscuit from the office kitchen but now no one sees me and biscuits are on a special buy 2 for X offer too so there's no stopping me...
On the other hand, easier to make a healthier lunch in my own kitchen and I'm less tired from not having to commute.

@Stirmecrazy I'm not as fast a runner as you, but the great beauty of wfh is that they can't smell you .I tend not to have my shower straight away after a lunchtime run and have my run early and as most people don't organise meetings over the lunch period, generally my face has returned to normal by the time I'm on again.

Having said that though I do prefer to run in the morning so I can shower before work.

I’ve stopped exercising (cycle commute) and like others my work hours have absorbed any free time. I don’t stand up from 8-6. I’m exhausted.

Opposite for me! So exhausted after work I didn’t exercise literally ever. Obviously was moving on the way to work/at work but not exercising in terms of stamina or lifting. WFH meant I’m able to exercise and I’ve never been healthier!

I'd say the replies are pretty much 50/50!

It depends what kind of office you worked in I suppose.
I have lost weight as I'm no longer having a slice of birthday cake every other week to keep up with the amount of people in the office (yes I know I don't have to eat it but hey I did). Or having a quick on the go Tesco meal deal as I had no time to sort any lunch.
Theres also no work meetings that come catered any work meetings on zoom are food free.

There’s absolutely no doubt I’m more sedentary now wfh. Meetings are scheduled back to back with only a mouse click between them. I struggle to even get out of my chair fir hours on end.
Those who March on the spot or have treadmill desks or whatever are clearly not the minute takers or trying to present to camera - there’s no way I’d get away with jiggling about throughout.

No boxes of biscuits, chocolate treats, ‘birthday cakes’, canteen meals, Friday pub lunches.

I’m 10lbs lighter, and have lost 5” off my waist and 3” off my hips in the last year. Walk every day.

I suspect you are right.

There will definitely be people for whom the opposite is true - who are now fitter and healthier than they have ever been - but it’s a hell of a lot of missed movement for a huge amount of people.

Back when I was working I used to have to do a good long hour at the gym working very hard (as well as general daily movement) to get close to as many steps on the weekend as I did on a work day when I didn’t do anything extra at all. Yes of course I could hypothetically have become dedicated to the gym instead and go every single day and maybe go for a run at lunch as well if I was wfh but what is the likelihood that I would stick to that 1, 2, 5 years down the line?
I think the good thing about moving on the commute is that it was never optional. You could never just not feel like it.

I agree OP. I’m a teacher and usually hardly sit down during the day unless it’s break/lunch as I’m always roaming my classroom/walking from one end of the school to the other or running around to the photocopier etc. I’m currently still wfh as I’m pregnant and literally i sit in front of my computer all day staring at the screen. Lunch is only 40 mins so by the time I have ended on lesson, made and eaten lunch and sorted my next lesson there is no time to go for a run/walk. Then I have to go collect dc so no time to exercise then. I’ve gone from about 12000 steps a day to about 1200 which is terrible

Working in an office means multiple coffee and tea trips shared sweeties im gluten intolerant so people especially bring me gluten free stuff i then feel obligated to eat at home I can sit water all day eat nothing and no one is judging me

WFH doesn't cause obesity- genuine ill health, laziness and poor choices cause obesity.

I am definitely getting less exercise than when I worked in the office, but I've lost a lot of weight.

The office (with cafes, restaurants, shops) was a nightmare for constant snacking.

Now I'm eating home cooked foods and buying no crap.

The only downside is I don't get to wear my lovely clothes to work anymore.

Both jobs and homes are different. This time last year I'd just signed up to cycle to work. Now I'm stuck at a desk at home for much longer hours, don't even get out for a walk. That's more due to workload and my particular job and way of coping with stress. I've put in a stone in the last 12 months .