Has anyone got a sedentary job where they have put on weight??

[Fattyfattyfatty]

Currently work in a very stressful desk job in the NHS, the division I work in is very stressful, lots of meetings on teams etc.
I've put on a stone in lock down :( I've never been BIG - size 14 at the most, but it's not my natural weight and I don't like it, but struggling to lose it. At the weekend, I can do upwards of 11,000 steps as I'm a single parent to a toddler ! in the week, i'm a big fat sedentary mess and don't know how to get out of this rut feeling. I start the day with good intentions and by mid afternoon, the biscuits and chocolate are out. I hate how i feel :( wobbly and flabby..
How can I incorporate exercise into my week when I am up at 6am and don't actually sit down to eat until gone 9pm most nights...
I know the key is diet and exercise, but really struggling at the moment and don't know where to find the motivation from.
Anyone else piled on the pounds from a sedentary job?

I did !
I switched to a stand up desk , no snacks in my office " area" and plenty of water. It helped a bit but I only lost serious weight when I left that job for something more physical.

Exercise without changing eating habits won't work. You need to do both. Pointless doing exercise if you're going to get the biscuits out. If you can only do one or the other (assuming you can't exercise at work), then you need to concentrate on cutting out the sugary/fatty/calorific foods.

I am going to sound super harsh, but unfortunately it was only harsh truths which helped me🙈
up at 6am and don't actually sit down to eat until gone 9pm most nights...
Nope. You sit down to eat (though not main meal) during the day, hence the pounds.

You really just have to power through few days of no biscuits and chocolate. No one can give you a solution because we all did it differently but at yhe end of the day the only thing which worked was... Nkt to have them. Or have very little. I couldn't have certain things at home for few moths even. Weak arse me😁

I started with 15 minute hiit ones. Couldn't really find an excuse to get out of 15 min workout... It may help you destress tbh. Put some angry music on and let the anger and stress flow. I work well powered by anger...

It's really hard when life is stressful so don't be too hard on yourself, but also don't be too soft. Both extremes are crap. Just go bit by bit.
First thing, change the biscuits for something helathy and low cal. I get it, I like to chew when working under stress. It helps me concentrate...🤦

You will get that stone off. Stop with the self hate

I don't think it's the sedentary nature of the job, it's the boredom eating. I'm running 3 times a week and walk for my 30 mins break, but I eat a lot at my desk. I like the idea of no food in the office.

It's just one stone that i need to lose and get back to my natural size 12 which I was happy at.. I refuse to buy new clothes to accommodate my fuller figure!
You are right though, it's will power more than anything.. but working in a sedentary job is really killing it too.. when I WFH during lock down I exercised every single morning before logging on as I was able to get up later. I am now back in the office 5 days a week in a new role.
Anyway, these all sound like excuses - I know it's just simple diet and exercise!

it's really difficult but you have to start by cutting the snacks out

I know this is easier said than done because being tired makes you hungry = eating shitty snacks!

can you work in a bit of walking to get to your desk in the morning and on the way home? it makes all the difference

I am in the same position now. WFH has been terrible for me. I have put on a stone. When I'm in the office, I walk to and from the station - it's only 2.5km one way and that alone was obviously enough to keep the weight off plus the fact that I don't have access to a fridge full of crap! At home I end up sat down for most of the time and eating dreadful food!

I think it's more so getting past the tiredness when I get in and after i have put DD to bed which is around 7pm.. I actually REALLY enjoy exercise, i'm not a big fat lazy cow in that respect, I was doing Les Mills On Demand every morning and I loved it.. it's just making the time to do it as I always find something else I need to do, like washing, tidying up, having a shower! but I know it's never going to come off unless I make the time.

Yes, I do. I found it really hard to fit in exercise with a long drive to work, an early start and evenings spent ferrying kids to things so I now do YouTube exercise videos when I can. Slimming World was the big success for me though - I had a stone to lose and I followed the programme quite carefully - the weight did come off. It’s basically a low carb, low sugar, low fat diet which worked for me. I now follow it 4 days out of 7 and do 12:12 fasting every day, and weight has stayed off (touch wood).

If you are a smacker like me I can recommend loads of good versions. Much better than biscuits 😁
If I am after sweet, yogurt with fruit does it. Fresh, frozen, tinned I am not picky. And if you have frozen cherties, yogurt and grate in few grams of dark chocolate it's soooo delicious and kills sweet craving.
Savoury
Of vourse veg and hummus 🤷🏻 not really original nowadays, is it😁
Ryvita rye, smudge of mustard, sauerkraut, slice of salami.
Ryvita thins or corn cakes (i love thse, svrew rice cakes) with tzatziki dip. You can spice it up as well.
Chopped eggwhite, yogurt or quark, fresh or frozen herbs on ryvita rye.
Sriracha and quark mixed with herbs and squeeze of lemon or lime. Beautiful dip for veg or whatever you have.
And so on. All take absolutely just couple of minutes to prep and are easily portable actually so you can take it to work. That can give you bit of good nutrition during the days as well.

Could you set a timer for every 30 mins or whatever and just do say 20 squats or incline push ups on your desk or even sit ups if no-one is going to walk in. If you just inject some short bursts of exercise in your day it will help.

My usual job is a lot of walking about and I have never wfh ever before but in the pandemic we were encouraged to for a few days a week and I hate it. After a day in front of a screen I feel stiff and lazy and it's just awful. I started doing a few bits and pieces every 30 mins to an hour just to get some blood flow and I do think it's helpful although not sure it will make a huge difference to weight loss which is more about diet.

The other thing I am a big fan of is NEAT. If you do work outs but are sedentary the rest of the time it doesn't have as much benefit. You have to try to take every opportunity for activity eg I never ever get in a lift even if it's 10 floors carrying bags because and even if I want to because I tell myself that it's free exercise I'd be mad to miss out on. So I just have some rules I don't break eg always take stairs, never drive if it's within x distance always walk things like that. I don't give myself the option to take the easy way out.

I'm going to start doing Les Mills again tomorrow and then try and do it at least twice a week, then that included with the weekend is 4 x 60 minute sessions of exercise a week.

I think that's great but do try not to let the best be the enemy of the good. If you are really busy sometimes you can't do 4x 60 mins but you can still do something

Sometimes you can think that 'if I don't get a proper session in then what's the point?' and you wind up doing nothing at all but do remember that anything is better than nothing

It can be about intensity more than time. Have you tried tabata intervals? You can do as little as 10-15 mins of that as long as it's all out and it is the same benefit as a much longer work out and you burn calories for hours after. Sometimes I will do just 15 mins when I get up or before bed (so at a time I was going to shower and change anyway) There are loads of Rabat workouts on YouTube.

Just some ideas if Plan A doesn't work.

Working in IT/tech is often sedentary, plus add long hours, stress. It's not really an ideal role for maintaining a good weight.

Food is the biggest issue. I don't snack.

Since I'm sitting all day, I do make an effort to walk longer way to meetings, go to a further away coffee station. I always walk 2-3k every evening. I park after getting home, and do that walk regardless of weather, meaning I'm in the door 20 mins later.

It sounds like you are super busy already! It's your food choices really, but trying to include some walking in work is good too.

Don't make yourself more tired though @Fattyfattyfatty

Tiredness is your enemy! As others have said you are better off doing 20 mins and being less tired than killing your self to do more and then going into the tired = eating crap cycle

I think 20 minute work outs are a good idea!

Try low carb OP. I'm never hungry now. Today I had

12 almonds and 2 tbsp full fat greek yoghurt, coffee

Cauliflower cheese with peas and bacon

Chicken salad

I would normally crash and burn on the sugar roller coaster all day but cutting it out means I don't want it anymore. There is white bread in the house, I could easily make toast. Chips in the freezer. Biscuits in the tin. But I don't want it.

Give it a go, you might be surprised

Oh my, did I!

I left a job doing 12 hr shifts in a factory, 3 breaks a day so no food any other time, and constantly walking, lifting, carrying, moving. I moved to a desk job in the same factory. It was a cake factory. The cakes were free to staff...

I’ve fallen into the same groove and I was a fatty to start with! I agree that it’s the snacks that are the problem. Like you, OP, I start with good intentions but after hours of teams meetings, I feel like I deserve a treat. I probably do, but that treat doesn’t have to be food. Such a crap habit that I’ve fallen into. I don’t have much advice really, but I do empathise.