AIBU to ‘blame’ my job for my weight gain?

[fat13]

Please note - ‘blame’ in inverted commas as I know that ultimately I’m the reason I’ve gained weight, but I do think work is a bit of a trigger.

Life is v busy and stressful. On top of this, I am a teacher and I know I get good holidays but tbh it’s still getting me down a fair bit.

Ive gained weight. Largely because im run down and tired and drained at the end of every day and I’m turning to food as a quick pick me up for comfort and for energy and to feel good.

Has anyone ever broken this cycle or am I going to have to think of alternative careers?

I think its a little extreme to change your entire career just because you have put on weight!

That’s not really what I’m saying though, @Greenqueen40 , it’s more the realisation that my current lifestyle is detrimental to my living healthily. So I do think something has to change. This doesn’t necessarily mean changing my career, it’s a possibility, but it’s recognising that pattern.

I find it easier to watch what I’m eating on days when I’m working, provided I plan it. I batch cook soup, freeze it and take that for lunch. I also batch bake low carb muffins and freeze them: take one for a snack. And that’s it. That’s all I eat in the working day. Staff room table groaning with cakes and biscuits? I’m having none, because I have my snack with me.

I find it less of a mental load to decide I’m having nothing but what I brought with me: it’s quite a relief, actually, rather than thinking “I could just have one biscuit”, because I know one leads to more and more!

I don’t keep cakes, biscuits or chocolate in the house so that I can’t go mad snacking in the evenings.

It’s hard at first, but once it becomes habit it’s a lot easier.

I’m a teacher I lost weight teaching ( and gain every school break 🫣) , as I’m never sedentary …up down walking around. I put weight on in an office job as you don’t move so you may find a change of career isn’t the answer but meal planning

Plan your meals. Don't buy snacks that aren't healthy. Do you live close enough to work to walk there?

The lifestyle you're choosing won't help towards feeling tired and rubbish. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm a secondary school teacher and work 4 days as I have a two year old and fortunate to be able to afford to do this. I get up at 5am a couple of times a week to do a hit work out and I'm always in work for just after 7. I fell into a rut a while ago complaining there's not enough hours in the day but I realised I was wasting 2 hrs a night watching crap on tv I didn't even care about. So now I'm up early but going to sleep at 10pm and sleep great. You just have to decide what's going to give.

Planning and batch cooking op.
Plan meals for the week, cook then all on a Sunday then it's a case of getting out the fridge/freezer.
This will save you being tempted to get a takeaway for quickness as it's even quicker to heat it up.
Lunches, make fresh the night before, salads etc.
Snacks, only buy healthy.
Do you have sugar in coffee etc?
Can you walk there?

Not having things in the house never works for me!

It isn’t that there are cakes and biscuits available, to be honest I rarely eat during the school day as it’s so packed and manic. Then I’m hungry and tired at 330.

Everyones different but I found it so easy to lose weight when not teaching.

Well you need to find time to eat then.
Like you need to find time to drink water, have a shower and sleep each day.

You would think there would be healthy foods available for staff such as yourself who have difficulty popping the shop at lunch.

But no, it's chocolate bars and crisps that are accessible.

And this is from a government that cares about our health?

I'm the opposite, as I found that I lost Wright when I used to teach in the classroom.

It isn’t that there are cakes and biscuits available, to be honest I rarely eat during the school day as it’s so packed and manic. Then I’m hungry and tired at 330.

There is your problem.

Take packed lunch with you, avoid the vending machine during breaks. You need to fuel properly at the start of the day and lunch to avoid hunger pangs at the end of the day.

I rarely eat during the school day as it’s so packed and manic. Then I’m hungry and tired at 330.

It’s good you’ve identified the issue. Why can’t you find 15 minutes for a quick healthy lunch? Is it possible if you prep ahead?

If not, do you eat a decent breakfast and what can you eat at 3.30 instead to stave off the junk?

Not having things in the house never works for me!

What do mean by this? Because you stop at the shops if there’s nothing in? That’s a habit and willpower thing, I suppose. Not having the tempting food in the house is supposed to help with the willpower, but if you go to the shops anyway then you need to prevent yourself doing that.

When you lost weight before what were your habits? What parts are incompatible with teaching?

Can you not get up earlier or make your lunch the evening before? Doesn't really take much effort to make a healthy pasta or salad.

i thought you were going to blame your sedentary role on your weight gain.

Blimey, do any schools have vending machines? I haven’t seen any since circa 2006.

I think a major lifestyle change is needed. It isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. I am genuinely worried about my health.

I do go to the shops anyway but it really does become like a powerful addiction, I suppose in the same way an alcoholic couldn’t just cure themselves by not buying booze. Easy in theory but not in practice.

I am up before 6 as it is, so not sure I could get up much earlier without cracking up completely.

It's the business and stress of teaching that makes me gain weight too.
It's grabbing quick food, not having time to eat properly, and feeling low on the way home- so I buy crap to cheer myself up!
And- I reward myself for difficult days with food/ drink.
Drinking more water/ juice definitely helps, but I'm not disciplined enough to really tackle it.

Where are chocolate bars and crisps available?

Thanks @grafittiartist , that’s exactly my trouble too.

Can you make the connection that the type of food you say you are turning to, is actually making you worse? Crappy food won't make you energetic and healthy. It will give you a sugar rush followed by a slump.
If you want your food to make you feel good, eat good food- plan ahead for 3:30: lots of prepared fruit? it's a nice treat and sweet and filling. Berries coming into season now.... Home made flapjack- control what you put in it- oats, nuts, seeds, less processed sugars.
I don't know what you like. There are loads of better options. Just take a little time to think ahead for the week and make sure you've got some better alternatives. It'll soon become a habit.

it really does become like a powerful addiction, I suppose in the same way an alcoholic couldn’t just cure themselves by not buying booze. Easy in theory but not in practice.

You can’t cure alcoholism (the disease/mental compulsion) by just not buying booze but you can stop drinking alcohol (and become a ‘dry’ alcoholic) by not buying booze. It’s the basis of AA - all you need to do today is say no to the first drink.

It’s a different sort of hard with food because you can’t stop eating completely. But the principles of overcoming the compulsion/addiction are the same.

Switch the tv off for 6 weeks. Make your lunch the night before. Make sure on busy days it is something that doesn't takes ages to eat. Have prepped portions of veg readily available. Carrots and cucumber. Got for a walk in the evening.

when we moved and hadnt bought a tv yet i was amazed by just how much free time we had.

we Don’t actually have live television at the moment, so it won’t really make a difference. I guess this is where everyone is different, I’ve never really been a major TV watcher.

@NoSquirrels they are but the point is that it’s not easy, that’s what I am saying I suppose.

You can surely find time to eat something during your working day, a sandwich or a bowl of salad which you take with you.

It's essential to shop regularly for decent food. When you're exhausted you tend not to, and end up eating all sorts of stuff from the cupboard which aren't satisfying. When I got like that I bought cooked chicken or had hardboiled eggs in the fridge.

I know that drained feeling, but you need to break the cycle.

I truly sympathise - it is not easy.

If you can identify what worked before and tweak it for your teaching day, that would be the best solution, obviously. Setting aside the emotional triggers, what were the practical things that helped with your previous weight loss?