WFH = weight gain

[Ms1235]

I've been working from home for the last 5 months and have gained a stone in weight.

Has WFH made you gain?

I find that I don't get dressed properly. As in I wear comfies as opposed to actual clothes, as im in the house.

So when I did get dressed properly, I noticed a lot of my clothes were tight or more snug, than I remember them being.

I think for me, it is easy to snack all day whilst at the desk.

I know I need to sort this, has anyone experienced the same problem?

I got a desk riser to stand for the morning. At home I don't move as much and all my joints, bum and thighs hurt. The riser helps. I haven't put on weight though. I barely do any steps in the day and while I do 5 exercise sessions a week it is the daily inactivity which is a killer.

Wondering about a walker now.

On days I WFH, I struggle to go 3000 steps.

On days I go into the office I've done > 10000 , with a lunchtime walk, by the time I get home.

It's no wonder wfh is no good for the waistline!

That looks really good!

I definitely need to look into these.

The price doesn't bother me. If it shifts the weight and keeps me trim, it's worth it!

It's either slim down or buy bigger clothes

Yes I did. For a few reasons.

When we came home in March 2020. Work was full on. I worked more hours and dp (who was furloughed) stayed here to support the kids so I could work. He would make me lunch, which was more substantial and cups of coffee with snacks and sort dinner. I also was barely leaving my desk. He would even walk my dogs.

I also fell into the not showering everyday. Wearing PJs all day. That didn’t help with my weight gain. Then my mum died and it all went to pot. And I piled it on.

So even at home I make sure I dress properly. But more comfy than office wear. But do invest in nice clothes for home. Do shower everyday. And it makes me feel better.

But a huge part of it is not moving. On a day in the office I can easily do 10k steps. I spent 2 days in London this week and walked from the train station to the office, and back, on both days and did almost 20k steps. On a day at home I can do as little as 2000. I live in a village. Apart from walking the dogs there’s nowhere to walk to.

Now when at home I make sure I do home exercise. I walk the dogs. I do what I can to make myself feel good and replace the movements. I also use the opportunity to wfh, to make sure I cook myself better meals. I use the time saved to have decent breakfast. And a decent lunch. It’s Stopped the snacking habits.

It'll be the eating too much and not moving enough that's doing it, working from home doesn't cause anyone to gain weight!

No but I have to consciously make the effort to get movement in. If I didn’t do the nursery run in the mornings I’d get up and a do a walk before I started. I take a lunch break to either go to the gym, run 5k or walk 45 mins on my rest day. I have a walking pad for dark/rainy winter days. I got a wireless headset so I can still get up from my desk every hour even if I’m stuck in back to back calls.

Snacks are another issue to tackle, I find if I’m flat out busy it’s easy but if I’m procrastinating with a task I have to be more mindful. It’s not easy so I’m trying to find something else to distract me.

Yes it most definitely is. I'm not denying that I'm not eating more.

It's just it hasn't shown... until I've tried my more fitted clothes

Makes sense.. comfy wear is all about the stretchy waistbands!

Are you able to fit in a walk before/after the working day or over your lunch break? Or take advantage of having the kitchen to make a fun healthy lunch etc?

And definitely try to not have the treat stuff in the house, at least not in large amounts 😊

I only get a 30 minute break. So will definitely be looking to add activity in then.

A friend had suggested once I'm back in my clothes, to actually get dressed and not slob haha.

So I think once I've lost the stone or so. I'll aim to wear jeans or fitted clothes everyday

I found this at the beginning of wfh, a fit bit helped as I aim to get 10,000 steps in most days, starting with a walk before work that ticks off about half. I also signed up for exercise classes for the social side, and have time to go to more than I did when in the office.

A very slim fit colleague has moved away and only comes into the office once a week. She used to cycle into work. She has only been moved away four months. I saw her this week and noticed her bum is now much bigger. The rest of her is as slim as ever. Not being bitchy, just it was noticeable. It is purely the WAH. Sitting is the new smoking. We are not meant to sit down all day. It is surprising when you go into the office how many extra steps you take - going up stairs, getting water, going to the printer. I have been going into the office twice a week since January and I have lost 5 pounds without any other changes. It's movement for me. I don't snack between meals so it's not eating at home that has made me put on weight.

Yes because gaining weight no longer means I have to buy new work clothes. I have at least a stone to shift

The comfy clothes thing is a tricky one in that I do agree it can make weight gain less obvious but it can also help with getting activity in during the day - I sometimes have 5 mins between meetings and try to use them to do a few squats or something and fitted clothes obviously make that harder

No change

We had snack shops on site so always possible to overeat

I still go out for a bit if fresh air in the morning

It's easier to stop every hour and have a stretch - we are meant to in the office but no one does

Opposite for me. I started WFH in 2009 and that's when I actually got fit. When I had to commute to an office every day the only times I could exercise were before work (6am runs, no thank you) or after work (knackered and grumpy).

WFH simply meant I had a shedload more time to exercise properly, at the times I actually felt like it. Now it means I can get out for a proper long run at least twice a week (in the daytime, when it's actually somewhat pleasant) as well as quick home workouts with weights on busier days.

I snack, but I don't think any more than I did in an office? I don't really think about what I eat though.

I don't really think "micro-movements" and tracking steps do anything more than tinker around the edges of fitness.

I'm up and down the stairs all day WFH in a way I wasn't in the office. Bit confused at everyone who thinks WFH = glued to your chair for 8 hours straight because for me WFH = the freedom not to be. Even something as simple as standing up and stretching - that's not the sort of thing you can do in an office!

I think it probably depends what your office normal was - my office days include 15-20 mins walk at either end from the station and often a 10 min walk to an external meeting. A few trips up and down the stairs don't make that up for me.

If your office days were driving to an office and walking from the very nearby car park, WFH might well be better.

It's interesting to see that some have lost and some have gained

I eat loads more when in the office, I have to really have some willpower to avoid the biscuits everyone but me seems to bring in. At home I won't eat until 1pm and even then it's healthy as I meal prep my lunches so they're ready for my lunchbreak.

It's the not moving I hate! When I first started WFH, I could do as little as 3000 steps on some days only burn 1500 calories. I now go to the gym 4 x week and walk 5-10km on other days which keeps me in check.

Can I ask those of you with office treadmills, do you not have your camera on in meetings? I can't imagine walking and trying to keep my head still when sitting/talking in a Teams meeting!

When I started WFH 18 months ago I relished it coincided with my youngest one no longer needing walking to school and no longer walking to work. I absolutely relished in the extra time this gave my to lie in bed when he left for school and spent my lunch breaks watching tv with more food than I’d eat in the office. Within about 3 months I could feel I’d put weight on as my clothes were uncomfortable and that was a turning point for me. I started going for a walk once dc had left to go to school and then again during my lunch break. I now am absolutely diligent about keeping as active as I can during the working day around my work. I now try and swim 3 times a week and spin twice and often finish work and go for a walk afterwards. None of it is extreme but it’s just about replicating the level of movement I used to do when going ‘out’ to work.

Have you managed to slim back down?

My clothes fit again!
I don’t weigh myself so I don’t know how much I gained and lost, I just go by how my clothes feel on me.
I try and meal prep some lunches for during the week too so it’s ready to go and I’m not just reaching for stuff that makes me sleepy of an afternoon. or blind cupboard raiding 😂
The novelty of wfh was initially wonderful but then being sedentary is a lazy option which I was taking all the time, not just occasionally.
No regrets, I worked in education for years so no wfh options during Covid etc, didn’t have the opportunity to do it before I changed jobs and I felt so lucky to be able to wfh. I still do, but for different reasons now.

Well done @TheChosenTwo I can't wait to get back into my clothes.

Spring and summer is coming. I need to be back in my wardrobe. Otherwise I'll have to buy new!

I worked part time from home until 2020 then full time since.

i have always carried some weight but it was getting ridiculous, I could see this large face and wobbly chins on teams calls and I was starting to look like my Mum , who is beautiful but she is 83!

last year my DH ( he doesn’t WFH) had a health scare and we both decided enough was enough, we started using the NHS health app and counting calories.

Every single thing we eat/drink gets recorded, you just don’t think about how much milk you use for those extra teas and coffees, that extra couple of biscuits in the “slump “ period between 3-5 pm.

Our portion sizes were crazy , I as eating the same as him and I am only 5’2 and he is 6’2.
DH has lost 13 lbs and stone before we started this diet so nearly two stone and I have lost 11lbs.