If you are WFH and NOT putting on weight, how?

[WearyandBleary]

DH and I have put on over a stone during lockdown.

We used to cycle or walk to work so at least an hour exercise each day. Now we just roll downstairs and sit at the kitchen table for 9 hours staring at zoom.

Eating and drinking in the evening is one of our only pleasures really!

I’m not sure how to reverse the weight gain pattern?! How are other people doing this? Help!

I have lost weight and got healthier. I took advantage of own your goal's free trial and have finally found a love of exercise. It has naturally led me to think more carefully about how much I'm eating. I would like to reassess my nutrition now though. Another thing is I have given up coke and caffeine. I was a lot less hungry once the coke had gone, even Coke Zero.

I have kept the same weight. I have been eating a bit more snacks since WFH, I think it is good for mental health. But I also have started to do some exercise.

There are only 2 ways to control the weight, one is to do exercise, the other one is changing the food you eats. For example, I now only eat home bake biscuits and cakes, these are much healthier with less sugar, veggie oil.

I did put on weight at first - buying crappy food and lots of alcohol as 'treats' to get through the stress of it but in mid May I had a breakthrough and just stopped. I've been working out 4/5 times a week since April and I combined that with calorie counting and walking to make sure I reach 10000 steps daily. I've lost a stone since May so half a stone down since the start of lockdown.

DH and I take it in turns to put the kids to bed and the other goes for a run. Also no office cakes-my place of work is terrible for that!

Shopping for food online and not buying any sweet foods or snacks other than fruit, nuts and natural Greek yoghurt.
2 substantial meals a day with protein (chicken, fish or pulses), lots of vegetables and a not massive portion of potatoes, rice or bread. Pudding of yoghurt or fruit. Snack of nuts or fruit if needed. 1 stone 3lbs down from the start of lockdown, and maintaining 9stone which is my idealush weight.

Working from home means there is more time for exercise. The hour you would usually be commuting to and from work, can be used for a run walk cycle etc.

I found it easier during full lockdown. We didn't go to the shops, just had one shopping delivery on a Monday. So if it wasnt in the shopping delivery we dodnt have it - no popping to the shops for a bar of chocolate or popping to the pub for a pint. I actually found it easier to lose weight during lockdown but I can see why boredom would lead to weight gain.

I put on at first but I’m last couple of months have used my fitness pal to log calories and been quite strict in ensuring I’m within target each day. Have lost nearly 10lbs so far.

Have stayed the same weight (57kg, 5ft7) by walking every single day, without fail, for an hour between 5-6am (I am a morning person) and avoiding snacking.

Have lost all desire to drink alcohol too (haven’t touched a drop for last few months) which probably helps.

I worked from home before Covid. The big change for me are that DH is doing a lot more cooking, so I have more time in the evening to exercise when otherwise I'd have been prepping food. I go for a walk generally.

Also I've only been eating when hungry.

I've lost a stone since early March.

I put on a bit at the beginning but then lost a fair bit - maybe up to a stone? Not sure.

I've always been active but have been treating my walks as my "me time" and really enjoying g being out of the house for an hour or two every day. I do between 12 and 20 K almost every day.

I noticed that blood sugar levels were a bit off so have been eating lower carb and having a snack between meals (like celery stick and hummus, or cheese and apple). It's improved my temperament so much.

It helps that I live in a beautiful coastal area, so walks are a real pleasure.

But I am drinking a bit too much 😳

Some great ideas here - I will definitely put my weights by my desk so lift during phone calls! And I think I need more walks. I just find my same routes SO BORING.

I love cycling as transport but hate just doing boring circuits of local roads.

I have done three short runs in the last week and will keep doing that. I might start back on week four of C2K to give myself some structure.

Need healthy snacks too. Have got a dd with very low weight so we have a LOT of high calorie snacks in the house for her, which is too tempting at times.... I love hummous though so will get more of that in and more protein based stuff.

Houmous is very high in calories so be careful!

Drinking more cups of tea which is filling me up.

Exercising every day and trying to snack less. Also had to cut back on the initial levels of lockdown alcohol consumption before it got out of hand! I have a desk based job and drive to work normally so it's not making that much difference for me if i make a point of running or walking when I'd normally head to the gym.

I was always a commuter only cyclist, but have re-newed interest when we started exploring off-road trails. There are many more than I ever knew existed.

Need healthy snacks too. Have got a dd with very low weight so we have a LOT of high calorie snacks in the house for her, which is too tempting at times....I love hummous though so will get more of that in and more protein based stuff.

Would it be better to cut the snacks out altogether? If you eat enough at mealtimes, you shouldn't need to snack really.

I'm only saying this as snacking is habit forming whether healthy food or not and some people end up snacking 'just because'.

I’ve largely kept my diet the same, I’m just as active but I have had to alter my exercise so I have lost weight in muscle mass. I didn’t realise how much until my first rugby training session when I put my kit on.

I'm bored of walking around here plus Wfh is gruelling when I finish at 5 I don't want to do exercise. Food is a nice distraction.

@CodenameVillanelle

Houmous is very high in calories so be careful!

Yes, good point! I've been having a small spoonful with a celery stick or half a raw pepper etc. I find that if I prep some snacks in the morning in appropriate portions, I'm not tempted to keep eating. I've got some nice wee tubs that have a section for dip. It's also easier to stop eating extra at lunchtime if I know I'll be having a little something two or three hours later. It's meant that my veg portions have gone up. I've always had my 5 a day by the time lunch has ended, so I usually end up having had 8 by bedtime.

DH is also WFH, in the kitchen - he has a lot of conference calls, so that stops me popping in for snacks too often.

I agree - why do you need snacks at all? If you want to calm your insulin response down (which is what causes weight gain) and lose weight, you don't need to constantly graze throughout the day. Have you read The Obesity Code' by Jason Fung? He explains this concept far better than I ever could!

I use my driving /commuting time to excercise .leave house at the same time and walk /run for an hour before work .same at end of day .have lost 20 lbs and I have no biscuits or cakes to snack on like we do at work .

Desk upstairs 1 snack in morning, 1 in afternoon. Heavy on fruit and nuts with a little bit of chocolate.

Lunch is one open sandwich (so one slice of bread), usually hummus and salad.

Breakfast and dinner are bigger: nearly always 2 eggs for breakfast and a large mean at dinner. I use my slim 8yo's portion size for me. Herbal teas in evening. Knit if I feel like snacking.

Try to keep up s mix of walk/short runs/cycle/Pilates 5 days/week. I really want to go for a swim!

I'm a smoker and I'm too lazy to cook.

I’ve wfh for years so it’s really all I know. You learn to not hit the kitchen too often. I also have an under desk cycler just to keep my blood moving.