Two dress sizes (have crept) on. How to be more active & disciplined..

[Needtogetrippedin25]

Please help with tips for being more active when working from home and avoiding the grazing. I do get to the gym every morning for a HIIT session and weights, but then get home and sit statically for 8 hours (and graze). In my head I can't justify the time for another hour walking or running because i've got so much work on (it also spills over into the evening after ds is in bed). I've tried to do half an hour of Ripped in 30 / running up and down the stairs after lunch, but i can't seem to get motivated by that, as it's too static (iyswim- I prefer to be actually moving rather than on the spot).

I've been wilfully ignoring the fact that I've started to wobble but I tried on a bridesmaid dress (size 8, coast, and it is nude and unforgiving in every way) that I'm going to be wearing in 6 weeks, and it doesn't even do UP now. I've ballooned so much when I went for a run this morning I was acutely aware that I was wobbling, felt heavy and got so upset I actually came home. Then tried on the dress and cried. It's a cumulative 4 months or so that has led to this, and I'm also acutely aware of the fact that it's making me quite unhappy.

I've always eaten low-ish carb/ paleo as a matter of course, and been active, usually running or cycling 4x a week and then doing lots of walking around due to work/commute. However, I now live in a relatively rural location, meaning that there is little in terms of walking to places. (I'm not a great fan of walking for the sake of walking as I am so time pressed with work). I also started working exclusively from home in December, and so this has had a huge (oh, the irony) impact on my activity levels, despite getting to the gym first thing.

My diet has also suffered since working from home too, with grazing and over-eating. Not so much "bad for you" stuff (although for the first time ever I have been binging on cereal and marshmallows when I'm stressed) but just too much food and eating when not hungry. Probably for something to do other than work which is quick, distracting and easy.

I'm living in jogging bottoms as I can't do up any of my trousers and even my boobs are spilling out of my bras Is it worth starting with being very strict with food and is it even possible to manage/lose weight like that? Have really got myself into a bit of a mess with all of this now and feel thoroughly upset as a result as i've always been happy with my health/size now and i even hate dh touching me now as I'm just aware that I'm not happy with my body. Any support/ tips so welcomed..

I'm another work from home grazer, I have put a stone on from just a few extra fridge raids a day. I have recently started 5:2 which is getting the weight to come off but slowly. Another thing I do is put my allowed food onto one shelf in the fridge the night before and never deviate from the shelf. It sometimes means I eat lunch over three different grazes but it seems to be working.

OP you sound so upset Is it possible to swap the dress for a size up? You can tackle your issues around eating/exercise whilst WFH in the long term, but likely to take more than 6 weeks, and it does not sound like you'll be happy in that dress in 6 weeks time.

patterkiller - I was thinking about doing that. it's scary how fast the weight comes on through the fridge raids (coupled with the decreased activity and the ignoring it over four months). What I might try is to put the food I'm going to have in tupperware the night before so once that has gone, it's gone and I just have to be super disciplined in then not grazing on anything else!

Are there any other tips in terms of anything that you do to be more active? I have a fitbit tracker, and it's so interesting from an emotional/psychological point of view too that when I am out and about at weekends, I feel so much better for getting 7 or so miles under my belt outside of exercise. When I'm working from home, I'm lucky if I get 1 (outside of my gym or run session).

happygirl - I am. For the first time ever I suppose I've developed issues with how my body is, and I've never had that before. Although dh is being lovely, i can't even bear him to see me naked and he can't understand why I'm getting so upset as he thinks I look lovely. The problem is that I don't! It is having a real impact on me and I feel an idiot as it's my fault. I think it's also because I've always been on the go and going from that to static, walking to the fridge/food has become a distraction.

You're right though that it will take a while for it to come off and I know that and have never been into diets or quick fixes. Although I have to say, I have been googling various quick fixes before rolling my eyes at myself! Sadly the dresses were bought well before Christmas, so they don't exist any more (having done a panicked scout around ebay and coast itself). I will have to look into full body spanx!

I'm watching this wincing with recognition. I have also found that ironically moving to the countryside has led to me being less rather than more active. Ditto grazing at home. I am a generous size 12 but should be at least two sizes smaller, given the benchmark of my size at 20, and at 40.

When we moved from a city over here I was full of the excitement of long country walks, lots of fresh air. When I was living a mile outside a city meant that I could walk in and around with ds, walk in for coffee or to libraries everyday myself, have somewhere outside home to work and just walk around and about. The problem here is that marked roads turn into single track lanes, and I'm always dubious about cycling on them. Plus (and I suppose I should get over this) I always feel a bit of a prat tramping around fields myself and also that I could be using the time more constructively for either my paid work or PhD work! I even downloaded podcasts to listen to whilst walking, thinking that at least I could assimilate as walking, but I still don't like aimlessly walking around fields for the sake of it.

I may be reading too much into a couple of comments, but if you're experiencing stress and over-work then that won't help. When we get stressed, our bodies release cortisol, which has a double whammy - it encourages weight gain around our bellies, and when it wears off it leaves us exhausted, low in willpower and hungry. Is there any way you can address the stress factors, which might make the willpower issue lessen?

No, there has been a definite increase in stress and workload since December! I think there needs to be a general outlook change reading back over all of this- a bit of a wake up call if you like; thank you everyone! It's so good to know too that it's not just me that does this working from home, and that it is just a mental change I have to go through.

I haven't faced up to the weight gain as I've just been basically hanging out at home working in dh's jogging bottoms and T shirts to avoid having to deal with why I'm over-eating. Plus I guess i'm quite isolated and I suppose that's one of the things going for walks by myself (if I was to) would make even more acute.

Am going to take my bike in to the shop later to get it serviced as the front wheel is missing a bolt, and then stop making excuses, pack up a lunch / food for the day each evening and remove myself from daytime "leisure wear" pyjamas I think what would also work is doing a good 45min bike ride before ds gets up now that it's light, and then shift my going to the gym/run to the afternoon before I collect ds from nursery. I suppose that then gets in more exercise and, fingers crossed, makes me feel a bit more motivated in general and better about myself.