WFH has been my downfall..

[Alittlebit9]

I have always sat quite comfortably at a size 10-12. I’m 5’6.

I never really had to do anything to maintain it exercise wise, I worked a really busy NHS admin job and just didn’t have time to snack. I then got a WFH role last May and oh my god.. in less than a year I’ve rocketed to a size 14, pushing on a 16.

It’s my own fault, I’m snacking constantly, making pasta for lunch or something else big and carby because… I can, I guess. I have 24/7 access to cupboards and the fridge and seem to reward myself by thinking oh I’ll go and have a biscuit in a minute.

Please help ☹️ I go on holiday in 2 months, and I feel awful in my own skin. Those who WFH how are you snacking less, eating better. Any tips? I would ideally like to lose a stone before we go away - I am going for a walk each lunch time but I know it’s the food intake.

Best thing I done was get a standing desk, which has my walking pad under it. Started slowly but now I can walk while working and get in at least 20'000 steps a day. I'm snacking less because I don't want to put treadmill off, as I like to see the time, stats etc so it keeps me at my desk. At the touch of a button it goes down and I can sit for periods also.

Prepare your food for the next day the night before, including your snacks. You will be less likely to hunt.

I also used to make sure I got up and hoovered, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned a window, cut the grass, on my breaks or between calls/meetings to make sure I was moving - Or even just have a dance!

Go for a walk either before or after you finish your workto make sure you are getting out the house and get those steps in. Try and cut down on the carbs and focus on protein - and make sure you are drinking plenty of water rather than other things. I bought a 2 litre water bottle and made sure i had drank it before I finished my working day - if you can get 3 ltre in even better

I have found calorie counting to be very revealing. I don’t do it every day (as I find myself getting obsessive!), but it has been so helpful. I use MyNetDiary.

I have a BMI of 26.8 and set my daily goal as 1800, as I find it better psychologically to regularly come in under a higher goal than fail to make a goal of 1600 or whatever. But I have worked out that I often used to consume 2500-2600 calories, just on an ordinary day but buying myself a ‘treat’ like a croissant or dark chocolate bar, or having a toasted cheese sandwich at lunchtime.

I have cut my carbs down and also eat much more soup, salad, whole grains and eggs.

I have also begun exercising each morning instead of sitting down to breakfast and have scrambled eggs a bit later, which also reduces mid-morning snacking.

My weight is taking a while to shift but I have lost my tummy and I have noticed this week that my jeans are feeling a bit looser in places.

I found the opposite happening to me! I've exclusively WFH since summer last year and I'm less likely to buy a stodgy lunch from a cafe/shop and less likely to spend a fortune on cappuccinos 😂
However I do make a big effort not to have too many calorific snacks in the house and have veg soup for lunch most days. I also love a sweet snack and found that good quality chocolate rice cakes can fulfill that craving, plus drinking lots of water. Being strict with the weekly shop is a good way to take the temptation away

I was the same.
now I fast with an 8 hour window, so essentially I don’t eat breakfast. I find I don’t feel hungry at all until lunchtime if I do that. If I have breakfast I’m usually starving at lunchtime and overeat. I generally try to not to buy ‘bad’ snacky food like biscuits and crisps.

I’m a bit more mindful of what if I eat if I’m consistently logging into my fitness pal, it’s useful To see the calories mounting up. And it’s a bit of a PITA to weigh stuff which sometimes puts me off eating it.
The walking won’t help much with weight loss, but it’s good to get out of the house when WFH.

It’s really hard though.

I am exactly the same. I just seem hungrier! I now make a packed lunch and that is all I eat in the day, same as if I was in the office. I have a can of Sprite Zero in the afternoon to keep me going and break up the afternoon. It's depressing

I wfh 2 days a week and defo eat and snack more than I do when I go to the office which is maybe once a week. I still snack but on healthier things. So rice cakes, cucumber tomatoes light baby bel fruit etc.

I manage this by walking an hour and a half (half an hour before work, at lunch and after work). Also helps me separate work home and life home to have the break. I also don’t buy unhealthy food to keep in the house so only treat myself when I’m out at weekends. I lost weight during lockdown by doing this. Put it all back on and more once the cafes and restaurants opened!

I've worked from home for 15 years and the temptation to snack is terrible. I try to go for a walk every morning, at least 1.5 miles, as if I was walking to an office, and when I get back home for 9am I drink a pint of water. That keeps me from snacking in the morning. Try to plan what to have for lunch, as other posters have said, then brush your teeth to 'spoil' the taste of anything else for a while. Keep drinking water. Wall pilates type exercises whilst the kettle's boiling to keep you distracted. I go to the gym several evenings so have a snack before that, and try to have my evening meal prepared so I'm not picking while it's cooking. Go have a shower whilst your food's in the oven so you can't have a biscuit whilst you're waiting. I try to have chopped fruit in the fridge for convenience, and have it with nuts. Good luck!

No worries, thanks for taking the time to respond.

It's all about mind over matter, I just see WFH as an extension of the office and behave the same way. I think your issue is you now have a desk job rather than an active one?
I fast I til lunchtime, then have a good protein based lunch, I'll have a cuppa in the PM and will have a few rich tea if I'm peckish, which I actually rarely am.
Hey yourself a calorie counting app and keep track of your calories, I've lost 5 stone in less than a year eating on a deficit, it's absolutely doable, go for a walk at lunchtime or do some exercise on your living room and aim for 30g+ of protein in every meal

I've been working from home for almost a decade, and at the beginning I had the same issues. Now it's been my normal for so long. It's really down to what I buy and how I fill my fridge/cupboards. I don't buy a lot of sweet things or junk food, and when cooking dinner, I always make more for the next day's lunch, so it is as easy to warm that up. If I really want a snack or a treat, I'll 1st try and have a nice drink and a fruit, and usually that does the trick. I also have a dog which means I have to walk for 1h30 each day, which really helps. And rather than staying sat down all day, I alternate between standing up (I have a stand for my laptop), sitting down, stretching and walking.

food prep will be key for you. I WFH 2 days per week and those are the def high risk days. But if I make my lunch and snacks before it makes a huge difference. Also increase protein intake too.

I'm finding this a very helpful thread. I definitely snack more when I wfh. At the office I seem to have got it into my head that I don't snack. And I lost weight.

I think I'm going to take on board the advice to either pack up or plan my lunch...and have a couple of bits of fruit out.

I know it's boredom! And a lunchtime walk.

I think also where you work in the house makes a difference.

I work up in the loft conversion and it really helps being two flights of stairs from the kitchen

The biggest eye-opener for me is that “you can’t out-train a bad diet”. Focus on your diet for weight loss and utilise exercise to improve your general health and wellbeing.