Working at a Desk all day, and just gaining weight ...

xocity

About a 15 months ago I was really fit, but I had a pc repair kind of job and always moving around and luckily a flexible schedule where I can workout in the morning. I then moved on to help desk and now a engineer role but I still spend atleast 95% of my time in front of a computer on my chair staring at a screen and doing things remotely. Since the change ive gained like 40 pounds . I was just wondering if this was only me or are there a lot of people out there that this happens to? I want to start taking 5 min walks around my building every hour or so.

I partly blame the fact that we have a very very nice break room with vending machines and snacks that are free to all of us and free donuts every other week

DevilWAH

I think I have put on about 30 pounds since starting my new job. And I know a lot of that is down to not being as active. I suggest rather than lots of small walks, save it up and do one walk of about 20 - 30 minutes once a day and actually put in some effort to walk quickly.

I mean if you want the six pack back and to be running marathons than its either the gym or start jogging at lunch, but other wise a got brisk 30 miniute walk each day and going easy on the snacks should sort it out.

I will also mention I found out I have a thyroid condition that means I suffer from an under active thyroid gland, while I don't think this is the only reason I am putting on weight it is a know side affect of the condition. So you might want to get your doctor to check you out and test you for it. Especially if you find you are contently tired and exhausted for no reason.

jamthat

Do you have time to get to a gym during non-work hours? Or maybe start running? Looks like you're in Miami, so you have no excuse not to get outside and run

Setting lifting goals in the gym or time goals for a race (5k, 10k, etc) are really helpful. Might take you a few weeks to get into it, but once you get into some kind of exercise routine you'll start looking forward to doing it rather than dreading it.

N2IT

40 inch waist here!

Desk jobs turn you into a hog if you don't workout and/or eat properly. I'm going for coffee, water, and kale.

xocity

I havnt gotten tested for thyroid issues yet but I have some family members that have thyroid issues and take medication for it. I was always a big guy but now im just .... a lot bigger. Now since I work so early i get so tired getting out of work I just want to go home and lay on my couch and watch tv. With a little push, im sure I can get back in shape, or in a somewhat decent shape. Thanks for the input

xocity

Yea 40 inch waist here too. I need to connect myself with a bunch of out of shape tech nerds and get a motivational workout going with new software or something as a prize to the winner that loses the most weight or something lol. Nothing motivates me more to do anything than getting a cool new router or video card.

nosoup4u

My wife is a personal trainer and I'm pretty active so I'm not going to mention my waste size lol but I run at lunch and workout before or after work also.

Thing I recommended to the guys around here, while being active is part of the equation, it's the eating out at work instead of bringing a lunch that really affects most people.

Bokeh

Been there, done that. I have to get up from my desk every hour, or I will just become one big blob. Recently picked up one of the FitBit pedometers, and it links wirelessly to my laptop, also works with BlueTooth if you have an Iphone 5 or Ipad 3rd gen/Ipad Mini. Its nice, that I can see how many steps I get each day. Now that the weather looks like its breaking here in MN, I can go back to my old routine of doing at least a mile walk before work, hitting the steps at work over lunch time (4 flights), then a walk again after work. Once the treadmill gets fixed, it will be even easier. Maybe we need a TE weight loss challenge? See how many lbs/kgs as a community we can loose, or how many miles/kilometers we can knock down as well?

xocity

I think a weight loss challenge would be a great Idea. As long as everyone is honest, I dont see why it wouldnt work lol. Anyone have any idea for how a challenge can be done?

Having a pedometer would be a great Idea. Ima try to get one this weekend and see how many steps I normally take and then start power walking and taking stairs everywhere and see what happens

Psoasman

I put on 10 pounds my first year at my job. Free food and drink from 7 restaurants / delis sounds good, but made it easy. Now, I am back to a healthier weight via more exercise and less heavy food.

Working swings makes it easier to work out before going into work, at least for me.

rsutton

I've been working in IT since '98 and three years ago I was at an ugly 300lbs. Today I clock in at 185 lbs. My job is still 100% in the office. What I did:
- Work out 4-5 times a week (45 minutes of cardio each sessions) + light weight training
- Count calories. This is the most important thing. You have to know your maintenance calories and subtract from that to lose weight. I picked 500 calories under my maintenance and religiously sticked to it. This will be the biggest challenge for most people.
- Eat right. It's hard to stay under your calorie limit if you are eating junk food. The easiest way to maintain your calories is to eat food that fills you up and does not "cost" much. There is a plethora of information/recipes out there on low calorie diets.
- Stay motivated. It's hard to stick to the above for a long time. You have to find your source of motivation and dwell on it. All I can say is that how I feel and look today was worth every second of hard work I put in to it.

Psoasman

^^^ Very impressive!

jamthat

rsutton wrote: »

I've been working in IT since '98 and three years ago I was at an ugly 300lbs. Today I clock in at 185 lbs. My job is still 100% in the office. What I did:
- Work out 4-5 times a week (45 minutes of cardio each sessions) + light weight training
- Count calories. This is the most important thing. You have to know your maintenance calories and subtract from that to lose weight. I picked 500 calories under my maintenance and religiously sticked to it. This will be the biggest challenge for most people.
- Eat right. It's hard to stay under your calorie limit if you are eating junk food. The easiest way to maintain your calories is to eat food that fills you up and does not "cost" much. There is a plethora of information/recipes out there on low calorie diets.
- Stay motivated. It's hard to stick to the above for a long time. You have to find your source of motivation and dwell on it. All I can say is that how I feel and look today was worth every second of hard work I put in to it.

That is awesome!

I also agree that some kind of weight loss/fitness challenge would be fun..I'm not sure how else it could be done other than a separate thread with the OP updated with peoples results weekly, etc

Xyro

xocity wrote: »

I partly blame the fact that we have a very very nice break room with vending machines and snacks that are free to all of us and free donuts every other week

This has more to do with your weight gain than being sedentary. You need to get some real food in your diet & stay away from the toxic waste in vending machines.

Shanman

N2IT wrote: »

40 inch waist here!

Desk jobs turn you into a hog if you don't workout and/or eat properly. I'm going for coffee, water, and kale.

48 here and pushing 50... I really need to get active. I would be up for an honest group weight loss challenge.

DevilWAH

I am sorting out my road bike at the moment (just needs some new bar tape really ), getting a key to the showers at work and Am aiming to cycle at least twice a week throughout the spring/summer. 7 miles each would should be a good wake up call to the system and looking to sign up to a 60-100mile cycle in August/September as a Goal to aim for.

N2IT

I just recently hit the 40 inch mark and that was an eye opener. I'm going to count calories like rsutton and eat a lot of vegtables. That's my game plan.

I'm hitting the salad bar with nasty french dressing. I believe it has the least calories of all. (I THINK)

darkerz

++++++ to the calorie counting and healthier foods.

I have kept 400 under my maintenance including work outs, and am always shedding some weight down ( I used to be 320, I am now 190 and still working it, but slowly ).

I cut out junk food, fast food and simple carbs.

Eggs, Tuna, Some Milk, Lots of Veggies, Lots of Nuts, Coffee with 0 Calorie sweetener, WATER!!!!!!, and assorted meats cooks together.

You'd be super surprised if you started counting the carbs and calories in some very common food. My girlfriend is a stick at 120 lbs 5'4 and can eat a whole pizza 2 nights every week, not run an inch or lift a foot, and still maintains her weight.

jealous.

nosoup4u

Eating clean and WHOLE grain not just "brown" bread, 100% whole wheat will help greatly. Most breads these days are basically freaking cake without the frosting. If you can just eat your bread straight without putting anything on it, it's probably not healthy, it's meant to provide fiber for you digestion some also some blood flow depending on the fiber. If it kinda taste's bad and isn't soft and dry, then your good to go lol...

It's rather hard to eat over 2500 calories a day eating NON processed food, and keeping carbs moderate, eating lean protein and fruits and veggies. Even while I was training for a Iron man, I had to eat like 3 chicken breasts and ridiculous amounts of fruits to get anywhere near my calorie goal. Never cut carbs completely, when you start eating them again you'll just balloon up.

Try and prep all your food for the week Sunday night, the wife and I cook a breakfast casserole with egg white, spinach and some chicken for the entire week, so we can just grab it and warm it up after we work out in the mornings. Prepare and wash all your fruits and veggies on Sunday, cut them up in a food processor and store them in the fridge. Anything you can do to make the stress of packing lunches and the time sink on the weekdays will greatly help.

And of course don't drink anything but water, it's just empty calories.

YFZblu

During periods of time when I choose not to workout or feel that I do not have the time to workout, I cut most carbohydrates from my diet and always shed weight. It is difficult to find a variety of food quickly on a no-carb diet; however it is a solution.

.02

Hypntick

Yeah I really need to get on the ball. Had started going with the wife 4 times a week to our apartment's fitness center, then I moved. Since moving I have pretty much lost a lot of motivation, despite the significantly improved exercise facility available. Eating healthier is another issue, I don't eat veggies so it cuts out a lot of options. I would be down for a weight loss challenge, I could stand to drop about 40-50 pounds or so.

DB Cooper

I wrestled is high school and college, hit the IT office and put on 60lbs. But I completely changed my diet, I'm 85% eating healthy. I started walking and running. Started doing 6-8 miles a week, after 3 months I'm doing 26-30 miles a week.

I started juicing, 3 parts veggies, 1 part fruit. I have my juice for breakfast and lunch, for snacks I'll eat 2-3 containers of greek yogurt.

After my workouts, I eat quinoa with chicken/beef. Cut out the soda, only drinking water with Mio Engerty enhancer.

Its working for me, so I'm sticking with it. I'm scheduled to do a half-marathon in Eugene April 28th.

xocity

Feels good knowing im not the only one. Lately I've been drinking lots of water and eliminating Soda completely. Gotta buy some mixed veggies and fruits, and maybe some almonds so I can eat it during my "im bored to i need to eat" part of my day. Thanks for the input and stories. Maybe a year from now I can say I got my bachaelors, and lost 50 lbs lol.

Claymoore

I gained almost 40 pounds in the few years since I left internal IT and began consulting. Lots of reasons - eating in restaurants all the time on the road, quitting kung fu due to travel, busy with the wife and kid instead of hanging out by the pool all weekend. A year ago the pants weren't fitting so well. Now the pants are fine but the shirts aren't fitting.

Little things can make a difference. I drink coffee and tea rather than energy drinks and soda so I can control my sugar intake. I got back into my wrestling eating habits of portion control and quitting eating when I am not hungry rather than when I can't eat any more. But I am still getting older and my metabolism is (finally) slowing down so just food and drink changes alone aren't enough.

Getting fit for the sake of getting fit wasn't enough motivation for me either. Then I booked a family vacation to Hawaii last year. My wife wanted to go hiking while we were there, so that meant a backpack kid carrier instead of a stroller. Walking around the neighborhood with my son on my back made me realize how out of shape I was. I hit the gym hard for a few months and was in good shape for the trip.

Then, life got in the way. I traveled to some cities where my gym doesn't have an affiliate. I caught a bad flu and skipped the gym. I pulled a hamstring running up some stairs after a day at Disney and that took a couple of months to heal. Finally I am back in the gym, preparing for a 5 day vacation at Disneyworld in a couple of months - on a slow day at Disney we walk at least 7 miles. Next is running season in the fall. I am not sure if I am going to try the 10-miler or half marathon or just stick with the 5k races. At the Disney Princess half marathon we figured out that I could run the 5k and meet back up with my wife to walk with her and my son in the stroller division.

These activities are what keep me motivated. At this point in my life it's not about looking good, it's about staying fit and healthy so I can do things with my family.

YuckTheFankees

A few have mentioned this already but I thought I should chime in. A lot of you could be allergic or intolerant to some of the foods you are eating and not know it (which would cause weight gain). For example: you may not have celiacs disease (aka gluten free) but you could be wheat intolerant. If you stomach or body feels swollen, there's a good chance you are intolerant to something you are eating.

My girlfriend is a small girl but she gained 15+ pounds over a 3 month time frame and after going to the doctors, she found out she had celiac disease. Once she cut out food with gluten, she dropped all the weight.

Myself:
*no more soda (8 weeks strong)
*no dairy
*portion control is key!
*eat your protein (fish/chicken)
*reduce your sugar intake

It sucks once you start..but once you start seeing results, it gets easier to say no.

Bokeh

Im all for a TE weight loss challenge. Anyone want to start on April 1st?

gbdavidx

You can only blame yourself, you are what you eat

Cisco Inferno

Watch what you eat outside. Portions can get fairly big. Make sure you ask for a FREE cup of water with that meal as opposed to making it a combo with chips and soda. If anything, try unsweetened tea.

My breakfast usually consists of a bagel, coffee, and cigarettes.
That keeps me good until 1 or two haha. I'm sure if it was just the bagel, itd be a different story.

Also, Brown rice is the best when eating take out. It will get you full, and KEEP you full for longer. Also, the husk (the brown part) contains a whole lot more nutrients than the starchy white part of rice. Its much healthier, keeps you full, and provides you with good carbs as opposed to white rice.

xocity

Im good to start April 1st. What would be the rules? some people have different body mass and can lose more weight faster so i think competition should be on Body Fat % not just lbs. What would be incentive? I have an extra Small Business Cisco Vpn router laying around i can put up for a bet lol

jmasterj206

I started doing weight watchers for men....don't laugh! I have lost 13 lbs in the first 2 weeks. I also got myself a standing desk: Link. I also picked up an elliptical and recumbent bike for home. It is a great way to study. I watch videos while I am on the elliptical and read books while on the bike.

N2IT

Weight in

241 5 ft 11 40 inch waist with manboobs.

Yeah I said it.

No breakfast and 2 salads from the salad bar. French dressing with a few seeds and the rest veggies.

Booya.