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

ccnxjr

Recent advances in technology have made it possible to work out at night if daytime workouts are difficult!


:ducks:

Psoasman

I just finished up reading this book. Very informative.

Amazon.com: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (9780307474254): Gary Taubes: Books

I've lost about 6 pounds over the last 2 weeks and I haven't felt this good in years. Yes, I know there are huge controversies about low fat, low carbs and so on, but it is working for me.

I've been doing P90X, too and that helps a lot.

N2IT

Quoting Carl from the AquaTeens "Working out is for women".

Psoasman

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

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.

+1. I've actually lost my cravings for bread and sugar now! I actually look forward to a big salad.

dave330i

I've lost 25-30 lbs, but that's mainly due to medical reasons.

krjay

I actually work out every morning before work, I think I've missed maybe 1 day this year so far. It all started a few years ago when I worked at a gym. Had to be to work at 6am so I'd show up around 4:30, get my workout in, and start work. Luckily I haven't broke the habit yet and I continue to make it to the gym every day.

xocity

Waking up at 5:30/6:00am every morning to workout.......will take some getting used to.
Day 1... wake up at 5:30, get off my bed, mission accomplished i know I can get up at that time,
Day 2 ... wake up at 5:30 and go outside, mission accomplished i know i can get up at that time and go outside
this is how my brain functions at that time

discount81

from 07-2010 I lost 120 pounds, went from XXXL shirt to Medium and size 42 pants to size 30.
and I was quite fit, working out 3 hours per day and use compete in amateur MMA fights.


Got a more serious job and relationship, hurt my knee and gained about 60 pounds (some of it is muscle as I did a lot of weight training instead of martial arts after I injured my knee)
I am an XL shirt and 34 or 36 pants now and not really happy about it.

My girlfriend cannot say no to social engagements, she is Italian and there is an expectation to always come, and there is always a wedding, birthday, baptism blah blah, it is always huge with lots of food, If junk food is in front of me I eat it, I have the will power to not buy it and eat healthier at home, but if I am at a party and there is a pizza I will definitely have some.
When I was single I had no problem telling people I can't attend just to avoid temptation.
If I refuse to go it just turns into a huge argument, it has caused me a lot of stress as I really want to avoid these type of events.

I am going back to the gym slowly, doing 3 sessions per week of 30 minutes cardio and 1 hour of weights, I eat healthy maybe 60% of the time which I am trying to improve on but I never eat anything REALLY unhealthy like sugar laden foods.
Lost 5 pounds this month, which isn't much but it is a start, but I feel better overall.

The next month will be hard as I go on a vacation, My girlfriend has 2 huge family events which I am expected to attend and have to travel away for a week for work.

flash27

Shake weight.

Akaricloud

I would venture to guess your weight gain is mostly from the change in eating habits. After working a desk job for ~6 months that provided plenty of junk lunches, free snacks and other "benefits", I came to realize I had gained 10lbs. I decided enough was enough, started declining anything that wasn't healthy and added some cardio a few times per week in an attempt to lose weight.

6 months later I've lost 35lbs, down to a weight I have never been in all of my adult life. I have tons of energy, don't tire as easily and have greatly increased my cardiovascular endurance.

A little bit of self control and habitual changes is usually all it takes. I'm personally really looking forward to a size 30 waist(down from 36), which should be easily obtainable in the next month or two.

gunbunnysoulja

I will suggest 2 apps that I highly recommend:

LoseIt and Fooducate. I count all my calories (yes I have a food scale), and only eat healthy, non-processed food. I do however make my meals fun and tasty. For example, I still eat burgers and fries, but I'll have 100% whole wheat slider buns, 96% hamburg, and baked red potato fries. There are so many alternatives to good tasting food that is still good for you. I make 96% meatballs, and homemade 100% whole wheat pasta (which is just flour and water).

While exercise is very important to being healthy, in my opinion, nutrition far outweighs exercise when it comes to weight loss. I recently lost 30 lbs. in the past 2 months just by using LoseIt and Fooducate, and I work at home all day sitting down. I am down to 170 lbs, and I will be happy once I get down to around 8% body fat.

discount81

To be honest I find most generic diet information around is not great, I certainly wouldn't call 96% ground beef a healthy alternative, it still has a very high amount of saturated fat.

I use Bison meat or Turkey to make burgers, I include ground flaxseed in the preparation, and with hummus instead of mayonnaise, both of these ingredients provide a higher percentage of healthy Omega3 fats.
And I use Ezekiel bread with sprouted whole grains instead of processed bread.

If you want actual real nutrition advice follow Precision nutrition by Dr John Berardi, which imo is the absolute best nutrition guide available.

FloOz

Try the workout called Insanity. It's less then an hour long workout everyday and really helps in losing weight. I went from 195 to 185 in two weeks and I was not even trying to lose weight (I'm 6'4").

Bokeh

There are several free online sites you can use for calorie counting - Fitbit.com, sparkpeople.com, etc. One book that my diabetes counselor recommended is Calorie King. It lists just about every food you can think of, as well as fast food restaraunt menu items. Cheap too, $8.50. Here is the link if anyone is interested - CalorieKing - Store - CalorieKing Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter

xocity

Nice link, I've heared about that book, ill check it out. Thanks

Unoriginal

Hi,

A thread that I felt I could finally put some good info into so I had to comment . I'm a former college athlete (basketball specifically) turned IT after age caught up to me. Two of my best friends are currently professional boxers, one being a world champ at the moment. Ive had the pleasure of working out (playing ball mostly) with both gents for quit some time now (where Ive picked up the habit I'm about to explain) and I consider myself to be in the best shape I've ever been in. Anyways... I wanted to give some background as to make a point.

Loads of great advice on here. Especially when it comes to diet. In my opinion it's 85% the food you eat, when you eat, amounts you eat. And then 15% your exercise routine. It's not uncommon to find someone with a good eating habit and almost zero exercise but still maintain a slim build. Of course someone with good exercise habits are going to have the more athletic build. What I do with my food schedule is I will wake up at about 5 am get ready for work and eat a light breakfast. Something like two eggs and a piece of toast and a glass of juice. Then at around 10 am I'll eat again. Usually an apple or piece of fruit and something else small like string cheese. Then at noon I'll eat again. Always controlled portions you don't want to eat a lot. Only enough to keep energized and keep your stomach working on digesting (this part is important ) At about 2:30 - 3:00 I'll eat again. Either fruit, salad, wheat crackers etc. Something healthy and again small portion. Only snack size. at about 5-6 pm I'll eat dinner. This is normally my largest meal. I eat a lot of chicken, rice, pork, steak, potatoes, veggies etc. Also, WATER WATER WATER WATER all day everyday. then again at about 7:30-9 again I'll have another snack. usually fruit, salad again. (again snack size) so Ive now eaten 6 times in a single day. The trick is to keep your stomach constantly digesting. This helps establish a faster immune system. There's a misconception in my opinion that eating less (2 meals a day) helps loose weight. It actually does the opposite. When your body becomes used to that you basically go into starvation mode and it begins to turn whatever it can into fat reserves for energy because it knows food is limited. When my friends are trying to make weight for a match it's not uncommon for them to eat up to 10 times a day. I know... Doesn't sound right when your trying to lose weight right? But I'm living breathing proof it works. I don't have the same exercise routine these gents do, which is ridiculous. But my diet is on spot. As far as exercise I still play basketball and Ive completed p90x now for about the 6th or 7th time. I've never felt better! Currently at 6"1 185 pnds. I hope some of this info is helpful and best of luck! You can do it!

rsutton

@Unoriginal. I'm sure you have some good things to say in your post but unless you format it in a more readable format (e.g. use paragraphs) most will probably not read it.

Unoriginal

rsutton wrote: »

@Unoriginal. I'm sure you have some good things to say in your post but unless you format it in a more readable format (e.g. use paragraphs) most will probably not read it.

Eh. If they want to read it they can. If it's to troublesome that's ok too . Thanks for the suggestion anyways thou.

Cerebro

I'd be up for a weight loss challenge.

I joined the gym in December, but have only been around 10 times since then. I've used the athleanx videos on youtube in the past, I had success. I think April 1st is a good day to start and then updates every month?

gunbunnysoulja

discount81 wrote: »

To be honest I find most generic diet information around is not great, I certainly wouldn't call 96% ground beef a healthy alternative, it still has a very high amount of saturated fat.

Actually, a 4oz. serving has 1.5 grams saturated fat, and has 24 grams protein. 130 calories. I certainly would call that
healthy.

discount81 wrote: »

I use Bison meat or Turkey to make burgers

My wife eats lean turkey. The (lean) 93/7 still has 2.5 grams saturated fat, 170 calories, 21 grams protein. The (super lean) 99% however has .5% saturated, but again, I stand behind my 96% hamburg is healthy statement. Lean bison is also 1.5 grams saturated fat per 4 oz, and that is only if you get the lean 96% variety. Other ground is much higher.

Xyro

Unoriginal wrote: »

In my opinion it's 85% the food you eat, when you eat, amounts you eat.

Couldn't agree with this more!

Great post

Santa_

I need to chime in this thread. I went from 185 lbs to 247 lbs - now slowing getting back to my original weight. Currently at 230lbs (after 3 weeks - fatloss *does not include muscle gains)

With a previous employer I had simply gained about 30-40 lbs from the time I started to the time I left. I worked overtime quite often and the hours were hard to get any physical activity in. The OP mentioned that when he gets home he just wants to kick back and watch tv. I felt exactly the same way, but I also came home and studied on occasion. Prior to that with my previously employer I had a great schedule where I could work in the gym and prepare my meals.

Now I'm with a different employer with a schedule that allows me to get back to the gym and prepare meals. I am however guilty of not managing my time properly to where I could go to the gym (early AM or late PM) and prepare my meals a few days ahead of time.

Time management plays a big role into how you manage your day. You can easily find a time slot before or after work to do physical activity. This doesn't mean sign up at the gym. No, there are other methods of physical activity. Do jumping jacks, mountain climbers, burpees, run in place, push ups, etc all at the comfort of your home. Buy some weights, watch some weight/cardio training videos online - there are tons..

Eliminate unhealthy foods (well..not entirely because unhealthy foods are great for **** days ) - watch for high sugary foods/drinks (high fructose corn syrup or anything with *ose ) trans fat (specific oils) , refined/processed..

Here is a great guide that I follow by from 3 years ago.. it's now on my Evernote account so when I need to use for reference I have it on my phone.

AVOID THESE:


REFINED FLOUR FOODS TO AVOID
 White bread, rolls, buns, muffins
 Cookies
 Crackers
 Enriched flour pasta
 Cakes, cake mix
 Cereal made with refined flour (even ―whole grains‖ should only be an occasional treat)
 Pre-made, packaged gravies, sauces
 Pre-packaged macaroni and cheese
 Instant noodle cups, ramen noodles
 Pre-made dinners with pasta
 White flour for baking
 Corn chips; Doritos, Fritos, Sun Chips
 Corn tortillas
 Corn cereals—especially the refined, sweetened ones
 Anything with corn as one of the main ingredients
FOODS WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP TO AVOID
 Any kind of soda (Coke, Pepsi, 7-up, Dr. Pepper, etc.)
 Flavored drinks or juices
 Lemonade
 Sports drinks that are sweetened.
 Applesauce, fruit cocktail, canned fruits that don‘t say 100% fruit
 Barbeque sauces, ketchup, steak sauce
 Alcoholic drink mixes (like margarita mix, etc)
 Puddings, Jell-O, yogurt
 Ice cream products
 Premade cakes, desserts
 Kid‘s juice box drinks
 Candy
 Cereal
 Syrup other than pure 100% maple syrup
 Granola bars
 Anything pre-made and pre-packaged most likely has corn syrup or HFCS in it
TRANS FATS AND FOODS TO AVOID - canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and safflower oil
 Margarine of any kind or any kind of butter substitute
 Baked goods like cookies, doughnuts with hydrogenated fats
 Microwave popcorn
 Crisco
 Frozen foods like french fries, TVdinners
 Some peanut butters (natural peanut butters don‘t have added trans fats but most others do have trans fats)
 Cake icing
 Frozen breaded prepared meats like chicken tenders, etc.
 Some whipped toppings
 Cream substitutes (real organic cream is much healthier than cream substitutes)
 Fast food milk shakes
 Any deep fried foods – fries, fried chicken, fried fish, etc
 Velveeta cheese or other processed packaged (squirt can) cheese

Avoid - aspartame (NutraSweet) sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet-n-Low), and acesulfame-k. (sugars)
SUGAR FREE FOODS TO AVOID
 Diet Sodas
 Crystal Lite Lemonade Mixes
 Sugar Free Kool-Aid
 Sugar Free Drinks of all Kinds
 Sugar Free Sports Drinks
 Sugar Free Snacks and Desserts
 Sugar Free Ice Cream
 Sugar Free Syrups, Jams and Jellies
 Sugar Free Gum
 Sugar Free Candy
 Many protein powders and bars also contain artificial sweeteners in heavy doses, so read labels!
 Anything that says ―Sugar Free‖ read the label; most likely it contains one of the artificial sweeteners mentioned


EAT ME BECAUSE I R SO DELICIOUS *

High quality grass fed beef or bison
free-range chicken
organic eggs
wild caught fish
Wild caught halibut
wild cod
wild salmon
sardines
raw (unpasteurized, unhomogenized) milk or organic milk - grassfed cows & cheese, and butter (Lactoferrin vitamin, vitamin K2)
Grass-fed/Organic Butter
Lard
Coconut Oil
Flax seed Oil
Cottage Cheese
Real Maple Syrup
Raw Honey
Stevia
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Larabars (moderation)
Organic Food Bars (moderation)
Boomi Bar (moderation)
green tea bags, white tea bags, and oolong tea


NUTS: *Walnuts, *Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, Macadamia, Pistachios, Peanuts RAW
almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter


Avocados
coconut milk
Baby greens, dark green leaf lettuce or red leaf lettuce, romaine, arugula, and organic baby spinach
Chamomile tea (unsweet 1hr before bed)


blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, Goji berry,and acai berry
Cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccol, Chard
romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, bib lettuce, and baby greens, mache, arugula

About7Narwhal

Santa_ wrote: »

AVOID THESE:

I only east things on this list... I herniated my L5 S1 a year ago and was out of commission for 6 months and lost a lot of weight (because I didn't eat). After "recovering" I continued to eat as I did before I got hurt (and when I was much more active). The end result is, of course, a little extra to carry around. I am not blaming my injury, but the change of lifestyle it resulted in. A smart man would have changed his diet. Now I am playing catch up.

Xyro

We all know Santa has always been fat.

This aside lol ... there are a couple items worth addressing on your post.

Although it's an excellent post, having safflower oil & sunflower oil (both mono/poly - unsaturated, dependent upon type) as negative & lard (saturated) as positive ... is in great error.

CodeBlox

I'm a Systems Admin spending a bunch of time behind my desk. I weigh 150lbs, 6' 2'' in height and have been that way for the past 7-8 years. Currently, I hit the gym most nights after work which wasn't always the case. I've just always been slender. I don't drink soda and eat junk food at work. I usually only drink bottled water at work.

Asif Dasl

@Santa_ Why are sugar-free sodas and gum on the avoid list? Pepsi Max has practically 0 calories...

aaron0011

The desk doesn't make you fat, what food you put in your mouth does.

10 years at a desk, 6' 185 lbs. 31 inch waste. There aren't many things worse than being fat IMO.

rsutton

It depends on what your goals are. If you only care about losing weight (and not necessarily about other aspects of your health) it virtually does not matter what you eat as long as you stay under your maintenance calories. You could eat McDonalds every day and if you are staying under your maintenance you will lose weight. Don't confuse this with as good advice for your overall health, I do believe one should eat healthy foods to maintain good mental health and energy levels, not too mention avoiding all kinds of ailments.

blargoe

I've probably had a net gain of 40 lbs since IT became a career for me, and I'd say half of that is due to the nature of the job, and half of it came after the kids came along to contend for the time that I would spend going for walks by myself and with my wife, going to the gym, preparing meals, etc. Getting fit for the sake of getting fit hasn't worked for motivation for me, but being able to encourage my son to be more active than I was when I was his age is starting to motivate me. Other than that, when my clothes get tight, I tighten up my eating habits for a while.

If I could just make myself slow down, take the time to think things through, and plan, I would be more effective with better nutrition, and everything else in live for that matter. I know what to do, putting it into practice is another story.

TheNewITGuy

i put on about 30 lbs - used to be 145 now 172.. but been up to 184... still waist is only 34 just a gut.. heh