Office workers unite!!

[MissLisaC]

Hi All,

I'm a 25 year old female and have worked in an office since I was 17...guess what...I got fat!!! Sitting on my backside for 8 hours a day and being too tired to do anything when I get home, oh, and of course when its someones birthday in the office and they bring cake...it would be rude not to right?!?!?!

I'm now trying to turn my life around and lose weight and get fit and healthy, looking for friends who have the same problems and aims as me...

I also use my fitness pal to keep track of what im putting into my body, my username is LilMissLisaC

Thanks xx

[OdoCat]

I am one of those who can't just eat one donut, or cookie, or chip. So, I just don't eat it. When it is brought into work, I walk around it or when I see it I just tell myself, "I am not going down that rabbit hole." That rabbit hole saying is like my new thing, but it works for me b/c I hate that darn rabbit hole. haha. It reminds me of the cycle and torture of binge eating. It also helps that there is one person who is with me and we both avoid it all together. If I slip she sees me and I get the stink eye. I don't want the stink eye. So, maybe for those who struggle saying no, find a buddy who is trying to eat healthy too.

And whenever you choose to live better, ultimately you'll get people who want you to contunue stuffing your face with donuts just like them b/c you make them feel bad. Well...that's their issue. If they really cared, they'd want you to do well and wouldn't tempt you. They aren't your friends.

[OdoCat]

@Raviv Good luck!! I hope you accomplish your goal!

[OdoCat]

@HelenaFitbit Have you heard of the company Simple Mills? They make gluten, soy, dairy free boxed muffins and breads. They use coconut sugar and healthy ingredients. Is coconut sugar okay for you to have? They do call for eggs, but I am thinking you could substitute the eggs for something else. I have had their bread and banana muffins so far and it honestly was very good! I am going to try their chocolate and pumpkin muffins next. It's a good treat though that I have found to help satisfy that sweet tooth that I used to fill with junk food becsuse I am on a strict diet too.

Good luck with it! My best friend has PCOS (I know not same thing) and thyroid issues and she was able to fix her body through diet and supplements and finally was able to conceive naturally. To this day she is fine. So, I hope you have good results and can be pain free too.

[iMike]

As a call center veteran there's nothing more frustrating than the consistent potlucks, free food, and my company springs for doughnuts and bagels every Friday.  It is a struggle to eat healthier from a financial standpoint.  A lot of is planning, though.  You have a busy lifestyle so I understand you probably don't have a lot of time to plan meals.  I'll give you an example though.  I love fresh cut pineapple.  Purchasing pre-cut fresh pineapple in the produce section at my local grocer cost me $3.99.  I did it because I was short on time.  I also purchased pre-cut and packaged berries (strawberries, blue and blackberries) for $5.99.  These aren't large containers.  Now, if I go to the farmer's market on the weekend I can purchase a whole pineapple for less than $3.00.  As for berries, they go bad quickly so buying fresh berries in bulk can be risky even though it's cheaper.  In this case I usually opt for frozen fresh berries.  Eating healthy doesn't have to cost a lot, it just requires more planning to avoid the pre-packaged/pre-cut "convenience."

[HelenaFitbit]

Thank you very much for this tip @OdoCat! I'll definitely look into this 

[StuffNPuff]

Oh please count me in!!!! That stupid vending machine did me in!! Well...that and quitting smoking did me in.  Now I have an extra 50lbs I'm walking around with and the majority of it is on my stomach 😞  Not to mention my nice round ( ) ) now looks like a pancake [ [ ] .... time to start working out..I'm not getting any younger and the old saying is true, it's harder to take off once you hit your 30's!  

[iMike]

I've heard that when smokers quit they gain weight, as nicotine is an appetite suppressant?  That must be the one downside to quitting smoking, losing that.  Luckily I never picked up the habit, but I do know what it's like to be at your desk and suddenly have a hankering for something salty so you go buy a bag (or two) of doritos.  Twenty minutes later you're cursing yourself. 

[OdoCat]

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@helenarriaza wrote:

Thank you very much for this tip @OdoCat! I'll definitely look into this 

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You're welcome! I just get tired of making recipes after recipes and I have been told by others they get tired of it too. The box is nice and so far from what I know of this company, you can count on it being good ingredients.

[SunsetRunner]

I hear you!!! I have worked at a desk for seven years now, and been way overweight for the last three. It doesn't help that I work shift work and that I have moved twice in those seven years. I try to get up and walk as much as I can, but some days I  have to be at my desk all the time and can't spend a lot of time away due to the nature of my work.

I try to stay active when I am not at work but sometimes I just get so tired out! Thanks to recent injuries I have to take things slower than  normal so I bought a Fitbit to make sure I was as active as I could be.

Mer

[Joykiki]

I would love to join you!

I have worked in the office last 5 years and during these years,

not only I gained weight, I also hurt my lower back.

Having lower back pain is not fun.  

I want to regain energy once I had and be healthy and active again!

I know that I don't move much while I am in the office, so I decided to do exercise 

before and after work.  

Fitbit I purchased on August 6 kept motivating me to work harder.

My goal for August is loosing 5 lbs. 

I've lost 1lbs.  4 more lbs to go! 

What is your goal for August?

Let's be an active office worker together:)

[BexTerefe]

I understand your struggle! I used to work in the hospitality industry and would be on my feet all day. That was when I was at my slimmest and fittest. Started an office job a couple of years ago and my body did NOT adjust well. 

I got FitBit to hold myself accountable for my daily activity and started logging my calories. We can do it!! 

[BexTerefe]

Just 6 weeks? You go, girl! I'm on my first week dieting/excersing and this is my first (real) day with FitBit. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

[pcobb8]

@StuffNPuff   One of the things that helped me was to stop carrying cash.  I was a slave to the snack machine.   Now I just keep portion sized, healthy snacks in my desk drawer for the midday fuel ups. 

[iMike]

That's a good tip, don't take cash to work if you can't resist the vending machine.  When I pack my lunch I also take a small container of baby carrots and a small container of grapes.  If you want/need something to dip the carrots (or celery if you prefer) in, try hummus.

[katie_pump6]

We had a potluck yesterday at work, which is rare - we only do it a few times a year. But, boy was I tempted to keep going back to the food throughout the day to grab an eggroll... or grab a cookie... maybe a cupcake. Yikes! At least I got in some steps from walking to the food and back to my desk, right?

Hope everyone is doing well with their daily step goal!

[Raviv]

One word.

Baklava.

That is all.

[BexTerefe]

I know your pain! We had breakfast catered in fron Einstein's Bagels and it took all I had to walk away from that deliciousness

[iMike]

It's appreciation week here at my office.  Today homemade peanut butter pie (with crust made from nutter butters and topped with miniature peanut butter cups and peanut butter syrup) was brought in.  I can't recall the last time resisting a desert was so difficult. 

[Rhythm]

Hi everyone!

I also work at a desk job, so I can relate to all your struggles. Here are my two cents about the sweets:

Lately, I've really cut down on sugar - I have even been avoiding fruit high in sugar. Not that I was planning to track how many grams of sugar I eat every day but I noticed that I was getting hungry WAY faster if I ate something sweet (a banana, for example). So I stopped eating them. Now, suddenly a Granny Smith apple, which I used to find really sour, is super sweet to me! So looking at the sweets laying around the office or at the food court, I just don't feel I want them anymore. Just looking at them makes me remember the taste, which is suddenly sickeningly sweet to me and I just don't want them anymore! It's pretty great. I am not scared to go get a coffee because I might be tempted to get something with it.

So my advice is to start getting rid of sugar throughout your diet. It doesn't mean you'll never be able to have dessert again - maybe it'll just be a little more sophisticated like dark chocolate mousse instead of a chocolate chip cookie ;). I think the main point after you get to that stage is not to budge - think about how sickeningly sweet that dessert will taste instead of how you used to love eating it. Otherwise, that sugar monkey will be back with a vengeance.

[KelseyAZ]

It's nice to see this post, I feel ya! 28 year old here, been working at an office for almost 7 years now. Turned 21 the same year I started being significantly less active at work, of course I gained weight! 

I'm trying to figure out how to get more steps in without taking walks outside the building on breaks (I'm in Phoenix and right now in August, we try to avoid being outside). Today's my first full day wearing the Fitbit, and I'm worried about hitting my steps! It's 1pm and I'm ALMOST at 2,000. 

Are there any other tips on how to get some extra steps in? My office is fairly small. We only have 1 of everything (bathroom, breakroom, ect) so it's not like I can purposely take the further one to get some in!