Working nine to five can wreak havoc on your waistline. The stress makes you crave junk food, and often you're too overworked to have the energy or time to exercise. When I asked FitSugar readers how they avoid gaining weight at work, here's what they said.
- "Stairwell stair climbing . . . My heart is racing and my legs are burning." — YumYucky
- "I just keep lots of healthy snacks around (fruit, Kashi granola bars, and crackers) and bring my own lunch to avoid temptation." — Renee3327
- "I spend most of my lunch breaks walking outside (there's a park down the street) or running on the treadmill (my gym is 7 minutes from my work giving me just enough time to drive there, change, run 3 miles, change, drive back.) Also, willpower is key. Today was a birthday so there was chocolate cake, and I just think how much I'd have to exercise to burn off one piece — not worth it!" — Vanonymous
- "I always pack my lunch and keep fruit at my desk or my cubby fridge." — jessy777
To see the other great tips from FitSugar readers, read more.
- "I never eat out or use the vending machine. " — Niami
- "I always make sure to work out first thing in the morning . . . I always take stairs instead of the elevator . . . I make sure to have a healthy protein-packed breakfast, and I'm usually not hungry until 2 p.m." — Mila_83
- "I don't avoid all of the free temptations, but I limit myself to one or two small ones a week." — darc5204
- "I stopped carrying loose change. Whether it was $1 or 50 cents, I don't take it to work. It stops me from buying a soda and chips and candy to get that little, worth-nothing jolt of energy to meet deadlines." — tamaradulva
- "I also avoid the break room, where there's usually free food. When there are birthdays or people bring treats in, I go but don't have a slice. I'm usually not the only one who abstains, so it doesn't make me feel awkward." — deanna024
- "I graze on fruits and veggies and take a walk during my lunch break instead. Eating a big meal at midday makes me tired." — Anonymous
Gucci
I do all of the above. I have a gym membership in the building next door, I take the stairs, and I bring my own lunch. One thing that used to get me was sodas. Our office has an ENTIRE REFRIGERATOR full of FREE sodas. I took one of the sodas and set it on my desk. For some reason, since it's right there in front of me, I won't drink it. It's been sitting on my desk for a month now. Obviously, that wouldn't work for everybody.
1Great tips! Work on the 10th floor so i'm not so sure about taking the stairs, but other than that I do most of these!
2I like these tips. I'm trying to motivate myself to work out, but it's difficult. Perhaps I'll take up walking around the helipad at work.
31- if you have a desk, keep a stash of: dried fruit (handy when you didn't have time to run to the grocery store), nuts, good chocolate (i buy expensive chocolate bars and eat a square when i feel like indulging on something worse, like a cupcake), instant oatmeal (you can just use the hot water dispenser at work), and cereal.
2 - another tip that helps is, instead of bringing an fruit every day, just buy 5 and keep them in your desk.
3- i'm the type that constantly snacks when i work. it helps me concentrate. i do three things to check myself... 1st, i keep carrot sticks or something crunchy around to munch on, 2nd, i take out a portion and eat that, instead of eating out of the bag, and 3rd, i ask myself, do i really need/want to eat this?
4 - always eat before a party. if it's lunch, have a snack first.
5 - at lunches, ask the secretary (or whoever's ordering) to have a healthier option. other people might appreciate that too, but are shy to speak up. i work on wall street and our lunches used to be these big katz' deli sandwiches, with coleslaw and macaroni salad...i asked once if we could get a tossed salad and some fruit options, and those ended up running out!
4I keep dried fruit, carrot sticks at work so I can munch on those and I drink lots of water from the water cooler (and I Lysol the spouts daily - after watching a news study about how germy those can be), and keep a pair of 5 & 10 lbs. weights there so I can do a complete arm or leg workout throughout the day.
5i bring water bottles and almonds so i don't eat too many of the cookies and snacks that are always around, and if i do order out at work i try to to get a low calorie option like salad without dressing or a chicken wrap without condiments and use my own bottle of no calorie balsamic vinagerette that i keep in the fridge. i also wear my gym clothes underneath the scrubs i wear to work, so i can go right from work to the gym.
6valova82-do you belong to a gym? do they have classes? one of the easiest ways to motivate yourself to get moving is to do a fun class.
7When I quit college and took a desk job, I immediately put on a ton of weight -- 40 lbs the first year and another 20 the second. Now that I'm stable in my career, I'm trying to get back to my college weight. I quit drinking soda and try to stick to unsweet tea or water. There are some exercises you can do unobtrusively at your desk without anyone noticing. I keep a pair of sneakers under my desk for those times when I can take a quick walk. Anytime anyone needs something run to another office, I volunteer. It doesn't feel like much of a change, but I've stopped gaining weight. Now, I just have to lose what I got.
8I work at a restaurant so I'm pretty much screwed.
9My problem is to keep myself from getting bored and to keep myself from eating when I am bored.
10When I have a plan for my meals for the day, I do a lot better with abstaining from the junk food that is ALWAYS around in the office.
But I fail so much with my diet I can't really say much, all I know is I fail a lot less when I plan in my head the time and what type of food I'm going to eat.
11My problem is that I live in a city where I have to drive pretty much everywhere, the winters are about 8 months long, and there is no place to be walk to during lunch because it's such an industrial area and there actually no sidewalks. Literally. I scanned the area to see if I could walk anywhere and there are no green places. I have seen some people walking near my office and they're usually on the road. It's actually frustrating
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