how does your job help &/or hinder your diet?

[bellaella]

i guess i forgot to add that my work has a wellness program! they offer classes to employees and its great! i am currently doing a yoga one! once a week during lunch i get taught yoga by a certified instructor. its not really a work out, but it does stretch you out and thats better than nothing at all!!

if you're up for the challenge, there are harder classes ie. butts and gutts, boot camp offered. but most of those are after work because you get hot and sweaty!

[krampus]

Neither. I'm the sole culprit to blame when food-related things go great or awfully at work.

But here are some hurdles and helpers...

HELPERS:
-No one pushes food or snacks. Communal treats and sweets are available for grabs occasionally but no one tries to force me to eat them.
-Almost all my female coworkers are very thin, moderate eaters.
-I live about 2 1/2 miles from work at the other end of a very big hill, so some exercise is built into my days.

HURDLES:
-I have loooooooooong periods of down time at work. I'm talking whole days where there is nothing to do. Makes boredom-eating and grazing on junk food possible.
-The aforementioned communal treats are near my desk.
-The job itself (teaching, office work) is sedentary.

[missheidi87]

I see mine as both. I work mostly in the office, and since we've been super busy, I usually just pack a healthy lunch and take it with me. When we're not so busy, or when I have to run to the courthouse to file petitions...not so much. I pass every fast food place in town! Eh.

[irishlad]

Mine is both too, because its an office job, I can eat at the correct times and stick to my routine, and eat only what I pack for lunch. The downside is its an office job so no exercise in work everyday, but I make up for that by going to gym before work and soccer after work a few evenings a week.

[claire0412]

My job really helps my diet. I'm an English teacher in a primary school and I'm always on my feet, running from class to class, to the copy machine etc. Plus, it is 6km away from my flat and I ride my bike there and back every day. If I worked in an office, I would have way more to lose than I do now!

[RachaelJ]

I work in a hosptial but in an office setting. I'm mostly sitting all day. There's always communal eating so it's a challenge when I'm trying to eat healthy or avoid sweets. So in a way it's a hinderance. But the perk/motivation is that my office is right near the Diabetes Center. This is a big wake up call and to see these people makes me realize that 1. I'm at risk to develop it and 2. I want to avoid it at all costs.

[CatholicCajun]

Hello. This is a great question! Mine helps and hinders at the same time!
Helps=Hubby and I own 3 retail stores, we are in a different one just about every day, when we work we bring our food to work, that way there is less chance of over eating because you only have your day's "allotment" of food.

Hinders=We eat one cup of food just about every three hours, when the store gets busy you may not get to eat when you are hungry so you can get too hungry.

A plus is that there are no vending machines, if you want something you have to leave the store and we rarely do that, also, our employees bring their own food so we don't have a break area full of goodies.

[mypinkpolkadot]

My job sucks. I feel like finding time to go to the gym is hard. I either have to go early in the morning. Or after work, after i've been on my feet all day.

also the girls i work with eat out ALOT. ive been trying to bring my lunch tho, that helps..

[Teresa66]

Currently I work at Starbucks where I can consume as much as I want to drink and pretty much eat all I want. There are always samples of pastries on the counter, and since I run the bar, a latte is never far away. That is the downside.

The up side is that several of us have just joined forces by means of a nice friendly competition we call "Food Wars" and there is some serious cash on the line for the winner. I have every intention of winning because I am getting married in October and there will be a photographer to capture every bulge and wrinkle I have.

I am a little worried with all the talk from those who work in an office. I'm taking courses to be an administrative medical assistant, and I hope to not gain back the weight I'm currently working so hard to lose.

[CatholicCajun]

Originally Posted by mypinkpolkadot

My job sucks. I feel like finding time to go to the gym is hard. I either have to go early in the morning. Or after work, after i've been on my feet all day.

also the girls i work with eat out ALOT. ive been trying to bring my lunch tho, that helps..

I am sorry you job is not enjoyable, we get up at 4:30 to go walk, the gym is too expensive for hubby and I. We are at work for 9 hours and driving back home is anywhere's from 5 minutes to 1 hour depending which store we are working in. I have to exercise in the morning, there is no energy left for it after work. I understand that it can be hard going with the co workers eating out a lot, if you go with them I would suggest ordering an appetizer or ordering and eating only half the meal and saving the other half for later. Hope it gets better for you. God Bless.

[SuaSponte]

Mine actually helps my diet.

I just started a new job for the summer (I'm in my 2nd year of a 3 year program) and I find that it really helps me set a schedule. Being a student is so bad on the waistline - I'll pretty much find any excuse to grab a snack, because of course I NEED the brain food! (eye roll - I don't think Cheetos really count as brain food)

But here, I know that I can survive between meals - especially with a nice hot thermos of coffee keeping me company all day (Nissan thermos - get one if you don't have one! It will save you sooo much money). And I don't bring snacks to work, I don't feel like walking around to find one, or spending money on any. So I cut down a huge amount of snacking.

However, because I have to wake up early, my exercising routine had to change. Before, I was getting up early, having coffee, going for a run around 9-10, then studying for the day. Now, I have to get up early still, but I can't do the late run like I like to do. So I've started 30 Day Shred. I think that's really the key - if something gets you stuck, rearrange! I don't HAVE to run in particular, I just have to keep moving!

Best of luck to you all. We can do it!

[GuardDawg]

hinder:::: i work at Papa John's Pizza. we get hungry, we make crew pies. i work with a bunch of big hungry guys. we like meat and cheese! if i didnt get a chance to eat at home before work i will limit myself to one slice (usually a fully loaded meat and cheese covered creation) which i would guess at about 370-400 cals (im a CC). i usually go through a liter of water in a four hour shift and the only dr pepper i have each day is consumed at work.

the problem with working in food is that it is always there to tempt you. i can make whatever i want whenever i want. its hard to resist all the time and i usually work during dinner hours 4-10 or 6pm-12/1am.

[KrazyKitten]

My job has only hindered my weight loss and has really been a huge contributing factor in the weight gain in the first place. I work as a projectionist in a small-town cinema. Unless we get a big movie that everyone wants to see (which is quite rare), it's very normal to only have a handful of patrons each show. And I'm the only employee working for the greater part of my shifts. So boredom is an every-day thing. There is only so much a girl can clean! I eat when I'm bored, it's my biggest downfall. Also, the my shifts are either 3 - 6 (which is the easy one!) but sometimes it's 3 - 11 or midnight with no break. There is no fridge, so it's hard to bring food. I can order a pizza and get it delivered, which doesn't help one bit. Or I can snack on popcorn and pop (which is free for employees) or I can buy a candy (discounted).

1. Extreme boredom and lots of sitting
2. Surrounded by all unhealthy choices, no healthy ones
3. Difficult to bring healthy food

All make for bad health choices!!

[KrazyKitten]

I also waitress at a local restaraunt. Scheduling time to eat is hard and we don't get breaks, because it's not a full 8hr shift. I can't tell someone, "Sorry, I can't wait on you right now. I have to eat my healthy meal." Also, the food is always there, and we get one free meal per shift. It's primarily a pasta place... Not the healthiest choices. So that's tempting.

One plus, I have to stay moving and stay busy!

[Mishflynn]

great examples about how "life" gets in the way of our diets! just grab hold of the helping bits girls & shut your eyes to the temptations! Be fabulous!