Hi,
I am new to this site.

I am 28 years old, live in Fredericton, New Brunswick and have 40 pounds to lose. I have had weight issues my whole life however after I got a promotion and started working from home, I've had an even larger struggle. Being home alone all day working, I find that I am hungry and want to eat constantly. I know I'm not "really" hungry, just have the idea that since I'm home sitting at my desk, no one can see me, and no one will "ever know" that I run to the kitchen every hour. I don't know why I do this, and it's hard to stop.

I have tried Weight Watchers however I go for 3 or 4 weeks and then just stop going...no particular reason..I just feel that I can do it on my own and try to, but end up not getting anywhere with it. I have lost all motiviation it seems and what I really need is someone to let me know I'm not alone, someone to be a friend, and to finally realize that the only way I"m going to lose weight is to put my nose to the grindstone and show determination. My fiance eats constantly and never gains any weight so when he eats, I want to eat too. He's supportive of my efforts however it is just hard to deal with sometimes...wanting to be like him and eat what I want, when I want, and knowing that I can't, and never will be that way.

Is anyone else out there in my situation, or has been in my situation in the past?

Thanks for your help and for listening to me vent.

I work from home also. The first year I was at home I gained over 50lbs!! Since May I have been counting my calories and it's working wonderfully. This time around I'm down 36lbs. The key is to only eat at meal times or snack times depending on what plan you're following. Also be mindful of everything you're eating. Good luck to you!

ETA My dh is the same way!! He eats close to 4000cals a day and doens't gain an ounce. MUST be nice!


PS Hello, from a fellow Canadian. I'm in Alberta.

It is very difficult not to gain weight when you are at home with unlimited food. Plus, if you work at a computer, there is a constant urge to snack while you work.

I am not in much of a position to help you because I have the same problem, but I can tell you what my plan for myself is.

I am planning to take my children to school and head straight to Curves before going home to work. Also, every hour, I am going to take about a 10 minute break and do some lunges, squats or situps. I am going to keep lots of sugar free gum at my desk and challenge myself to drink lots of water all day. I also have recently switched from regular Coke to Coca-cola Zero - which to me is sooo much better than regular diet coke.


I would love to hear more ideas from others in similar situations!

This would be a good support group idea!

Lesley

Interesting... I work from home too and have found it easier to lose weight. No more driving through fast food places on the way to or from the office. Easier to eat good, whole foods and have healthy choices for snacks. It's also easier to drink lots of water since I'm not having to walk by the CEO's office ever half hour to head to the ladies room.

I know it's possible if you have good things on hand to eat. Also, plan for healthy snacks so that you don't get hungry between meals.

I usually have yogurt with either oatmeal or a high fiber cereal (Uncle Sam) stirred in for breakfast. Sometimes stir in some protein powder too. Mid-a.m. snack about a dozen almonds. Lunch is usually a big lettuce salad, topped with a whole green pepper sliced, a chopped cucumber, and whatever salad dressing sounds good that day. Mid-p.m. snack is usually a sugar-free ice cream bar. Dinner is meat and lots of veggies. After-dinner snack is usually a bowl of raspberries and blueberries with Splenda.

Good luck.

I agree with Nancy, I've come to really appreciate the freedom working from home affords me with regard to my healthy diet and exercise. I say once you get through the initial shock of realizing that you now have a full service kitchen at your disposal 24/7, and really get yourself into a good eating schedule and exercise routine, the benefits that working from home can have on your weight loss are wonderful, and should be fully taken advantage of. I also agree that scheduled eating is key here, otherwise what's to stop you from non-stop snacking? Just get yourself a livable schedule in place and remember to hold yourself accountable, and you'll be fine! And keep in mind, just because the kitchen is only a few steps away... well, you know the rest!!

Beverly

I'm down with both sides of it. I started working from home at the same time that I started trying to lose weight. On one hand, it has made things much easier. I used to eat out almost every meal and I know that a big part of my success has been cooking for myself. On the other hand, especially now that I am so close to my goal I have "let up" a little on my personal discipline. Combine that with a bit of a slow down at work which means that I don't really have 40 hrs of work every week to do. Added together it equals eating out of boredom. I find that I have to tell myself: You can't get up from your desk for at least another 30 minutes. Twenty minutes later I'm thinking: You can't get up from your desk for at least another 10 minutes.

I don't really have an answer for you but if you find one let me know.

So, I guess it's all in how we decide to look at it - we really do have the perfect opportunity to eat healthy and get more exercise than if we worked in an office. So, our best bet is probably just to plan ahead, shop for the right foods, plan when and what we are going to eat, and plan in some exercise.

I'm thinking, it's all in the plan, and sticking to the ...plan. I wonder if I could plan to work the word "plan" into this a few more times!

I just got my work at home job, however I have been a full-time online college student for the last year. I could go to do dishes in the evening and realize there were 4 string cheese rappers, 6 empty cans of pepsi, a plate from lunch, a bowl from breakfast... the list could go on and on! No wonder I gained 50 pounds in a year! My 2 young children would be ready for dinner and I would finally feel like I was full and not want to cook.

I read some pointers that really helped me with this.
*Pick one or 2 places in the house to eat (like the dining room table) and always eat there. Multitasking can make you overeat. Now, I have this nudging urge to always eat at my computer. After a week of fighting this hard I had to do something different... I am allowed my morning and afternoon snack at the computer BUT in the morning I premake my snacks and lunch for the day while the kids are getting ready for school. I put my pretzels in a ziplock bag, enough for one serving. Then I get my yogurt or applesauce out of the fridge when I am ready for it.
*Set times for eating. I set time frames like B: sometime between 6:30-7:30 MSnack: sometime between 9:30-10:30 L:sometime between 12:30-1:30 and then afternoon snack at 3:30 when my son gets home. All my snacks during the day are fat free. Sometimes it is just a sliced cucumber or little tomatoes, but I really think it is the urge to eat sometimes. If I miss my time I wait until my next meal. Several nights a week I will eat a LF mini bag of popcorn if we eat dinner early. I NEVER eat after 9pm though.
**GET A BUDDY!!! but that is why we are here!
**DRINK YOUR WATER!!! I find that since I can't eat LOL I sometimes have 6 empty bottles of water on my desk to refill at the end of the night. Yes, I am in the bathroom all the time, but I work from home, and a beauty in that is no one can say "Well, she spends half her day peeing!"

I still battle everyday wanting to sit down at the computer while I eat, but I fight it... I know what it can lead to. I have also found that I love to cook for my family more now that I am not munching all day. On the plus side though, I feel like I actually know when I am done. I used to scarf down my food so I could hurry and get back to doing the stuff on the computer, now I will sit and eat and think about stuff going on and enjoy my meals!
Oh, on the exercise front... I exercise after I eat my lunch. I eat for 30 minutes then do my gazelle for 15 or 30 minutes. I tend to only go for the 15 min which is a mile, because I find myself getting on it 2 or 3 times a day, I have really turned to my gazelle in my times of bordom when I used to run to the fridge.