I know this part of the forum deals with more serious health issues that hinder weight loss. But, after 18 months of being an office worker, and not being able to lose an significant amount of weight, I think this is a different kind of obstacle.
I've read on different websites about office work and weight loss. And, most of the tricks they offer are things I'm already doing. I don't eat out. I bring my own food. And instead of eating one big meal at lunch time, I keep my food in my desk drawer and "graze" throughout the day. This is what I eat in a typical work day. I eat cereal before I leave the house. It keeps me full usually till 10:00 or so. (I start work at 7:30) Around 10, I have an apple. Then around noon I have cheese crackers. (I count out 54 of them, 250 calories worth.) Around 1:30 or I have carrots and celery sticks. Sometimes I get cherry tomatoes, but that's more a once in a while treat then anything. Then, around 3:30 or so I have an orange. I get home at 5 and usually not too long after that I eat dinner. What I eat varies. I am fond of big salads with grilled chicken and baby oranges. I'm not talking about the mandarin chicken salads you get at fast food joints. I make the salad myself. I also like veggie burgers. Tater tot casserole is also something I like to make. Alfredo wheat pasta is another thing. These are the foods I probably cook the most for dinner. But that doesn't mean I limit myself to those. I usually cook a big batch of something on Sunday afternoon and eat it for dinner all week long. I stick to small portions. I do a little snacking through the evening... But not much. The food I snack on most when I'm at home is Craisins. I also like dried apricots and sometimes I buy rice cakes. If I'm feeling particularly hungry I spread a little peanut butter on a rice cake.
The office I work in does not have donuts every day. We have Bagel Friday once a month where they bring bagels, donuts, muffins in. But we are limited to one thing per employee. On bagel Fridays I have a bagel. But I always use the low fat cream cheese. We also don't have cake every time it's some one's birthday like a lot of offices do.
My job is very tedious. (I draw maps, requires a huge amount of attention to detail and concentration.) So, those office exercises people recommend online don't work for me. How am I supposed to swivel my chair for ten minutes while drawing on my computer screen? It just doesn't work. I'm not on the phone. People say use a headset when you talk on the phone so you can keep your body moving. That doesn't apply to me. I would sit on an exercise ball, if my boss allowed it (she doesn't, she says it looks unprofessional.)
We have a workout room... with one treadmill in it and nothing else. I used to use the treadmill on my breaks. But now there's another employee that uses it and she always gets there first. I don't know this woman at all. SO I don't really feel comfortable trying to talk to her about working out some arrangement where we can both use the treadmill. But... even when I did use it every break, I didn't lose any weight.
I bought a calorie counting device that I can wear and it will supposedly tally the calories I've burned throughout the day. But I was disappointed when I read the instructions and saw that for it to keep count I have to update my heart rate every 30 minutes. In other words I have to tell it how many times my heart is beating a minute. And there is no way to enter your weight into the thing. So it doesn't even give an accurate count.
I do plan on getting a pedometer soon.
I used to come home and run every night for a half hour. Lost nothing... I used to come home and crank some music and dance for an hour... lost nothing.
I have at least maintained my weight. So that's better than gaining I suppose. But I'm not happy with my body and really want to change it. I used to have a very physical factory job. Even though the job was exhausting, I've never looked better. Now I sit at my desk all day and have no metabolism.
If this is relevant... I also work underground in a windowless room. So I get no sunlight throughout the day. I've been told that alone can play **** on a person's metabolism.
So, I guess what I'm asking for here, are success stories. Has anyone else been in the same boat. If so, how did you overcome it? What kinds of exercise did you do? What kinds of food did you eat. I'm desperate here.