[RoseOfPain]

Hi all,
I recently took up a call center job and I have been watching what I eat for two months (writing down most of it). Although I have not be 100% committed to the weight loss, I have been eating at least normally for me. But, it seems that I am gaining.

I owe most of it to my sedentary call center job. I literally do not get up for hours at a time, which is horrendous. Even as a receptionist I got up constantly to do something or another, but I can't now.

I used a calculator online and it seems I need to eat 800 calories to burn 2lbs a week. I used to have to eat 1,200 when I did it last time. 800 is way too low.

Any suggestions for me? I will exercise each morning. Considering buying a stationary bike while taking calls!

[Shmead]

You are in your "normal" BMI, so losing 2 lbs a week just isn't realistic. Everyone, even super-active athletes, lose weight slowly once they are in that normal range. But the good news is that on your frame, even a 4 lb/month loss will be noticeable--and does it really matter if it takes you 6 months instead of 3 months? You'll be at goal by summer either way.

That said, I think you are totally right about call centers. My husband works in a building that is 90% call center, and as we only have one car I pick him up every day. I am shocked at how high the average weight is there: it is noticeably higher than an average crowd. Some of it may be selection bias: people who can't move much due to disabilities tend to 1) be overweight and 2) work at places like call centers and call centers are less likely to discriminate against the heavy, compared to say retail sales. But I do think the enforced sedentary nature of the job has a lot to do with it.

[chubbyhippie]

I know how you feel, I work at a call center too. If I try to get any exercise in at all during the work day I just go up and down the stairs or take a walk during lunch. I also walk to work, so that helps. If I ever drive, I try to park as far away as possible and walk the rest of the way. Every little bit counts.

[mochaTX82]

Hello,

I understand as I work at a computer for 8 hours. I try to eat my 5 meals a day Breakfast and 2 small snacks, then a small lunch and Dinner. I tryo to commit to a workout of an hour a day and has really cut my calorie intake to about 1200 calories or less a day. I started Nov 4, with the help of b-12 shots I have lost 20 pounds.

[Nola Celeste]

Call centers are the devil when it comes to weight gain! I put on sixty pounds in a year working at a hotel reservations center here; it's so easy to do when you are basically chained to a desk for eight hours a day.

You're right, 800 calories a day is untenable (and probably quite unhealthy, for that matter). It's also going to be really tough for someone with a small amount of weight to lose to manage two pounds a month; in fact, the usual recommendation for safe fat loss without undue muscle loss is 1% of your body mass--so for you, that'd be a maximum of one and a half pounds. More than that and you risk losing stuff you want to keep.

If you can actually ride a bike and take calls, you are already in phenomenal shape. It's tragic how out of breath I get from riding mine (which reminds me, I have yet to get on the hamster wheel today). You probably can stroll around in your little cubicle or veal-pen or whatever you're set up with at your center. Even taking calls standing up will burn more calories than taking them while sitting.

Use your breaks, assuming you get a couple of fifteen-minute ones, to go for walks or up and down some stairs, if your building has them. Every bit helps offset the sedentary nature of your job.

Good luck with both the weight loss and the job!

[fromthebox]

The sedentary nature of a call center, plus graveyard hours and heightened stress at a police dispatch center = messed up everything, especially for weight loss. I count myself lucky that I haven't ended up like a few of my co-workers. We don't get breaks, we have only a microwave and we eat at our desks during the 10-hour shifts. When working, I can't justify anything above 1200 calories/day. 1200 works out to maintenance for me if I don't make it to the gym, and with 10 hours burned at work being bored out of my mind, that's a tough order, assuming it's open.

Shmead is also right, you're already within "normal" so 2lbs might be unrealistic. Go check out the "featherweights" threads, they're for people like you who have less to lose, and you might find some strategies for upping your loss.

[Sashasheen]

Last august I was working as a retail manager in the biggest mall on the island. I used to eat horrible fast food crap for lunch and dinner but I would be running around all. day. long. Of course I put on weight during my employment (since taco bell/McDonalds aren't exactly health food) but I managed to keep a steady 165-175 weight range. Last September I got an office job, which is a semi-call center environment, (I do get up occasionally and do a lot of running between the departments) but I still managed to gain 20 lbs over the year. The scary thing was, I had even cut out fast food for the most part since it wasn't as easily accessible. These call center/office jobs are killers! Now I have to go the the gym to feel like I've done anything productive toward my weight loss goal. It feels like it's just not enough to eat right.