(Published July 26, 2010)
Right now, I weigh more than I ever have in my entire life. Can I blame my job?
A 2010 survey by Careerbuilder found that nearly half (44%) of the respondents have gained weight in their current jobs. I'm not sure how it was determined that the jobs were the cause of the weight gain, as compared to other factors such as lack of physical activity and poor eating habits outside the office, or even age. However, according to the survey, the weight gain was attributed to the following job factors.
Sedentary job (49%)
Stress (32%)
Eating out regularly (25%)
Workplace celebrations, e.g., potlucks, birthdays (16%)
Skipping meals due to time constraints (14%)
I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. And I certainly am not disciplined enough to eat as well as I should or work out as often as I should, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you should be at the gym every day. But I wanted to share some of the things that I do to fight these on-the-job weight-gaining factors — they're not life-changing, but they are better than how I really want to live (which would involve a lot more lounging and dining at my favorite restaurants).
Sedentary work. I am not one who purposely parks farther away from the front door; in fact, when I am able to get the first spot, that just makes my whole day! However, if I do have to park farther away, I don't drive around hoping to find a better spot; I remind myself of the silver lining of getting physical activity without even trying. One of my colleagues wears a pedometer, so she can track how many steps she takes each day. I am curious to know how many steps I take, but would probably not be happy with the answer.
I also take the stairs, rather than the elevator. Between you and me, I started taking the stairs during a period of brownouts in the building where people were getting trapped in the elevators. While my motivation initially was to avoid getting stuck in an elevator, now it's just force of habit. And I realize that some days, it's the only "exercise" I get.
Stress. I try to find lower-calorie versions of my favorite comfort foods (e.g., baked potato chips versus regular chips).
Eating out/ordering in. If you don't want to stop supporting your local eateries and you don't want to be limited to the boring low-fat diet plates:
Put half of your meal aside for dinner or lunch the next day.
Refrain from ordering an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. (I used to do that when I went out for dinner, but I also used to be more active back then.) Sometimes an appetizer works just as well as an entrée.
Be conscious of the fat and calorie content of your food choices. Don't assume that a salad is the healthiest choice, if it's loaded with a high-fat dressing, bacon, etc. I always ask for the dressing on the side. I find that I need only about a quarter of what they give.
Celebrations. Showing up for an office celebration is what counts, not whether you eat a huge slice of cake. Don't feel compelled to eat unhealthy foods, but if you really want to partake, ask for a smaller slice. It's usually not hard for me to find another weight watcher who is willing to split a large piece with me.
No time to eat. Take five minutes to eat something, even if it's just a (healthy) snack. Skipping meals leads to overeating later. And, I don't know about you, but if I'm hungry, I have trouble focusing on the task at hand. Find foods that you can eat without breaking your work stride. I like sandwiches that I can eat with one hand; it can't be dripping with condiments and the fillings can't be falling out of the bread.
Junk-food-laden vending machine. (My biggest downfall.) It may not be in your control (or in your or your employees' interest) to have all of the junk food in the vending machine replaced with healthier fare. So it is up to you to bring in your own healthy snacks. But let's be real. I commend anyone who can consistently snack only on carrots and celery sticks, but I couldn't do that. So, as a substitute for chips, I keep a box of reduced-fat baked snack crackers in my desk drawer, and when I need a chocolate fix, I reach for chocolate-flavored nutrition bars. While they are not the lowest-calorie or lowest-fat choices, they're still better than what I really want.
Gloria Ju
Editor in Chief
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