Can You Lose Weight With A Desk Job?

Losing weight, in general, is challenging, and losing weight while working a desk job is even more so.

If you work a desk job you are required to spend 8-10 hours a day in the vicinity of your desk. You are likely going to be invited to office parties where people will bring in donuts, birthday cakes, and otherwise unhealthy celebratory snacks that you feel obligated or desire to partake in.

With all that time spent at the workplace, it leaves little time for extracurricular activities and after a long day at work, happy hour or a nice dinner appeal more than heading to the gym at the busiest time of the day. Lucky for us, going to the gym isn’t the most important factor in weight loss, and by the end of this article, you’ll have all the tools you need to lose weight without having to sacrifice your after-work time.

The four most important factors in helping you lose weight with a desk job are diet, sleep, physical activity, and hydration. The recipe is simple conceptually but complex in practice. So let’s break down each factor from most important to least:

Diet

Body Composition is 90% diet and 10% everything else. Therefore eating healthy at work is a necessary part of a weight loss journey and arguably the hardest part of that journey. At home, we are much more in control of our environment and the temptations present in said environment. At home, all the groceries were purchased by you and you can choose to only purchase healthy food.

At work, the environment is a reflection of the people who manage and work in it. Some companies make catering healthy lunches a priority, and others supply pizza for meetings. You likely cannot change the corporate culture alone be because you’d like to lose some weight. However, you can change how you interact with the culture and environment in three easy steps:

1. Keep healthy snacks in your office

At some point, you will get hungry at work, or have some strong cravings, set yourself up for success by always having a healthy alternative to birthday cake.

2. Make lunch active

Some of us have the luxury of working near or in a building with a gym. Working out at lunch is a great way to sneak in a workout and boost productivity. Plus, it is way easier than waking up at 5 am or having the discipline to go after work. If the gym isn’t for you a long stroll to and from the local salad joint is just as effective

3. Plan your lunch ahead of time

Planning your lunch ahead of time is the best way to ensure your diet stays on track. Nowadays most meals that are quick and easy are unhealthy, so it is a best practice to plan ahead!

Sleep

When it comes to losing weight, people are always tweaking their diet or exercise routine in order to get just slightly better results. People try cutting out gluten or plunge into the newest expensive workout trend, yet they often neglect the one thing that could have a massive impact on their waistline: sleep.

Sleep is one of the most influential factors in your ability to lose fat. Lack of sleep slows your metabolism, negatively influences body composition, and decreases your focus. Basically, lack of sleep makes you overweight and unproductive.

So here are a few tips to ensure you get a good night sleep:

1. Give yourself a bedtime and put it in your calendar

You know what time you have to wake up in the morning for work, and you have a good idea of how much sleep you need. Make sure you have that time in your schedule. The average person needs seven hours of sleep to function optimally, but you may need more or less. Also, be sure to add the 30-45 minutes it takes most people to fall asleep to that time.

2. Turn off the screens an hour before bed

Ideally, two hours before, but I know most people’s bedtime rituals involve some tv time. The more recently you’ve looked at a screen, the more difficult it will be to fall asleep. So do yourself a favor and disconnect earlier tonight.

3. Stop drinking water when you stop looking at screens

Or earlier if you have a small bladder. Waking up in the middle of the night to do some business is not an effective way to get a good night’s sleep.

Physical Activity

It is true what they say; you can’t outrun a bad diet. The good news is, you don’t have to. You don’t even really have to exercise to lose weight at work, but you do have to do some physical activity.

Physical activity is the collective movement you do going about your day, everything from walking around the grocery store or taking the stairs in your house counts.

The more physical activity you do in a day, the more calories you burn without breaking a sweat or going to the gym. You won’t look like a bodybuilder by increasing your physical activity, but you can lose some weight easily over time by trying some of these practices:

Take the stairs instead of the elevator

Park further away

Use a standing desk

Sit on an exercise ball

Take walking breaks

Compete in office challenges

Walk to lunch

Hydration

Everyone knows that you should drink water, but a lot of people don’t know why. First off, your body is 70 percent water; it makes up a large portion of your blood, organs, and even your bones.

Water is necessary to regulate body temperature, transport nutrients, and build muscles; it also plays a role in digestion, respiration, and even reproduction. Water is the most essential nutrient there is, and there are two ways to use water to help you lose weight:

1. Drink a large glass of water first thing in the morning

It rehydrates you after a long night without water, and helps kick-start your metabolism for the day,

2. Keep a water bottle at your desk

Drinking water throughout the day helps regulate your appetite. Often people mistake the feeling of thirst for hunger. Drinking water before eating is a great way not to overeat.

Don’t hate, hydrate.