Strategies For Watching Your Weight While Working From Home

I mistakenly thought while working from home I would lose weight.  Less eating out, less rich food, less calories, right?  I am actually gaining weight.  Yikes.  If you are like me and working from home is throwing off your routine and you are consuming more calories and exercising less we need new strategies NOW to ward off unnecessary weight gain.

How we get into trouble:

Easy Access to Food – Your fridge and kitchen are so close.  It is so easy to grab something to munch.

Boredom Eating – With nowhere to go and no friends to hang out with to keep us busy snacking seems to be an easy fall back.

Eating While Watching TV – If you used to be home only a few nights a week to snack and watch TV and now you find you are home every night and nibbling while you binge watch shows.  You are going to be in trouble.  Mindless eating while TV watching adds up quick.  And you may not be picking a low calorie healthy choice.

Strategies for combating at home weight gain:

Focus on Good Nutrition – Make sure when you eat you eat healthy.  Snack on fruits and veggies.  Raw fruits and vegetables are low in calories, take time to actually chew and eat (longer than a potato chip) and high in nutrition.  If you are going to eat something you need to choose wisely.  Good nutrition boosts your immune system.

Exercise – Take a break and walk.  Walk around your house or around your neighborhood.  Go up and down your stairs if you have them.  This can clear your head and work your muscles.  You need exercise in order to sleep and to burn those calories you are eating.  Do some stretching exercises if you can’t walk.  Your body was designed to move so you need to find a way to incorporate movement into your day.

Set a reminder to go off on the hour every hour you are working.  When your reminder goes off; do 25 quick sit ups, pushups or plank for 2 minutes.  This will add some form of strength exercise into your schedule.  While walking is good for your overall cardio this will allow you to target specific muscles and it does burn calories even when done in small doses.

Limit Food to Mealtimes – If it isn’t breakfast, lunch or dinner the kitchen is closed.  Just stay out.  Pretend there is a ban on even entering if it isn’t time for a meal.  Limiting yourself to only eating at meals is a great strategy.  It eliminates all the unnecessary calories you consume when snacking.

Pump Up Your Water Intake – Luckily water is calorie free, cheap and easily available.  When working from home you can just fill your water bottle or glass from your faucet (assuming you live where your water at home is of good quality).  No purchasing bottled water.  Bottled water is great when you are traveling or working outside your home because of that handy lid but completely unnecessary when you are at home.  Filling up on water will keep you less hungry and is good for your body.

Don’t Buy or Bake High Calorie Dishes – We need to eliminate temptation.  So while you are home more do not make access to cakes, cookies, brownies or pies easy.  The tastier something is the harder it is to resist.

Pick Up Your Phone & Call Someone – You can’t eat when your mouth is busy chatting with friends and family.  So call someone anyone and catch up.  Keep your mouth busy and strengthen your relationships.

Wear Uncomfortable Clothes – I know what you are thinking, I am working from home I can be in sweat clothes no one will know.  However, big loose clothing is not helpful when wanting to watch your weight.  I confess I have a pair of jeans that are tight and uncomfortable.  They don’t fit right, they don’t feel good.  When I need to drop some weight, these are the jeans I wear.  They remind me that my body is gaining instead of maintaining.  So put on something that doesn’t have elastic and will remind you not to over indulge.

Chew Gum – Gum chewing like talking on the phone keeps your mouth busy and not eating.  There are some great sugar free gum options out there that are even good for your teeth.  When you feel like reaching for a snack pop some gum in and start chewing.  Gum has been known to help smokers stay busy when they are trying to quit smoking it also can help in controlling eating.

Conclusion:

Working from home can be tough on your weight.  Finding new strategies to watch calories is critical.  Your weight is a contributing factor in many diseases and illnesses so it is important to maintain a healthy weight.