Is Your Job Causing You to Gain Weight?

When you're piling on the pounds it is tempting to look around for a convenient excuse, such as you don't have the time to exercise or make nutritious meals because of your job. However, although your job might make weight gain more likely, it doesn't mean that you have to accept this situation. At the end of the day, you put on weight by consuming an excess number of calories and so you obviously have to look at ways to bring down your calorie intake or increase your calorie expenditure or perhaps a bit of both.

It is certainly better to be proactive about your weight gain than to simply blame your job, as this won't help in any way. Of course, if you have a long commute to work and spend a lot of hours in the office, it can be hard to make time for exercise. It can also be difficult to motivate yourself to get up early to go for a jog and the last thing you feel like doing when coming home from work is going to the gym. You therefore have to look for ways to increase your activity levels that will get you burning more calories without seeming like an inconvenience.

This may require you to cycle to work, instead of taking the car, or getting off the bus a stop early and walking. You may decide to start taking the stairs instead of the elevator and maybe doing a few squats and lunges in the office when no one is looking. It is important to make exercise part of your day, so that it becomes a habit and you don't question whether you should do it or not. Regular exercise is the most effective way of ensuring you maintain a healthy weight, especially when you have a job which involves sitting down all day.

You also have to look at your diet if you find yourself getting heavier. You may not have time to cook your own meals, but that doesn't mean you can't eat something lower in calories. After all, it is consuming a greater number of calories than your body burns that leads to weight gain. You therefore have to reduce your calorie intake by eating fewer snacks and serving smaller portions at meal times. It is also a good idea to replace calorific snacks, such as chocolate, with something that is filling and not as calorific, such as fruit.

It can be a challenge to control your calorie intake when you have a stressful job that leads you to comfort eat and you can't be really be bothered to pay much attention to the food you consume. However, if you want to avoid weight gain or you hope to lose a few pounds you have to make an effort to curb the number of calories you consume and get more exercise, as this is more productive than simply moaning about your weight and blaming your job when really it is up to you to take responsibility for your actions.