Work at Home Moms and Weight Gain
I tend to blame my 50 lb weight gain on my kids, but the truth is that I gained that weight AFTER my second son was born. The real reason I’m carrying around this “baby fat” is because I spend my days sitting in a chair, without moving much at all. It’s very bad for your health to be sitting all day.
Most work at home moms report some weight gain. Yours might not be as drastic as mine, but chances are, if you have a sit-down job, you’re packing a few extra pounds.
The biggest issue for many women is the fact that they just don’t have time to exercise. When your business is humming along, you’re there all the time, sitting in front of the computer or work bench, trying to keep up with everything.
Lately, I’ve been working very hard to make time for exercise. I have discovered that just getting out for a walk rarely happens. So, I enrolled in a Zumba class with a friend. Now, even though I don’t usually feel that I have time for class, I go because someone else is waiting for me and she does the same. It’s not only forced me to be more active, but I lost 10 lbs in March as a result.
Other things you can do to help cut back on the weight gain that happens while working from home, is to avoid buying junk food. Try popcorn when you need a snack, sans butter. Just salt actually tastes pretty good and the calories are minimal.
You should also make sure to get up and move around every 15 minutes to help prevent blood clots. If you have small children home during the day, chances are you already do this! If not, set your timer and get up to walk to the bathroom or take a short stroll around the house before heading back to work.
What do you do to keep those extra WAHM pounds at bay?
Other Posts You May Enjoy
I just recently got rid of my baby weight a week ago: http://constancegrant.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/overcoming-weight-challenges/ .
My son is now 9 months old. It was definitely challenging, but to get over my weight loss plateau, I increased my work out time.
I always take an hour to work out in the morning, when my son is more subdued. I sit him in the floor with his toys, and hit a hard workout.
I work from home with an on again off again schedule built around my 14 month-old daughters naps etc. It’s exhausting but I do these three things:
1. When I’ve been working hard for a while and she gets tired of playing on her own, I stop and take 10 minutes to get down on the floor and just play–crawling around, chasing her etc. It gets her back in a better mood, me energized and is way more affective than continuing to say…”I know..sorry, mommy is working” and not getting any work done for 10 minutes anyway!
2. I take her for walks outside around the block as much as possible. It doesn’t take long, but I always feel better and I’ve heard that you don’t always have to get your cardio all “together,” that even 10 minutes, three separate times a day can be affective. I found it must be working, because my weight has stayed down.
3. Lastly, I work upstairs and keep any food and snack where they should be in the kitchen–I can be THAT lazy. And sometimes being out of reach is all I really need to keep from snacking.
Genesis,
I can relate to that! LOL
Losing 10lbs in a month is great! That should be good motivation for you to continue. I have some friends who are doing Zumba and really love it so I told them I’d check it out. It sounds like fun! I’ve just been waiting for doctor’s go ahead. Still don’t know yet . . . maybe after I see the orthopedic.
I basically do what Chrissy mentioned in point 3 and keep snacks away from my work area. Snacking isn’t a big thing for me anyway and I don’t generally buy snacks for myself. I do get snacks for the kids to have after school and I rarely eat them. I just remind myself that they are the KIDS’ snacks.
I’m not supposed to do a lot with my back and shoulder so I have to really be careful. There are so many activities I simply can’t do. I used to walk 3 miles a day when I could and now it’s no longer possible. I try to ride my bike but it puts too much pressure on my spine and my shoulder so I don’t ride as much as I’d like, though I do try to do it a couple of times a week. Hopefully the doctor can help me talk the insurance into helping me get a recumbent bike.
I didn’t gain weight until I couldn’t do normal things anymore. It’s been a pain trying to get it off now since I am so limited. I was truly hoping the MRI’s would come back with something they could FIX! I just want to be fixed! LOL
Anyway, sorry for rambling! Wish I had something more useful to share.
~Annie
Annie–I feel for you. I have a friend in almost the exact position. She has found a great class at the YMCA and does swimming…I know what you might be thinking
She didn’t want to hang out with a bunch of old ladies and it kept her from going for the longest time, but now–especially since her inability to do things has become a source of depression–her swimming days are her favorite. She looks forward to it so much. And now that she knows the “moves,” she can go during free swim time and just do her thing.
When it comes to back issues, you really can’t get any better than swimming–I’d give it a try if you can! I hope you feel better soon and that the insurance approves the bike too!
I will do great for about Monday, and Tuesday. By Wednesday I’m exhausted. I have a two month old and a two year old. I need to lose about 10-15 lbs to be at my pre-pregnancy weight. Love your comments. Inspiration.
I hear ya Amanda
I just feel so tired much of the time.
I forgot to mention that while I’m not on weight watchers anymore, I still have all my recipes and that’s pretty much all we use for dinners–I guess that the generally lower calorie versions of my go-to classics has also been a big help–especially since I often have leftovers for lunch (so high calorie dinners impact the next day too).
Hang in there, Amanda! I’ve got 100 lbs to lose. :S But don’t be too hard on yourself, two months isn’t that long . . . you’re definitely entitled to feel tired.
Chrissy, great idea, using the WW recipes! There are lots online, as well. I have used some of those, myself.
I’ve got some free exercises that
your readers might be interested in. They’re live daily workouts, but they record them so
they can be watched when you have time. I like these because I don’t get bored like I do with
DVD’s. Every day they have a new workout, but it’s complimentary to the previous day’s
workout. They’ve got a good mix of cardio and strength training. There are workouts for
men, women, and teens. It’s like having a personal trainer in your own home.
the only problem is that when you work from home the fridge is right next to you!
I’ve been wondering about this lately. I’ve noticed that so many women seem to gain weight as they become more successful in their at-home businesses. It’s a perfect sign that we need to spend more time taking care of ourselves while we take care of our businesses.
So, true, Suzanne. It’s easy to get carried away with earning money, and we forget to look after ourselves.
I, too, work from home, selling wool online. I love being home with the kids, although often I’m overly busy. My time is flexible though so I can often stop if I need to to tend to family business. It is a challenge, however, to keep the weight off. Being home all the time with the fridge and pantry there is so tempting. I have learned over time to follow a low-carb plan that has really helped me over the years. It’s called the “Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet”. Basically, you eat a low-carb breakfast ( I usually eat a low-carb yogurt, or maybe fry up an egg or two) a low-carb lunch (I do a chef’s salad or steam some frozen veggies that I keep on hand, maybe with a few little frozen meatballs or leftover chicken and I drizzle that with Italian dressing and sprinkle feta cheese on it) and then you eat a normal dinner with any carbs you want. I find that after a month or so my appetite is significantly decreased, and it all becomes easier. I have gone off and back on this plan 3 times over 10 years, and now I am back on for good, as I gain weight immediately when I go off. This is a plan that can be maintained as a lifestyle, which is key, and I’m a permanent believer. There is a paperback book on the subject, so check it out.
Most recently, I had breast cancer, and (long story short) I needed to gain about 40 lbs to get the fat I needed for a reconstruction. So there I was, 180 lbs. Ugh! But now I have taken about 25 of those 40 lbs off, and hope to get down slimmer than I was before. I am 51, and essentially sedentary, which is further testimony to how well this works! Give it a try.
Very interesting, Susan! That sounds like a diet I can actually stick to.