Working virtual

[winterchillsco]

2 years ago my dream job came my way...working virtually from home. You know the saying "be careful for what you wish for", well it's so true. I love not having to drive on the icy, snowy roads, I love not having a boss look over my shoulder everyday and I love the peace and quiet that allows me to get my work done. The problem is I'm now finding myself not getting out of the house at all and you all know if food has always been your companion through thick and thin how difficult it is when the fridge is always yelling your name all day long. I think about food all day long and I am having a difficult time staying on track. Any suggestions? I've always been a closet eater - in public I never finish whats on my plate and I always eat healthy, it's when I get home and alone that I make up for it...and now I'm home all the time!!

Mary ~
"It's never to late to be what you might have been"

[JustBelieve]

Mary,
I'm home all the time too, but for different reasons. I know exactly what you go through fighting off the urge to eat.

I have started doing pretty good avoiding this by either trying to shift my attention by changing tasks, or drinking a big glass of water.

It also helps to brush your teeth after eating/snacking. I know that sounds odd, but I find having a clean mouth without a lingering taste of food helps.

I also keep 'legal' induction (whatever stage you are at) food prepared, like boiled eggs and cooked chicken, tuna, etc. This way if i HAVE to eat something, I'll still be on track and not feel a bit guilty!

Hope these litte things help

[Aderyn]

Hi Mary,
I work at home too, and love it for all the reasons you list. A friend of mine and I both started working at home at about the same time, and we both put on about 30 pounds over the next year (which I have since taken off, and am working on much more).

The things that help me the most are:
--Making sure I have only "legal" things in the house (easy for me because I don't cook for anyone else).
--Keeping a wide variety of quick-to-grab items on hand, such as boiled eggs, cooked chicken breast, pork rinds, small cans of tuna, Atkins Crunchers, bagged salad, diet soft drinks, etc.
--Scheduling meals and snacks; if you work in 2 snacks a day, you're eating about every 2-3 hours, so it's not as hard to hold out until the next time.
--Reminding myself that THIRST is often mistaken for HUNGER, and drinking some water.
--Going outside and walking around the house when I find myself getting up from my desk and wandering toward the kitchen (this helps me ward off a lot of boredom eating--it's enough of a break to wake me up a little and make me ready to sit at the desk for awhile again).

It also really helps me to stay low carb, because a lot of my cravings go away when I eat like this.

Good luck--it's a challenge. I wouldn't go back to that daily commute for anything, would you?

Aderyn

[Rob]

I also work from home. I guess that has contributed to my weight gain. I sometimes would work at my computer while the french bread i started that morning was rising. shaping the loaf letting it rise, baking the bread. Total work time lost 25-30 minutes.
But the biggest time waster was getting up to slice and butter some. every 5 minutes until it was gone. But with low carb I don't have the same problem. Cravings are way down on my list of problems now. I don't keep high carb foods in the house and if you must because of kids or spouse then put a padlock on one cupboard and give it to your spouse to take with him. Maybe you need to work in 2 legal snacks during your work day?
Rob
Rob

[horsemom]

I work at home too, and although I was fat before I started working from home, it sure didn't help matters that now I spend most of my time sitting at my desk in front of the computer. I gained a lot in the last two years. Surprisingly, doing the low carb thing hasn't been difficult at all, low fat diets were MURDER under these circumstances, because you had to limit calories and come danged close to starvation to the point where all I thought about was food. Now, I can eat plenty of what's allowed, and rarely think about food. I have had to make a concious effort to get up and exercise, but that's certainly not a bad thing.

315/301/150 (Started 8/17/03)

[winterchillsco]

I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in my daily struggle of living and working at home. I have gained roughly 40 pounds in the 2 years of virtual working and I am trying to end the madness. I didn't even notice the weight gain that much because I live in comfy stretch pants or sweats and no shoes unless I go out somewhere, then one day all my real clothes were so tight I couldn't zip them up. Thats when I stepped on the scales and was horrified at the number.
You all are a great support network and just reading the posts everyday really helps keep me on track.

Mary ~
"It's never to late to be what you might have been"

[Deb]

I've worked at home for years. Only recently have I started Atkins again. I invested in a very good treadmill and make myself go on it at mylunch hour. You would be surprised at how much of an appetite you don't have after doing 50 minutes! I know it's easier to snack at home, but lets face it - we really are making excuses and I've done it too. Set yourself up for success. Only have atkins food around, and plenty of diet jello. If you need encouragement, feel free towrite.

[Goddess]

wow, we've got lots of work at home people. me too!

i try to make sure i have acceptable snacks in the house, and also don't use snacking as my only "break." i sometimes have coffee outside in the morning, for example, or will take a bit of time to start laundry, move around, whatever. sometimes i even take a little walk in the afternoon. i think sometimes it's tempting to eat simply because you need to move around a bit and take a break.