Weight Gain - Inherent in IT?

Sister thread to back problems?

[le_gber]

Hi,

Just read the thread about back problems and realize something.

All the IT guys I know have more or less 'love handles' (don't know what love came to do into that) - and yesterday the horror stroke me as I headed for my weekly shower ;) and passed in front of the mirror.

I've got some too! jump straight on the scale ... and jump straight back off ... 5kg (~10 lbs) in 3 months I should be carefull and start lifting my a** from that comfy chair I've got.

Does any of you have a diet r somthing and some exercised especially designed for IT guys.

Typical IT guy: strong fingers, agile right arm and wrist ... and that's it, everything else falls apart ;)

Leo

[rharri]

Look up the "National Weight Control registry" and read what people do to not gain (or regain) weight (especially physical activity). Sticky me if you'd like to discuss. I don't think I can say more without breaking TOS.

Bob

[2oddSox]

Leo,

Don't assume everyone is right handed ;)

I'm in IT, and the love handles I have are 'cos I can afford them (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...)

Formula for losing weight: Calories burned is greater than Calories consumed.

Now, if I could stretch that out to make a book, I'd set up a website, optimise it to smithereens, and make a fortune.

And squeeze me?, what's that about a WEEKLY shower? ;)

2odd...

[jpjones]

I've been in IT for a fair number of years now doing the same thing I'm doing currently - sat behind a desk tap, tap, tapping away.

Weight gain has never been a problem. Recently I joined the Shak "whats for lunch" scheme, which consists purely of fast food from take away joints in the locality.

Now I've got to be careful what I eat and increase my exercise level as I'm sure those love handles are just waiting to burst out.

JP

[TheWebographer]

Religiously, every lunch time I walk the 3/4 mile to the gym and do heavy duty lifting, bike, stair climb. Then walk the 3/4 mile back. And I walk every morning and evening too. I come to work early so I can have almost 2-hours for this break. Been doing that for 4-years. And I still weigh 218-lbs on a 5'7" frame!

The workout really makes me feel good and breaks up the day. Because of it I have more energy and am far more productive. Just from that it is all worth it.

According to the charts, I am "Grossly Obese". I am 70-lbs overweight. I should hardly be able to get out of bed much less walk. And you might think so just by looking at my "stats".

If you have the fortitude to learn how to do tables in HTML, learn server side scripting, css, javascript, cross browser issues....sit through endless meetings with clueless clients and employers and still get things done....then you can summon the courage to take care of your body if only you try.

I am hard as a rock. I am close to the state bench press record which I hope to break. I can run a mile in under 7:30 ( I am no gazelle!). I am 42 years.

Fact is, you cannot go by the charts. Its how much fat you are carrying around as compared to lean muscle. And its your aerobic capacity and overall health.

If you think all the IT guys have more or less 'love handles' you are incorrect. I know a number of bankers, lawyers, and programmers who are in great shape.

[le_gber]

And squeeze me?, what's that about a WEEKLY shower?

Yes my office is like a vault, it only opens once a week to let the rats going out and for me to take a shower and empty the fridge to take enough food for the week ;)

IT for a fair number of years now doing the same thing I'm doing currently - sat behind a desk tap, tap, tapping away

I've been in IT for about 2 years now. I use to head to the gym or basketball training at 5.00 after work, but now I've relocated, become SE (no you guys not a search engine you come to WW to often ;) ) - self employed - and I work from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm to properly launch the company, hence I almost completely lost doing exercises and with the vault only opening once a week I can't go out often :)

The solution is just to force myself to do it but I'm mainly lazy, but soon I will go back to exercises (when my income stream will be more consistent and I will be able to afford going back to the gym.

I know a number of bankers, lawyers, and programmers who are in great shape

Well the 3 IT guys I know are not :)

Cheers

Leo

[TheWebographer]

Leo. Yes you have to FORCE yourself to do it. You will usually find more energy when you give yourself the chance to get more exercise.

Once you make exercise a habit, it becomes just like leaving home for the office every day - as a matter of course.

Maybe you will loose an hour of work by going to the gym but your productivity (and quality of life) will more than make up for the "lost" time.

[ritualcoffee]

After sitting in front of a 'puter all day - I do strength yoga and pilates. I don't like aerobics, I don't like running, and I hate gyms so it works out okay for me to do it from home.

I have to say it has combated the dreaded bad posture that comes with our profession. ;)

30-45 min every night is perfect for me.

[Travoli]

<--stickboy says:

the more I work, the more I weigh. I'd never been able to gain weight until I got a job sitting down at a computer all day long.

[stever]

>self employed - and I work from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm to properly launch the company, hence I almost completely lost doing exercises

Same position - and gained a stone in a year. What is working - so far - is making a schedule of 3 days strength (weights and yoga) and 3 days endurance (hiking and cycling) per week (60-90 minutes each day) and putting it up on the wall in front of the keyboard so I can't avoid seeing it. The 7th day is spent on a full day mountain hike (I'm attempting to get to some degree of fitness for a mountain walking guide's course in June).

Like others I would suggest that the time away from the computer has a compensatory positive effect on your work when you get back to it.

[ncsuk]

I am 12.5 stones which I think is 175 pounds for you americans.

Im 6"4 though so I guess im actually really skinny although I have been getting podgy lately but I think that is due to a few beers :)

[senior mcinvale]

hmm... im my office we have 13 people in IT. i would consider 4 of them big (a little overweight, but nothing major). most of us are thin-average builds.

perhaps work place & location effects a persons build? we are in san diego, california and eat lunch on the beach a couple times a week in the summer (i know your all jealous)...

[ncsuk]

Got a position available :)

[DrCool]

Before I started doing this stuff I worked full time as a delivery driver for an office supply store and part time for UPS throwing boxes. I was nice and lean with a great 6-pack. When I started sitting in front of a computer all day I gained 20 pounds in 3 months and have added more since then. I just started working out again and the weight is slowly coming off though.

[mivox]

All the cr@ppy jobs I had before I got into web design had me on my feet all shift... which did a great job of keeping the weight off. Really, I barely have to do anything to lose weight. But then I got a "good" desk job, and discovered how easy it is to barely do anything. ;)

So yeah, I think unless you have the metabolism of the gods, or you really make an effort to work at it, IT = weight gain. Same with the back problem issue... humans just didn't evolve to be sedentary creatures.

Otherwise we'd probably look a lot more like sloths, and couldn't be bothered with computers. ;)