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I work at a desk that requires me to sit at a computer much of the day and I'm having some trouble reaching my calorie deficit, even with a daily gym workout.

Question: I work at a desk that requires me to sit at a computer much of the day and I'm having some trouble reaching my calorie deficit, even with a daily gym workout.

I try to get up every hour for 5 minutes or so and move around, but I have to do my work and it's not always easy to do that when you're busy. Can you suggest any things I can do to increase my calorie burn during the day?

Answer: There are a few things you can do. You may have noticed that on days when you are not at work (sitting) your daily caloric expenditure is significantly higher than on days when you do work. This can help you balance out your total burn for the week i.e. if your daily goal is a 500 calorie deficit and you have trouble reaching this Monday through Friday (maybe reaching an average of a 250 calorie deficit each of these days), but then on Saturday and Sunday you easily end up with a 1000 calorie deficit each day, that gives you a total deficit of 2250 calories for the week. If you can find a way to burn an extra 180 calories per day (based on the above) you'll be on track and losing about a pound a week.

So what does it take to burn 180 calories? If you want to knock it out all at once, try adding a 35 minute walk (moderate pace) as many times a week as possible. If you're too busy to walk after work, try bringing lunch with you to work (so the time you'd lose going out and buying lunch is not an issue) and walk as part of your lunch hour. If you have an hour to kill, try timing your AM snack and lunch with the assumption that you'll take a walk during your lunch hour. You really only need 25 minutes to eat and change footwear-you just need to remember to bring your walking shoes to work with you!

You can also consider purchasing a stability ball to sit on whenever you're at your desk. This will help you develop core strength and balance while burning more calories. It's also better for many people who have back pain than sitting in a chair.

User Comments

1.
As an engineer I feel your pain. There are times where I'm on webEX/teleconferences from 7am - 7pm. Working in excess of 60 hours a week makes fast food an attractive option. I was eating via the drive thru on average 2X per day. About 2 months ago I got ill and had a heart to heart talk with myself about my physical condition.

I purchased a gym membership, bodybugg, and personal trainer. I have rearranged my work schedule to ensure I take 30 minutes out of everyday to walk. On teleconferences, I stand up. I park at the far end of the parking lot to ensure I get maximum steps to and from cube land. I pack my snack, lunch, snack, and dinner on days I may have to work late. With the bodybugg, I have a target of 10K steps per day. When I get home I plug in and see where I'm at. I step on the treadmill, and get to my goal. The other day I watched an entire baseball game while walking on the treadmill (Oregon State v. Arizona). I'm going to heed the advice of the pro and get a balance ball to sit on at work.

You can do it, you just have to find a way.

Posted on 6-17-07 4:33PM by IveGotABugOnMe

2. PS: In addition to the walking shoes, I had to obtain anti-chaffing shorts...yeouch!

Posted on 6-17-07 4:35PM by IveGotABugOnMe

3. yoga ball as the desk chair has helped me. It's easier when people can't see you doing circles on the ball but exercise is exercise.

Posted on 7-16-07 11:39AM by mtnrose

4. I have a desk job too and have made several changes to my rountine. I send print jobs to a printer that is on the other sice of the office in order to get in extra steps and calories burned. I change shirts and walk inside our building for 30 minutes at lunch and I how have a small following. We have a large building so this is a great mid day exericse. Also to help (a alot) at home I now have the Nintendo WII... OH my goodness can the boxing program burns calories. I average 280- 300 in thirty minutes. I then do 30 minutes of tennis and WOW 450 - 500 calaries are gone! You can do it.... I am down 131 pounds with only 49 more to go.

Posted on 5-6-08 7:04AM by cito

5. As I wrote in the forums, I am burning almost 140-180 calories more per day (.4-.5 cal more per minute) sitting on my ball instead of a chair. That's 2800-3600 calories more per month!

Posted on 5-6-08 7:52AM by spazmataz

6. i work in IT, so i totally understand about having to be at your desk 7 hrs a day. What i have been doing... is waking up a half hour earlier and do a 30 min walk before work. I try to take the stairs instead of elevator and i get up for every little thing that i can get up for (go see someone instead of emailing, take the long way to the desk, even if it is one desk longer than the normal one, lol) ... but waking up early and walking at least 15 to 30 mins makes a big difference to my deficit count. Also, i have an hour lunch, so i eat for 1/2 and then either go to the company gym or walk around the building, or just around the office area. It's not easy at first, but after a while, you will find little things to bring up your calorie output and it just gets to be a habit after that. Good luck.
ps - the yoga ball is a great idea... though i dont think my corporation will allow it... oh well, i suppose i can sit up straight and do some type of abdominal exercises... easier thinking about it then actually doing it for me LOL

Posted on 5-6-08 1:49PM by ITGAL

7. This may sound silly but it sure does add steps. I use bathrooms that are on another floor that forces me to use the stairs. Also, instead of emailing a coworker, take the time to get or give information personally by taking a walk to their cubicle.

Posted on 5-6-08 4:47PM by junegirl

8. I often use the bathroom on another floor of the building! Also, when I have to go visiting other offices, I do one at a time, taking only what I need for that visit downstairs, then going back up to my office to get what I need for the next visit. I figure every time up and down the stairs adds up! It seems small, but we are SOOOO sedentary at desk jobs that we must make the small changes add up.

Posted on 8-5-09 3:48PM by momof2boys

9. I see everyone has posted great solutions. All of those things will help. I did all that. But, I've lost 75 pounds since beginning my program. My initial program was for one year. The simple fact is when you lose weight it becomes harder to make that Calorie burn goal. When I started my Calorie burn goal was 3200....it was easy to make in the beginning. But, after dropping 75 pounds I couldn't make that goal even with an 1 1/2 hours of cardio each day. I found it necessary to lower my calorie burn and calorie intake goals. You can do this on the My Info tab, under the Goals section. As you lower the Calorie burn, it will lower the Calorie intake as well....meaning the same deficit.

It would be nice if the Bodybugg program would do this on it's own. I even went as far as creating a new program based on the 75 pounds lighter weight....but Bodybugg still kept the same goals. I've been thinking of contacting User Support about this. It would be nice if you enter your weight it adjusted your goals accordingly.

Good luck!!

PS- take the stairs instead of the elevator, if applicable.

Posted on 10-16-09 5:22AM by Leigh Ann

10. I work at a desk and sit alot of the day but one way I've found to burn more calories is to stand (I have a desk that allows adjusting to a standing position). Barring that, instead of combining trips to places around the office, I now break them up into separate trips and take them individually which allows me more walking to and from. You can do it, it just takes creativity. Good luck!

Posted on 10-16-09 11:19AM by pr1ncess

11. I have the same problem, so what I do, is walk on each of my 15 minute breaks, and walk for 30 minutes on my 1 hr lunch break, and use the other 30 to actually eat lunch. Also since I work in a 2 floor office, evertime I get up out of my chair I walk up the backstir way, across the 2nd floor and down the front stairway. I burn about 200 cals a day at least, doing this, and always maintain a 1000 cal deficit everyday M-F, on weekends when not working, I step in up and have between 1500-2000 cal deficit!

Posted on 10-16-09 10:14PM by climber6

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