Plus, how to show those meeting doughnuts who’s boss
BY LISA MARSHALL FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH
Work may be worse than college for packing on pounds: Almost half of employees say they’ve put on weight at their present job.
To help you achieve work-waist balance, we rounded up the most likely culprits—and the easiest solutions.
1. YOUR COWORKERS PUSH JUNK FOOD
About a third of dieting employees say their colleagues influence them to eat more or to choose less-healthy options—here’s looking at you, candy-bowl colleague and doughnut-toting meeting leader.
And if just one of your office buds is obese, your own risk doubles. (In comparison, even your spouse’s weight problem has only a 44 percent chance of rubbing off on you.)
2. YOU EAT LUNCH WITH YOUR TEAM
We eat 30 percent more, on average, when we’re with another person, notes Wansink.
That’s because we tend to mimic our companion’s order, and then linger, getting dessert or picking at the plate when we’re no longer hungry—all while chatting, so we pay less attention to what (and how much) we’re eating.
3. YOUR OFFICE IS TOO COLD
Many offices blast the AC—and your body’s response to cold temperatures is to “adapt by laying down fat for insulation,” says Alan Hedge, Ph.D., a workplace design researcher at Cornell University. Hedge estimates that this could add one or two pounds a year, even if you don’t eat a single extra calorie.
4. YOUR CUBE IS WINDOWLESS
Here’s another reason to covet the view from the corner office: Research has uncovered a link between how much you weigh and how much exposure to natural light you get in a day, particularly in the morning.
Laboring away in cubeland could lead to an extra 1.4 pounds, on average, compared with colleagues who soak up those crucial early rays.
The theory is that morning light keeps your body’s hunger clock ticking along normally, while not getting enough of it can lead to increased appetite and insulin resistance (which can make you store rather than burn sugar).
5. YOU STRESS EAT
A quarter of U.S. employees cite their job as the top source of stress in their lives—and the toll it takes isn’t just mental.
When you’re under pressure, your body releases hormones that can increase appetite, make you crave more sugary and fatty foods, and slow metabolism—a weight-gain trifecta.
Even worse, you’re probably not leaving those negative effects at the office: In an Ohio State University study, people who were served a fat-laden, 930-calorie meal 24 hours after a stressful day burned about 100 fewer calories than nonstressed people who ate the same meal.
6. YOUR CALENDAR IS TOO PACKED
Work may be worse than college for packing on pounds: Almost half of employees say they’ve put on weight at their present job.
To help you achieve work-waist balance, we rounded up the most likely culprits—and the easiest solutions.
1. YOUR COWORKERS PUSH JUNK FOOD
About a third of dieting employees say their colleagues influence them to eat more or to choose less-healthy options—here’s looking at you, candy-bowl colleague and doughnut-toting meeting leader.
And if just one of your office buds is obese, your own risk doubles. (In comparison, even your spouse’s weight problem has only a 44 percent chance of rubbing off on you.)
2. YOU EAT LUNCH WITH YOUR TEAM
We eat 30 percent more, on average, when we’re with another person, notes Wansink.
That’s because we tend to mimic our companion’s order, and then linger, getting dessert or picking at the plate when we’re no longer hungry—all while chatting, so we pay less attention to what (and how much) we’re eating.
3. YOUR OFFICE IS TOO COLD
Many offices blast the AC—and your body’s response to cold temperatures is to “adapt by laying down fat for insulation,” says Alan Hedge, Ph.D., a workplace design researcher at Cornell University. Hedge estimates that this could add one or two pounds a year, even if you don’t eat a single extra calorie.
4. YOUR CUBE IS WINDOWLESS
Here’s another reason to covet the view from the corner office: Research has uncovered a link between how much you weigh and how much exposure to natural light you get in a day, particularly in the morning.
Laboring away in cubeland could lead to an extra 1.4 pounds, on average, compared with colleagues who soak up those crucial early rays.
The theory is that morning light keeps your body’s hunger clock ticking along normally, while not getting enough of it can lead to increased appetite and insulin resistance (which can make you store rather than burn sugar).
5. YOU STRESS EAT
When you’re under pressure, your body releases hormones that can increase appetite, make you crave more sugary and fatty foods, and slow metabolism—a weight-gain trifecta.
Even worse, you’re probably not leaving those negative effects at the office: In an Ohio State University study, people who were served a fat-laden, 930-calorie meal 24 hours after a stressful day burned about 100 fewer calories than nonstressed people who ate the same meal.
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