A new job can mean major lifestyle changes -
especially when the previous job involved working from home and living as a hermit!
And sometimes the health impacts can be surprising. For example: I've only been at my new job in the city for a week. And I've already lost five pounds and an inch off my waist!
This was a big surprise, since I've done a bunch of stuff that most would classify as blatantly unhealthy. I've gone from running five days a week to none. I've swapped out healthy, protein rich meals for doughnuts, chips, and burritos. And I've introduced soft drinks to my diet for a lunchtime infusion of sugar and caffeine. I've consumed more soda in the past week than over the previous year.
I expected to find myself getting fatter. But yesterday I found myself notching my belt one hole tighter!
Trying to figure it out, I realized I've made a few "healthier" changes as well:
I'm walking every day. It's only a mile and a half round trip to the station, as opposed to the six mile runs I've been used to. But maybe the fact that I'm been lugging a computer case and an umbrella around with me is making a difference?
Naps are out. But since this job has a regular 9-5 schedule, I've fallen into a routine where I go to bed a little after 9 PM and wake up around 5 AM. I'm sleeping like a rock and waking up energized. Maybe I'm not a narcoleptic after all?
I'm smoking a good deal more. How many jobs are there where you can smoke at work? I've gone from three pipe-fulls of tobacco a day to seven. (On average.)
Between walking and working, I'm on my feet for over nine hours a day. This'll change as I take over some more of the web-site duties (Projects are in the works!) but even so, this is a busy shop, and the predominant mode will never be sitting around. This is a big shift from staring at the computer all day long.
Alcohol consumption is way down. Like, to zero. That 5 AM wake-up time would be a lot-less pleasant with a low-grade hangover. Maybe ditching the old alcohol calories did something to counteract those new cola calories?
Just two meals a day. The absolute last thing I want to do after a 12-hour day of working and commuting is prepare a meal, and who wants to eat right before bed anyway? I'll just swallow some chips or peanuts to keep the stomach from rumbling at night.
I'm actually excited to get up in the morning, go somewhere, and do something. That, plus all the nicotine, must be doing something on a metabolic level.
It's not that I've been looking to lose weight, necessarily - but it's still a welcome shift. My old pants were getting a little bit tight, and I'd started developing one of those spare-tire love-handle kind of waists. I'm not sad to see it go.
But for the most part I have to wonder: if this rate of weight loss continues, how am I going to find the time and interest to eat more? Food-prep and eating are so damn boring. That's why I turn to donuts. They're the closest thing we've got to energy pills, and they're cheap.
I guess I don't exactly have any useful diet advice, here, beyond finding an active job you love, and spending as much time as possible in a city where you've got to walk to public transportation. That's not an easy prescription for most people to fill, unfortunately.
Mostly I just thought it was interesting to experience a sudden weight loss, accompanied by an increase in energy, while doing so many of the things associated with obesity: eating lots of carbs, sugars, and salts; smoking more; and cutting out vigorous aerobic exercise.
It also has me thinking the "obesity epidemic" in America has a lot more to do with miserable living patterns than it does with food choices or lack of exercise. What if architecture and urban planning have more to do with health than diet and exercise. After all, well planned communities encourage healthy behavior, inherently. And when people have to force themselves to be healthy by doing things they don't want to do, something's come undone in the fabric of society.
I'll have to save that argument for another post, and leave you with a photo of my beloved train station:
So basically you are losing weight while eating a lot more junk food. All of these are done by just moving to city. LOL. Diet industry people will hate you.
As will suburban realtors!
5 pounds in such a short time is a lot. Not eating at night time is super healthy. Just try to avoid salty sugary stuff?
Soda water instead of tea or coffee isn't that bad. And dry peanuts or dry almonds instead of fries are also better. Just suggestions. I can imagine you are having a short time and can't really think about it!
Yeah, peanuts are a good quick fix. Little food pills! And I'm thinking some of that lost weight might just be water, since I don't drink as much during the day - got to time my bathroom breaks around the train schedules!
I completely understand it. I've lost a bit of weight since I moved to the new shop, where I am happier.
Hmm. Everyone things that losing weight is going to make them happier. It seems we've had it the wrong way round!
You got dream job...You can smokeee..Even me in this paradise land for smokers can't smoke inside office :(
Maybe that's among other staff you are loosing weight..More smoke, less eat, and walking @winstonalden, or your body is just adjusting new moments..Be careful :)
No smoking in the office? That's an outrage! I hope you get lots of smoking breaks - nice excuse to step outside anyway.
I am sort boss of my own, manager at a branch office of a firm..Bosses are far away :) But still, smoking outside ..Today is challenging, snow and -8 C , but still, smoke is a smoke :)
I remember that movie - it was pretty good. Lordy - 20 years ago?
Maybe it's time to watch it again.
Glad you get to work far from the bosses!
yess, I was shocked also with it..And I still feel like 20 years ago :)
I will watch it for sure this weekend..
I am glad, and I think they are glad too, not to have me near @winstonalden :)
Lol. Somehow for me staying home makes me lose weight these days. I mean, I would have to cook and all that so I can eat. Man I'd rather spend all day online for the meantime.
But yeah I did lose some weight too when I was working and walking all the time. All that walking everyday can really be beneficial especially when we aren't athletic people who like going to the gym and such.
Clearly, the old cigarette ads were right. :P Tobacco is making you lose weight! XD
That's so strange. I would think running six miles a day would trump all of the exercise from walking to work and standing in the shop all day. But what do I know? I was equally surprised when I switched to keto and lost 15 pounds in two weeks eating a diet comprised mostly of bacon and heavy cream.
My niece @barracudadiaries is doing the keto diet and seeing good results too. And usually cutting out carbs works wonders. That's why I'm so surprised about the doughnuts!
Now, that is the diet of champions! Well done. It's so nice to see the city again, even if it's just in your pictures and you telling me about it when you get home...in time Beacon hill...in time ;)
Don't forget staying up half the night commenting, posting and voting on Steemit while eating all kinds of things you probably should not. Enjoyed the read, and hope it balances out before you get TOO skinny.
As much as I'd love to stay up all night and party, I can barely make it to 10 PM now!
It's easy to lose weight switching routines, once you find a comfortable rut the pounds pile on. Keep rearranging your life to stay fit. Your body will adjust to a poor diet quickly, packing on pounds to store energy and fatiguing easily.
I went to college in Manhattan and boy did I get in shape. I walked everywhere! And being a poor art student sure helped to reduce how much food I was purchashing.
Donuts, chips and soda??? Really?! You'd better watch it as once the body adapts to the new routine the calories might start piling up again...
Anyway, who swaps wine calories with soda calories?? A guy smoking pipe and drinking Cola? - I cannot picture that!
Take care!
Well, it's coffee usually. But a small soda with lunch gives me a boost.
Oh, coffee's fine... I guess you're not allowed whisky on the job... :)
Good post...
Upvote https://steemit.com/hanya/@bram17/the-miracle-of-allah-swt-in-the-land-of-rencong-aceh
Thank you for the vote. You should know that spam posting comments like this is going to anger your audience and lead to people flagging your account. I can see you're actually sharing more images and content than most spammers on here, so I'd hate to see your efforts derailed. In the future, consider not leaving a comment unless you have something to discuss about the post you've just read. And don't leave links to unrelated content in other people's feeds.
Great post. Have a nice weekend. :)