6 Work-from-home weight management strategies to keep you fit and healthy!

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

Working from home has unique benefits, but it requires strategies for weight management when food is so handy and schedules are less structured. Read on for 6 weight management strategies, including how to build more activity into your day to set you up for success!

6 Weight management strategies to include while working from home

1. Pack a lunch

Pack a lunch to go from your kitchen to your kitchen table. What's that again? Working from home has advantages like comfy clothes and plenty of dog cuddles. And yet the flexibility may lend itself to skipping meals, mindless snacking, and choosing convenience foods over something nutrient-dense and filling.

Stay successful by packing your lunch the night before, just as you would for a long day at the office. Packing your lunch allows you to make reasonable decisions ahead of time. When we let ourselves get overly hungry or “hangry,” we gravitate towards high-fat, high-carb snacks for convenience and sheer, well, yumminess. Do crackers and cheese with a side of cereal sound familiar?

Preparing your lunch ahead of time allows you to portion out your meal, ultimately helping you get closer to your calorie and macro goals for the day. Tracking those daily budgets can lead to losing weight, and it's easier to do when working from home. Need some lunch inspiration? These healthy lunch recipes take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

2. Build a schedule using planned breaks to refresh instead of snacking

Another weight management and overall life strategy that maximizes productivity is to stick with a schedule. Begin your day with some type of ritual. It is too easy to check the news while lying in bed or go straight to your computer when you first wake up. Instead, make yourself get out of bed and take some time for yourself. Doing some light stretching or deep breathing will help energize you naturally instead of relying on caffeine, sugar, and headlines to get yourself going.

Part of building a work-from-home schedule means blocking your online calendar for meals and breaks so that you aren’t stuck in front of the computer all day. This is especially important when working with people across different time zones. For example, meeting requests may come right through prime lunch hours, leaving you no time to eat lunch or take a break, not to mention the early morning meetings!

3. Build activity into your day

Working at a desk can take a toll on your body. So build in frequent breaks throughout the day. Here are some of our favorite resources to keep you moving.

Easy workout moves you can do at your desk
Stretch and strengthen with this 10-minute workout. Includes upper and lower body exercises that use your desk as a prop, along with energizing music.

10-minute desk stretching workout to promote healthy posture and energy
Great for that afternoon slump, this physical therapy-driven video helps you tune back into your breath and body. If you struggle to find time for regular stretching, you’ll love this one!

15-minute walking meditation
Whether you are walking indoors or outside, this relaxing meditation will help you de-stress while moving your body.

4. Stock your pantry and fridge with healthy items and healthy snacks

Get set to thrive by stocking your kitchen with healthy but convenient items to prepare something quickly. Here are some easy snack ideas:

Hummus and raw veggies (2 tablespoons hummus = one serving)
Apple slices with almond butter (2 tablespoons almond butter = one serving)
Cottage cheese with grape halves (½ cup of cottage cheese = one serving)
Hard-boiled egg + whole wheat crackers (read the nutrition label to determine one portion)
Air-popped popcorn and almonds (22 almonds = one ounce)

On the other hand, if your pantry contains lots of high-calorie items, it can be challenging to sort past them and choose a lower-calorie alternative. If you are serious about losing weight and being healthy, remove the calorie-dense temptations from your kitchen. You know what we're talking about.

5. Eat away from your screens

Do your best to avoid heating up your lunch and consuming it while reading “one more email.” Did you know that when you are engaged in screen-time activities, you tend to eat more? Research shows that mindful eating is linked to eating less. To learn more about mindful eating and weight loss, check out this article.

6. Don’t forget to establish a shutdown ritual

Working from home blurs the line between “work” and the rest of your life. And when you work all the time, you lose sight of your health goals, such as weight management. To help create some boundaries, establish a shutdown ritual AND an end to your day.

This might include cleaning up your workspace, making a list of to-dos for the next day, and then doing some end-of-the-day stretches.

We hope these work-from-home weight management strategies provide some inspiration to help you progress toward your goals! Implementing these small strategies can lead to improved productivity and a better chance of successful weight management while working remotely.

Take time to maintain your health so you can focus and manage stress. Finally when you take care of yourself, you have more to give to others, and you are less likely to turn to food to manage stress or provide quick energy.