How Can I Avoid Gaining The “Office 15”? After five years of being a stay-at-home mom I decided to reenter the work force, and I was fortunate enough to get a great job in customer service. Problem is, I’ve only been working for three weeks and have already gained 6 pounds! I’ve heard about the dreaded “office 15” is that avoidable?
You aren’t alone in worrying about gaining weight in an office environment. Studies show that women with stressful office jobs are 43 percent more likely to become overweight, with most of the gain occurring in the first three months on the job. The cause: inactivity. But it’s not just a problem of burning fewer calories—a new study in the journal Diabetes Care revealed that for every hour a person is sedentary, blood sugar and stress-hormone levels continue to increase, which triggers cravings and belly-fat storage. Luckily, prevention is easy: Each hour, walk around the office a few times, or try little exercises at your desk.