The first year in an IT job, people often gain 4 or 5 kilos. Free snacks, late dinners, long meetings, and no time for the gym. If you work around Gachibowli, the Financial District or Nanakramguda, you will know this story.
Why weight creeps up
- Sitting for 9 to 10 hours a day.
- Free tea, coffee, biscuits and snacks, often sugary.
- Skipped breakfast, heavy lunch, and late-night dinner or food delivery.
- Stress, deadlines and poor sleep.
- Cab commutes and almost no walking.
A realistic daily plan
- Morning: have a proper breakfast with protein, like eggs, sprouts, dal chilla or idli with sambar.
- Mid-morning: walk 5 minutes every hour and drink water.
- Lunch: half plate vegetables and salad, a quarter dal, egg or chicken, a quarter rice or roti.
- Evening: choose fruit, roasted chana, nuts or buttermilk instead of biscuits and fried snacks.
- Dinner: light and early, ideally two to three hours before bed.
Fitting in exercise
You do not need two hours at the gym. Three 10-minute walks a day are 30 minutes. Take stairs, park farther, take calls on foot, do squats at the pantry. On weekends, enjoy one longer activity such as a walk, badminton, cycling or swimming.
Food delivery apps
Use the filters to choose grilled, steamed or dal-based dishes, ask for less oil, and skip the sweet drink. Order a small portion, and stop at the first hunger relief.
Know your numbers
After age 25 to 30, check sugar, cholesterol, liver tests, BP and thyroid every year. Fatty liver and prediabetes are now seen in many young IT workers.
Small habits win
You do not need to overhaul your life. Pick two of the above for two weeks. Add one more each fortnight. In three months, the change will show.
We are at Gopanpally, Gachibowli, not far from the offices of the Financial District and Nanakramguda. We are open daily from 6 AM to 9 PM, so you can meet us before or after work. See our weight care page or contact us.
Keep reading
Your family doctor,
Akhila Reddy
MBBS, DNB (Family Medicine) | TSMC Reg. No. APMC/FMR/74261
AMC Hospital, Gopanpally, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
This article is for general health education and does not replace a check-up. Every person is different, so please speak to your doctor before changing any medicine. In an emergency, call 108 or go to the nearest hospital.
References
- World Health Organization. Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024. https://www.nin.res.in
- Biswas A et al. Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults. Ann Intern Med 2015;162(2):123-132.