If you read my site…

You know that my husband and I have been working like crazy. For the last 5 months we have worked 7 days a week. Working more than one job, we enjoy the variety and the extra paychecks.

When we first started our office cleaning venture, 5 months ago,  we each lost a few pounds.

Yippee. (Not an excited “Yippee” cause it didn’t last.)

The building that we clean is 30,000+ square feet, we vacuum, sweep, mop, dust the entire building. There are approximately 600 garbage bags that need hauled out and replaced. For 9+ hours every weekend (it takes 3 days as it is physically taxing) for us to complete.

As you can imagine, we are tired. All the time, tired.

Over the last few months we have noticed that we are each gaining weight. Especially around our mid-section. It seems crazy. We do so much walking, carrying, hauling, as well as keep up our own home and work our other jobs. We are baffled.

Calories out…

I did some research on calorie burning…at minimum we are burning 300 calories and hour, for 9 hours each weekend. We have not increased our food intake much. We are burning 2,700 calories while we clean (at a minimum we are practically running the whole time), plus calories burned while we grocery shop and take care of our house and yard.

Calories in…

This is an example of what I eat…pretty much the same menu every day.

2 cups coffee with non-dairy creamer and sugar=180 calories

1 banana=105 calories

granola bar=170 calories

1 cup yogurt=100 calories

1 medium muffin=350 calories

average dinner=700 calories

Total calories per day average=1,605

I may sneak in some veggies and dip, an apple or some Twizzlers. But I would rarely have these items along with the muffin, they are interchangeable.

I also drink a Zija/Moringa drink, with 90+ verifiable, cell-ready vitamins, minerals, vital proteins, antioxidants, omega oils. Helping me to reach my daily values of nutrients.

We both drink 6-8 glasses of water a day also.

I eat until I am full, there is no more room to eat any more. None.

Help!

I am assuming that we are expending more calories than we are consuming so our bodies have decided to begin storing our food, i.e. hibernation. Especially since the weight is mainly in our mid-section.

Is this a valid assumption?

We are trying to eat more “clean”. Tonight we are having salmon, rice and vegetables sauteed with olive oil. Last night we had omlets with ham, peppers, onions, a bit of cheese and a few hash browns (probably had more calories Bob Evans was the chef).

If my above assumption is correct I am specifically worried about the future. We have 3 weeks left on our cleaning job. My hubby is going to continue to clean for about 5 hours a week-end (at a much less taxing office), giving him at least 1 day a week off work. I am going to be working full time ,at a desk job, in an office, I move around quite a bit, and I should have at least 1 day a week off work.

We will be burning far fewer calories, will this sudden drop cause us to gain more weight???

My husband is going to join a gym so he can work-out. That route will not work for me and my disease, it would be wasted. I will be walking a mile or so a day, perhaps two miles, also working in the yard and garden.

Please give us some advice, we really want to take off the weight that we have gained, it is making us miserable and a bit depressed. It was hard enough to haul ourselves around before!

Do you have suggestions on what we should be doing now as well as when we leave our cleaning position?

I am 46 years old and my husband is 42. We are both about 20 pounds heavier than we would like to be and do not want to gain another pound!

Since our work schedule is so intense, at the moment, we rarely get 8 hours of sleep, hoping that will change soon too.

Questions???

What activity would you suggest to burn calories and target our mid-section? Something not too intense as my “disease” prohibits anything too crazy.

What foods could help our situation?

I know that I am at the age a woman gathers a belly, but I don’t want one! Are you battling the same issue? Or have you conquered it??

I also like to eat as clean or natural as possible, no shakes, protein powders, additives etc. I limit fat-my body does not do well with it-and dairy. I love cheese, but do not drink milk products.

If you have even the smallest suggestion comment below. I would love to purchase some new clothes for work, but do not want to have to go up a size! Arg!

Anything that I should be focusing on that I have not asked?

It is spring, summer is approaching, this hibernation body needs to go! Help!!!