IT Workers Are Getting Fatter

buzzardsbay writes "While technologies such as virtualization, multi-threading, and blade servers have made the data center leaner, those who work there are getting... well... not leaner. According to a new study by CareerBuilder.com, 34 percent of IT workers say they have gained more than ten pounds in their current jobs. And 16 percent say they've gained at least twice that. The culprits seem to be the stressful-yet-sedentary nature of tech work coupled with our famously poor eating habits. According to the survey, some 41 percent of IT workers eat out for lunch twice or more per week, making portion and calorie control difficult. Eleven percent buy their lunch out of a vending machine at least once a week."

Comments

Re:Maybe if they went vegan they wouldn't be so fa

[Beardo the Bearded]

I'm a vegetarian.

I used to weigh about 250 pounds. My current weight is about 180. The majority of the weight I lost was when I was an omnivore. It wasn't a wholesale change in my diet, it was a vast increase in exercise.

I have gained about 10 pounds since I left my last job, but that's because my old job was a 25 minute bike ride away and I'd walk around at lunch.

My new job is a 10 minute drive (I take the kids to daycare now) and I don't really have anywhere to walk to.

Re:I gained weight because I quit smoking...

[a_nonamiss]

Never mind. For anyone interested, look here and here . Both seem to be pretty reputable sources.

Re:Not just IT workers

[Forge]

And nobody modded up a "Bastard Operator From Hell" joke?

This is supposed to be news for nerds. Come on. What next? Will we start ignoring naked petrified Natalee Portman?

On to serious matters. This report is really just fudging numbers. Government and financial workers gain more weight at the current job because, surprise. They have been there longer.

IT geeks count the time we stay at a job we like in months. Government and financial workers typically start a job straight out of collage and stay there ontil middle age turns them into blimps.

So basicaly it's "Did you gain more than 10 lbs between age 21 and age 42?" vs "have you gained more than 10 lbs so far this year?"

iMac vs Sunfire V240. Not a fair (or reasonable) comparison.

Re:I gained weight because I quit smoking...

[dsanfte]

You actually burn about 60 per hour.

Your body's doing a lot while sleeping. Your heart's beating, your core body temperature is maintained (this takes a reasonable amount of energy just by itself), systemic repair mechanisms are working, you're tossing and turning, etc.