It’s not your imagination. If you sit all day for work – whether you’re a phone operator, doing data processing, or even a bus driver – yes, your backside is getting wider by the minute. A recent survey by Career Builder .com found that 49% of chair-bound workers said they have gained weight at their current job – and 28% said they had gained more than 10 pounds! You don’t need to quit to lose weight. Just make these easy adjustments to your 9 to 5 so you don’t gain 10 to 20.

• First, stand up. According to Dr. James Levine, a professor at the Mayo Clinic, we burn about 15-hundred fewer calories these days than we did 150 years ago. Why? We don’t have to work as hard to get where we’re going and making a living. That deficit could mean a 10-pound gain per year. So if you sit all day, stand up. Get an adjustable workstation – the average set up costs about $350 – but you’ll be able to stand for part of the day. It’ll improve your posture and you’ll burn a third more calories.
• Next, hide your snacks to the left. If you have an emergency stash of M&Ms, hide them in a left hand drawer and you’re less likely to reach for them. Researchers at Dartmouth College found that we’re more likely to reach for things to the right of our field of vision regardless of which hand we normally use. Even better, keep a piece of fruit on your desk in a prime right-hand spot – you’ll be more likely to eat it.
• Here’s a weird tip that works – get out those smelly magic markers you used to color with as a kid. A group of overweight people who inhaled sweet smells when they felt hungry – like green apple, peppermint, vanilla and banana – lost an average of 30 pounds in only six months! Why? Because the scents suppressed the appetite – instead of stimulating it.
• One final tip, walk and talk. Get a headset and pace around the office when you’re on the phone. Even better, wear a pedometer while you do it. According to the American Council on Exercise, that alone could help you burn an extra 25 calories a day – which in a year adds up to 2 pounds dropped without changing your diet one iota.