42 Comments
 

Absolutely. Not only did I gain 15lbs, I had back pain and digestive problems b/c I was so out of shape. The trouble is constant takeout dinners and zero time to exercise.

You can reverse it though - checkout my experience in the other thread on fitness by Eddie titled "Meat on the Street": http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/meat-on-the-street#comment-316231

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

Yea this is really starting to worry me too. Anyone know if it's usually acceptable to leave work for an hour or two and hit the gym?

People tend to think life is a race with other people. They don't realize that every moment they spend sprinting towards the finish line is a moment they lose permanently, and a moment closer to their death.
 

You could always walk to work or live in such a way that it takes time/effort to get to work. At least maybe you can do that if you are young and can choose where to live.

 

@monkeysama: true, but walking really doesn't even qualify as a workout IMHO and i'm not too crazy about sweating in a suit if that's what you're suggesting.

People tend to think life is a race with other people. They don't realize that every moment they spend sprinting towards the finish line is a moment they lose permanently, and a moment closer to their death.
 

I knew a lot of analysts who worked out after dinner was ordered and before it arrived. It's a good way to get a break in before you "start the second shift."

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Best Response

You're going to gain weight, even if you're eating healthy. I guess the best bet is to minimize it. You're sitting all day, eating all day and then when you get free time you want to hang out with your friends and then you drink. Not to mention lack of sleep. And oh yeah...add stress which causes you to gain weight in unpleasant areas.

It's interesting to see a class at the beginning of their jobs and at the end of their 2 years (excluding those that quit or leave early).

Try to exercise every other day if you can and manage portions and the types of food you eat. Girls typically fare better since they worry about their figures more, but there are places like Energy Kitchen / Pump Food that is healthy fare.

It's those nights you're upset you're working late and when you order steak / chocolate cake to comfort yourself...lol. Listen, you'll lose it once you do something else. All my friends gained weight and then we lost it once we stopped banking. Accept it.

 

Also, it is just as bad for S&T. Only instead of takeover dinners, its brokers buying you $50 steaks for lunch, or a sales guy deciding to buy everyone Pinkberry just for the fun of it. The only plus side it that there is more time to exercise, but not much.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 
FreeWeezyAny analysts out there currently that take time during work to hit the gym? maybe between dinner being ordered and it arriving as was previously mentioned

This is definitely acceptable, but I would advise establishing a bit of a rapport with your group before starting to pull this. You might get a little resistance at first because it's a "new" thing, but once you do it consistently, people will be fine with it and understand it's just part of who you are. When I started, there were second years who would take off at some point after most of the senior bankers left (6-7) for an hour and a half to go to the gym, and there were third years who would leave during the day for an hour or so "quick" workout, and if they went in the evening, they would be gone for 2-3 hours (one of the analysts would run 12 miles once or twice a week).

The only time first years would leave to go to the gym, at least during the first few months, would be late in the evening after the office began to empty and they had hardly anything to do (even still, they'd return to their desk post-workout to watch the office empty).

 

The best excuse..for any situation, whether it be drinking, partying, eating out, needing time off is "Sorry guys I'm training for a marathon". Everyone will respect this and heck, if you are training for a marathon, it works even better

 

Hmmm interesting to hear all this. I lost about 14 lbs in my first 3 months of being an analyst. I'm pretty sure it has to do with only getting 4-5 hours sleep a night. Anybody else lose weight?

 
Shaniqua You think most people on this forum were drinking and partying consistently in college? Most people in banking are complete nerds.

This is unfortunately true for the most part.

 

I think it really depends on your metabolism. I have a propensity to be a fat ass if I don't exercise and eat right, while some others tend to waste away if they're stressed or don't lift often enough. I gained 15lbs during banking because of the takeout, and the analyst I shared a cube with lost 10lbs (and he was already thin as a rail) due to the stress.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

Gaining weight is inevitable, special thanks to seamless-web. As an SA I put on 10 (waist size 33 to a 36) , give or take, but later learned some self control and refrained from ordering in Chinese food and lasagna every night. The real motivator for exercising and losing the weight is when you discover your new wardrobe no longer fits you.

 

Weight's never really been an issue but I've noticed other stuff since working full time.

Sometimes my back hurts from slumping in my chair for hours on end. Also, my legs get sore from sitting too long, I need to start stretching more. Most of all, after a few years of staring at my monitors all day long, my eye sight isn't what it used to be. My eye sight used to be great and I think a year or two from now I will need glasses.

 

Definitely having this problem. There are places where I live similar to Energy Kitchen in NYC and I try to get lunch there as often as I can, but the lack of time/will to exercise after I get off work is killing me. I have a buddy that wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to work out at the gym in his building, but I just don't think I have that kind of discipline...

 
afalcon10how about just 20 mins early and run a couple of miles? i mean seriously what the hell guys

Are you talking out of your ass? Have you graduated yet or have even held a full time job? Just curious.

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 
cphbravo96
afalcon10how about just 20 mins early and run a couple of miles? i mean seriously what the hell guys

Are you talking out of your ass? Have you graduated yet or have even held a full time job? Just curious.

Regards

Whats wrong with this. 2 minutes is a solid 2 miles. Thats 20 minutes you spend watching television, browsing WSO or other internet sites.

People also indulge to much in alcohol. Why? Television and peer pressure. The idea that excessive consumption of alcohol is proof of normalcy is absolutely perverse. I've been a victim of the peer influence as well as anyone.

 

Did anyone also find themselves getting sick more often? I have to imagine that with such little sleep your immune system must take a hit as well. Vitamin C can only help you so much. Is this true or?

 
PDM182Did anyone also find themselves getting sick more often? I have to imagine that with such little sleep your immune system must take a hit as well. Vitamin C can only help you so much. Is this true or?
I didn't necessarily get sick more often (beyond being extremely tired all the time), but when I did get sick, I got SICK. It's one of those "I just can't take it any more" immune system capitulations after one too many all nighters over a 6 month period. Painful.
- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

Only eat salads/sushi for lunches and dinners and work out in the early evening at least 3x during the week. Work out EVERY Saturday and Sunday. It's not that tough.

The problem is that people get pissed at the hours/their boss and think that they deserve to order expensive or extra food and that it will stick it to someone. That and people get lazy. If eating reasonable portions/foods and even only working out on weekends you won't put on weight. Personally, I am losing weight since I make sure to work out at least 5x a week, which I didn't do senior year, and don't drink every night.

 

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