Is your job the culprit in your weight gain? Work situations can lead to weight gain in a variety of ways. Sitting for hours at a time, office parties filled with high calorie foods, stressful work situations and working long hours are just a few of the factors that may be causing you to gain weight.

When you work in an office, it is common to arrive at work early in the morning and sit at your desk all day long. If you're busy, maybe you even eat lunch at your desk. The constant sitting and inactivity slows down your metabolism. Sitting all day leads to weight gain because you simply aren't burning off any calories.

If this is your situation at work, try to do a few things differently. Exercise before going to work. Take a break every couple of hours. Do stretches if you have a private office. If you work in a building with an elevator, take the stairs instead. Make it a point to leave for lunch. Just walking to the parking lot and back or walking down the street to grab some lunch helps to increase your activity level.

Workplaces can expose you to all varieties of food that you wouldn't normally keep in your own home. Office vending machines are often packed with snacks that are high in unhealthy fats, sugar and salt. Office kitchens sometimes contain donuts, cookies and other snacks that you'd rather avoid. Office parties and daily lunches with your co-workers might mean that you're going along with others in their food choices and restaurant picks.

Making healthy food choices in the workplace can be tricky, but it can be done. You don't want to be the only person who is not eating at a company party or a lunch outing with co-workers. If possible, make suggestions to company lunch organizers about healthier food options. When deciding where to go for lunch with your co-workers, suggest places that carry salads, sandwiches, soups and juices.

Some jobs are very stressful. You might be in a position of dealing with customer complaints on a regular basis, or you might be surrounded by unhappy co-workers. In other cases, the demands of your job may just be too much, requiring you to work too many hours, causing you to feel unhappy and fatigued and leaving no time for exercise or taking care of yourself. It is not uncommon for people to overeat in situations like these. Reaching for chocolate or a bag of potato chips is easy to do when you're feeling down and unmotivated. These foods do make you feel better temporarily.

If you find that it is your job that's causing you to gain weight, try to find ways to reduce your stress. Meditation, exercise, listening to music and talking to supportive people are good ways to ease frustration. Be sure to include exercise as much as possible. Making healthy food choices and establishing a fitness routine will alleviate some of the weight challenges brought on by difficult work situations.