Too close to the fridge?

One of the things that many telecommuters note is how they tend to gain weight: the Midwest Institute on Telecommuting Education notes it in their FAQ, and many coders who work from home note that they start eating early and often. This is one of those "your mileage may vary" issues. My mileage is about 12 - 15 miles per week (as one friend noted, "That's not very fast"), so I think you can guess where I'm going to come down on this issue.

In my slipper-based tenure, I have found that I'm actually eating better than when I worked in the Real Office. Without an excuse to wander down to the snack shop and pick up an overstuffed sandwich and a bag of chips, I don't. We don't tend to keep the bad stuff in the house anyway (with two small children, we try to set a good example for a lifetime of healthy eating), so sticking to oatmeal, last night's leftovers, and popcorn during my workday isn't that big a trial.

It's not all saintly low-fat dining: my well-documented caffiene addiction is probably not the best habit I have. But I try to build in healthy habits to my workday, too. Like I force myself to take a lunch break by going to gym and running for a while. So I get the benefit of not grinding away all day, and the benefit of going for a run.

Plus I'm adept at lying to myself about how much fun running is, so it really does seem like a break to me.