What triggered your weight gain?

mgirard447 · July 2013

Stressful past relationship
Eating too much and stuff that wasn't even good - a lot of deep fried with the ex
University

blessedmomof3girls · July 2013

Getting pregnant twice in one year (my kids are 11mo4days apart). I had quit smoking and had food to mouth disease. I just took for granted always being 'skinny'. I didn't think after 1 child and staying within a minimum without difficulty I could do it again. Only problem is I was 7 years older, and didn't do anything to increase my activity (hard with 2 babies anyway lol). Had PPD really bad after baby #3, started taking medications to deal with the depression and those helped me gain weight as well as increase my appetite. Kind of slippery slope from there. Never really ever dieted or exercised so I didn't even know where to start. About 8 mo after I had my daughter I did lose weight successfully, but didn't have a healthy enough relationship with food to continue to keep it off. I went 'maintenance' which ended up being disastrous. After several binges with food over the last couple of years I finally decided I was back in a place to start my journey all over again. Right now i am trying hard to diet and exercise, and to heal my relationship with myself and food. With 3 beautiful kids, I've had to learn to put myself first sometimes.

sunshyncatra · July 2013

Food and poor food choices.

branbury · July 2013

Pregnancies, starches, sweets. Eating without thinking. Thyroid and insulin resistance >> metabolic syndrome >> weight gain >> fatty liver disease.

Chelz2013 · July 2013

I was always overweight as a kid. I know I was overweight even in the 4th grade. Around 10, I had a medical condition where I was on steroids (Prednisone) for about a year, so I gained a lot at that age. My stepdad was a cook. When we ate broccoli, it was served with mayonnaise for dipping. Brussel sprouts were slathered in butter. As an adult, I guess I didn't know proper nutrition, was never active (even as a teen) and had little desire to be active. I'd also say I'm a mindless eater and a stress eater. At 35, the medical condition resurfaced and I was on steroids again for a year. Then I got pregnant 2 years after I was all better from that 2nd round. I always seemed to gain 5lbs every year, which didn't seem like much at the time, but obviously adds up over the years. I can't remember how old I was when I last weighed under 200lbs. If I had to guess, I'd say when I was 22-24.

My highest weight, that I'm aware of, was 282 when I was about to give birth to my son. I know I gained 34lbs while pregnant.

I can't ever say I've been happy being overweight. I also can't say what "clicked" this time, but I feel so much more motivated to be active and work on my eating habits and watching my calories and it doesn't feel like a CHORE this time. It feels like a natural progression and that this is it. This is the time I lose the weight, get healthy, and be active. From this year forward.

Good luck to everyone!

ehilario13 · July 2013

Emotions.
Boredom.

I have been overweight since I was 2 though, so it's been 20 years of the above things causing me to over eat.

WilmaDennis91 · July 2013

I've always been involved in sports, but still stayed stable until after high school, I got to college, whenever cheerleading season finishes, I'll still eat like I was still in cheerleading cuz I burn so much that I pretty much eat anything without gaining. So I always work out hard in the summer but now I have to really maintain my weight.

KiwiJewels · July 2013

Was always skinny as a kid (you know the nicknames!), and was fine right up until my late 20's when I had my daughter... even managed to lose post baby weight by breast feeding and then I think it was a little bit of everything... getting older and metabolism changing, not ever having had to watch my weight before so not in the habit of watching what I ate, change of lifestyle (which included being a stay-at-home single parent) and eating patterns, and before you know it... you've overweight! Remember my mum saying "I never thought you'd have a weight problem" - thanks mum!! haha I can also remember getting on the scales every now and again, and I kept thinking "surely the numbers won't keep going up, surely it will just plateau at some point..." and by the time I realised it COULD keep going up, I was over 90 kgs! Sadly it is your life style that you need to change, and permanently... once you have them, those nasty little fat cells are just ITCHING to be filled back up again! Am on my 3rd time of doing this, but this time will do it without the help of Jenny Craig. JC works beautifully, but isn't quite enough real life for me - I can usually do well for a year or two afterwards, then I get tired, and I get lazy, and the food is there so I just eat it! Doesn't help having a daughter that is naturally slender who is eager for me to buy us both "treats" LOL I tell her that it's better to get into good habits now when you don't need to, then to have to change bad habits later when you have to! No one is immune, it can happen to any one of us, no matter what size we were when we were younger!

TheDoctorDana · July 2013

Car accident. My husband and I used to ball room dance. I loved it so much. The accident hurt my back and triggered Fibromyalgia. It hurt too bad and it broke me. Food made me happy. Now here I am.....

TheCaren · July 2013

Piss poor eating habits.

Lalasharni · July 2013

Greed. Plain and simple.

jenswan70 · July 2013

Pregnancy and depression. I went into a major depression while pregnant and didn't care about or even have the energy to do anything. I maintained a heavy but steady weight for 20 years and just couldn't care enough to do anything about it. Until, my son's weight ballooned up. He was an adult still living at home, so I took control of his home eating habits and in the process changed my own.