Curious - what made you overweight in the first place?

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  • techrolle
    techrolle Posts: 3
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    I was in excellent shape in high school, and my mom was very good about regulating nutrition while I was still in the house. Once I left, the nutrition went out the window in favor of hot dogs and ramen in college. Didn't start to gain weight until senior year of college and there were two main contributors:

    1. I am a stress eater and translating four years of the stress of a full load at college on top of a full time job translated into a lot of fat, sugar and processed calories entering my system without restraint.

    2. I was in denial about the fact that I was actually gaining weight. I told myself that I was putting on muscle or that my clothes were shrinking in the wash, etc. My ego wouldn't let me accept that I was in less than stellar shape even in the face of growing evidence.
  • red869
    red869 Posts: 59
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    I was slim when I was younger but my elder sister who was extremely skinny was always about a stone lighter than me. I hated being larger than her and from a young age I began dieting. When I first started I dieting I was just 10 years old or thereabouts. I did so many different diets but I couldn't do it for very long and would give up within days. Throughout secondary school I tried different diets and even took weight-loss pills in secret. I lost weight a good few times, but eventually I always regained the weight back. I tried the 'water diet', the 'diet coke diet', the 'cabbage soup diet', the 'cereal diet', the 'fruit diet'... etc. Basically anything that I thought would make me skinny.

    All the crash dieting made me gain a tonne of weight when I began eating again, particularly as I'd often binge eat after ending my diet. Also, I was taking steroids for a condition I have and that made it easier for me to gain weight. In school I was still slim, well within the normal weight category, but since leaving school I've just gained so much weight, I now am obese! The cycle of starving myself for months and then binge eating has continued but I'm really hoping that now I'll stop that for good! I'm too old to still be doing this but it's extremely difficult to break this habit it seems.
  • jklopezfamily
    jklopezfamily Posts: 5 Member
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    I have lupus and was put on steroids I've gained 80 pounds not to.mention the 20 I was already overweight :(
  • robbienjill
    robbienjill Posts: 456 Member
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    Martinis!
  • lauriem1966
    lauriem1966 Posts: 134 Member
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    Eating too much, binge eating and eating junk food while binge eating.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    We had fast food quite a bit when I was a kid. I was overweight then, but not overly so. I didn't really put on the weight until I had some mental troubles in college and while starting out working full-time. I developed a somewhat nasty binge eating problem, where I couldn't tolerate eating in front of others, but would eat myself to death at night. Also, cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. I think I could have lost at least some weight on just cutting down on cheese.
  • jemstone629
    jemstone629 Posts: 6 Member
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    Part of it is side effects of certain medications, namely the slowing of my metabolism. Because I take these, it will always be a little more difficult for me to lose weight and keep weight off than others who do not take similar medications. However, poor eating habits (too much soda and fast food!) and a sedentary lifestyle helped really pack on the pounds.
  • SeaTurtleJenni
    SeaTurtleJenni Posts: 58 Member
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    I was naturally thin with a fast metabolism. I gained after I turned 30 and started drinking beer. I became sedentary about the same time. I had always been pretty active when my kids were smaller, lifting them up and down, pushing them on swings, relay races, riding bikes, swimming, etc. When they outgrew needing me to play with them so much and joined team sports instead, I took a benchwarmer status and gained weight. Playing with little kids is a pretty good calorie burn. I had abs before even though I never did formal exercise. So it comes down to beer and laziness.
  • raingirl21
    raingirl21 Posts: 167 Member
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    I was skinny when I was a kid, then I hit about 25 and my metabolism slowed down and my calorie intake didn't change. I had a desk job and little exercise. So I became overweight. Then dieted and lost it again. Then started to date my soon-to-be husband and he wined and dined me and then after we got married we entertained a lot. And whenever we'd have friends over we would have a few drinks and good food and those extra calories added up and I became overweight again. Now I'm on my journey to be healthy again.
  • gypsyrose64
    gypsyrose64 Posts: 271 Member
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    I thought about that the other day. I never had a weight problem until I got pregnant with my son at the age of 29. Before that, food was not how I got pleasure. My mind was full of the weekend plans, trips, guys, going out, work, travel, etc.

    Food just was not on my radar. Sure I liked it, but once I had my son, my life as I knew it changed. I no longer had all that excitement going on. Was time to settle down. And then bacon started smelling realllllll good. I became a French fryaholic.

    Just what happened for me. Once I settled down, I started deriving quite a bit of pleasure from food. Became my reward, thing to look forward to, carb high, etc. And the problem with dieting is that I sometimes feel like there's nothing in its place. Takes work to get interested in something else when you're almost 50. Who wants to go clubbing anymore?

    Been married 20 years. I love my husband. But I'm afraid I got sidetracked!

    ^^^ What she said.

    Never had weight issue until I got pregnant first time and could NOT quit "eating for two".... or possibly three. 50 lbs BAM! and then #2 kiddo added another 50 lbs... and I never really tried to lose it until now. Depression kicked in somewhere along the way and sucked the motivation to move out of me. Twenty years of a desk job hasn't helped.

    Now approaching 50 and everything hurts. It's hard to get excited about exercise when it's painful. So I rely more on counting calories to keep me in-line. I lost pretty quick at first, and now I seem to be hovering at this weight. I guess I can say I'm good at 'maintaining' now. Just gotta figure out how to shrink some more.
  • FindingMyself24
    FindingMyself24 Posts: 613 Member
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    I was a newly wed so I didn't really cook much...my hubby and I went out to eat a lot...I would eat bad foods and not workout...the I got pregnant twice!!...so two kids later I'm trying to lose this weight for good for the first time!!
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Too many take aways, not caring about how it would affect me.
  • d3v3r3aux
    d3v3r3aux Posts: 4
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    Moved to a new city, had to travel more for work, and simply got out of my workout routine and started eating foods knew were bad. It took me recommitting myself and tracking the foods I eat and just working out most every day (whether I feel like it or not).
  • BluejayNY
    BluejayNY Posts: 301 Member
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    I gained some slowly over the years like 10 lbs a year from simply poor eating habits. I ate lots of fast food and milkshakes. But I really blew up after my boyfriend broke up with me right before Christmas.
  • riccoismydog
    riccoismydog Posts: 319 Member
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    I'm not going to blame anything but vodka and fried chicken. There is a place that is here in the DR, best fried chicken in the whole world. I don't even have to walk there. The watchy man goes and gets it for me. They go get the vodka too. Wait a second, it's my watchy man's fault. I put on 25 lbs this past winter on vodka and fried chicken in the land of healthy veggies.

    BTW, watchy man is the guy my condo corp pays to take care of the building, and to fetch things for lazy Canadians....we need to fire this man...he's technically a guard, pool boy and concierge...and the reason I got chubby!
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Too many calories, not enough moving.

    /thread
  • WAnnB
    WAnnB Posts: 65 Member
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    Just lack of knowledge. Now I know. I can eat healthy but without the tracking I can always eat way too much.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Lack of knowledge.

    I also used to eat when I felt lonely or anxious...and I also discovered that I suffer from anxiety. So basically, I ate all the time.
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Working 2 full time jobs for 8 months to a year, barely slept didnt have time to cook so i always ordered out and drank soda and coffee to keep me awake!!! injuries didnt help either but its getting better!!! i will never work 2 full time jobs again!!
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
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    Frozen Swiss cake Rolls. Ate them by the box, everyday while pregnant.

    Did not stop after the kid was born. Oops!

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