How did you gain the weight?

jendraka

I was actually pretty much always in good shape, pretty muscular really, through my life until I got pregnant with my son. In fact, I worked in a restaurant when I was pregnant with him and until I was 4 months along I actually wrapped the apron strings nearly twice around me to tie them. Suddenly I started ballooning up with him. I started having issues with pain, he grew so fast. I had to quit two months before my due date. I suddenly put on a little over 40lbs in a very short time (though my eating really couldn't be blamed, my cravings were things like salads and orange juice for crying out loud). He ended up being an emergency c-section when it all came down to it. Which, of course, made any effort to lose the weight right afterwards extremely hard as any woman who's had such can tell you you can barely move for a while. It takes a lot longer to come back from that than natural birth.

When I finally got to the point of trying to lose the weight and started to lose a few pounds I ended up getting pregnant again . This time with twins. Again (maybe due to the c-section scarring) I had complications, but this time early on and ended up losing one of them. Due to the potential risk to the other I remained on bedrest for a while and then still took it easy afterwards. Weight continued to gather (even with healthy eating) due to inactivity.

All said and done I think from those 2 pregnancies I put on between 60 and 70 lbs.

brookielaw

I've been overweight my whole life. Actually, no, I've been obese pretty much my whole life. I didn't think about what I ate (which was crap, and in mass quantities) and I certainly didn't exercise.

In short, Crap food (x mass quantities) + completely sedentary lifestyle = brookie's magic formula for unhappiness and possible early death.

qtgonewild

ate more, moved less.

yezmenbernard

I Wouldnt Say Im Obese Either But I Did Noticed One Day That When I Took A Whole Body Picture That I Was Getting Fairly WIDEE . I Have A Boyfriend That Loves Me For Who I Am So I Guess I Just Got Comfortable All I Know I Hated It . My Lowest Was 125 But I Gained Some "Assests" That I Cant Lose From Genes Lol .. So I Atleast Want To Be 130 Or 135 .

lori_king

Oh this is easy. 3 kids for the last 30 years, an ex husband, a new husband, being happy age and lack of exercise. That about sums it up.

sway1080

What did it for me was alcohol...over the past year..too much of it. Also eating whatever I wanted and not working out.

That stopped, I drink rarely now, work out almost every day and track everything I eat (started only over 2 weeks ago) but it's been great so far and I am noticing the weight loss already! and the great part about it is I can eat whatever I want...(low carb suckkksssss) all I have to do is use this to track everything. Small portions!

modernshieldmaiden

I originally gained so much weight just because I wasn't particularly active post-high school & ate whatever I felt like... after losing a huge chunk of that, I gained it all back this summer because of my depression/anxiety medication. Talk about frustrating!

sunsetzen

I didnt eat enough since I was 15.

withoutaname

Anxiety problems where I would comfort eat, drinking more alcohol than I ever have in the last year, getting jobs where I am sedentary most of the day, and also entering a happy relationship where I stopped caring about my appearance and would also overeat/drink when I'm being social.

Warchortle

by eating.

swat1948

I actually stayed within a normal weight range till my 40's when recurring knee problems got worse and forced me to be inactive along with eating too much. Had my knees replaced about 10 years ago and my surgeon stressed that the more I used my artificial knees the sooner they would wear out. That terrified me thinking about going through that surgery again so I did as little as possible till I ballooned to 272 pounds and I said enough. Now I am as active as my body will allow and even though I have hypothyroidism I have done pretty well losing by cutting my portions and eating more sensibly and exercising.

bulbadoof

I like peanut butter.

captndalton

I overate when I was at work.. either out to big lunches or having pizza delivered to share with coworkers. On my off days, I thought I was eating pretty clean but was just eating way more than I needed. Because I'd been fit and muscular before, I didn't realize how fat I'd really gotten, I just thought I had a lot of muscle under maybe 20 lbs of fat. Nope.

natajane

For me it has been a life time of things!

When I was under 10, I was quite a picky eater and slim. I didn't like fizzy drinks, anything fatty, I didn't like eating big portions. I just wasn't focused on food.

My parents encouraged me to change from that natural state though! To eat more, clear my plate, to eat the fat on meat, to have puddings e.t.c and so overtime I became a little less fussy and found the fun in food!

My family have never been sporty or that active. They're not very good cooks, they have no concept of portion size.

As a teenager I wasn't massive but felt a little larger. When I was 15 I got my first boyfriend and realised that if I didn't eat I'd lose weight. So I would miss lunch and have a small dinner. It worked!

Until I was about 17 and started work and moved out I was slim. Then slowly the weight crept on - whilst I wasn't eating loads, I'd starved the lean muscle mass off of my body without knowing what I was doing. I didn't learn how to cook from my parents. I didn't know what a portion of pasta should be or about calories really.

I tried to exercise by joining Pilates and light dance classes but it wasn't enough. Exercise had never been a part of my life or anyone I knew so I struggled to make it habit and pick exercise that would have a better impact.

And so slowly, over the years, I've gained a little more each year. I've tried several commercial diets in between but always ended up feeling like I was missing out on food and life! It made me more obsessed than when i wasn't dieting. Or that they were too expensive. So gave in eventually each time, gaining weight back.

I've spent the last few years stabilising my weight, learning how to cook healthy tasty food, learning about portions, and learning about exercise. I now exercise at least once a week which for me and my background is an achievement! It's habit now! I can add more sessions in. I've also lost my food obsession, I no longer rely on food to deal with emotions. I look at the way my family eats now - my dad ramming food down his throat as quickly ad he can, my mum piling the portions high and pushing desserts, my sister eating til she's so full it hurts, and it shocks me. It makes me realise how far I've come and probably how my weight gain started.

I hope that these lessons I've slowly taken in are the foundations of me being able to lose all of my weight once my child is born. I'm looking forward to the future!

Naomi0504

Having kids close together, using pregnancy as an excuse to keep eating :-)

Rai007

i was hypothyroid since 13 or 11. i balloned up.i lost weight naturally 2 years back.now i am again obese.
i would eat without caring because i was too busy in studies.

AdrianasMombie421

I quit smoking for my pregnancy and gained about 80lbs.

crazybookworm

I lost my job, then got to comfortable with being a homemaker(no kids) so cleaning and laundry and making dinner only took up so much time. In my spare time I ate and watched T.V.

Maria_Cutie

I gained it because I got comfy in a relationship and because I became careless after losing almost 30 pounds.

Im losing it now in hopes of hooking this guy (super cute fitness dude) into my clutches forever muahahhaaa.

And for myself, naturally. I don't like feeling like lard and never being able to find cute clothes in my size/ not to mention I've NEVER worn a bikini :P

Maria_Cutie

I like peanut butter.

Amen.

RubyRunner14

Eating out of boredom and sadness/depression, and we always had a good supply of sweets at home.

SkinnyWannabeGal

I gained a ton of weight during pregnancy, 70 something pounds. Got injured while giving birth and could not walk without assistance for a long time and couldn't work for over a year. I did lose more than half the weight I gained in about 3 months after giving birth, but then got a sit down job and the weight crept back up on me. I worked 3 jobs at once at one point and was always in a rush to get from one job to the next and then go home and be a mom. I ate on the go and never cooked at home. That led to more weight gain. I finally woke up and decided that enough was enough and completely changed the way I eat and move now.

laursoar

I grew up in a household where lots of snacks and junk food was pretty much the norm. I saw no problem with nibbling on some Reese's peanut butter cups in a candy dish on the table, eating whatever chips we had in the cabinet, going out for an ice cream with friends, and eating bagels for breakfast. Basically, I took a lot of things that should be treats and made them my typical diet every single day. I went through phases where I exercised more frequently, but had a hard time cutting out the food even when I moved away to college. I think I have been a very social bad eater where I had a hard time saying no to wings, convenience store junk food runs, dining hall desserts, alcohol, etc. when I was out and about with everyone. Since I was very social in college, that didn't go well.

thegabbleduck

I had always been chubby as a kid, and then i started a course of steroids which made my weight go up massively
then i hovered around the same weight for years and years (about 85kg / 187lb) and then recently a massive flare up of an illness left me wheelchair bound and unable to do any exercise, and the weight just piled on, until I reached where I am now (100kg / 220lb)

But now I am fit again. and able to do exercise again, and determind to shift this weight!!

Ldbg289

Mie was over time. Been fairly inactive for several years(kind of a long story). That paired with bad eating habits translated into lots of weight gain. There is a certain number that I thought my life was over, it took another 55 pounds for me to actually do something about it. I'm about 15 pounds shy of the number I thought was the end of the world now.

blynn_29

It was the perfect storm of two things that lead to my weight gain.... can't wait to get back to normal!

1. falling in love with my boyfriend and being completely comfortable with him.
2. switching from waitressing to an office job. what a difference!

kuroi19

I blame my home cooking. Healthy, but fatty, had me bigger than most kids since the early years.
Neither did I neglect to eat nutella, sweet cereals, chocolate, crisps and coke. Most kids do that though, and I would be fine too if it wasn't for that combination with home cooking.
Up to that I disliked soups... and at 12 due to various reasons became more of a loner, no more going out running just school then home, so I think at that point it got even worse.

Anyways took some growing up and a nice girl to realize, hey I guess I can change that now. And I am glad I only felt like it once I became an adult too, it's probably not a good idea for a kid to diet.

harleygroomer

living with someone who cared LESS about me than I cared about myself. I am a new me now and NO ONE will ever tell me I am less than who I am.

Irenaekl

Mis-diagnosed as having an over active thyroid and being given medication, taking the contraceptive pill, stopping smoking.........all these contirbuted. Being too lazy to exercise enough and eating too much finished it off!

ClementineGeorg

Not knowing how to portion my food. My diet was not that bad all in one. I didn't east at fast food, I was eating salads, lots of veggies, mostly cooked food. But I was somedays eating 1000 calories only from almonds/peanuts. I was putting tons of cheese on some meals. I would eat two full of fat sausages with one meal or eaten 2-3 servings of one meal. It all added up in the end.