What did you eat to get heavy?

necolong1014

396 lbs me Fast food, soda and chocolate. Now: Veggies, veggies and more veggies topped off by water! For a sweet treat blueberries or strawberries with a bit of light whip cream (homemade with almond or soy milk) no more dairy get my calcium from leafy greens and natural sources not cheese or processed milk which made me sick without knowing it.

macchiatto

When I've gained, I was generally eating too many carbs/too much sugar, and my portions were too big and/or I was just eating a bit too much. Now that I know how much slower the metabolism of women with PCOS tends to be compared to the average woman, it also helps me understand why I have tended to gain very easily (and lose very slowly). Also, not exercising.

macchiatto

Oh and I gained quite a bit in college. I started out a little underweight (116 lbs at 5'7.3") but then I gained the freshman 15 ... and then the sophomore 20, I think the junior 10, lost 8 lbs during a year off working in Asia, then re-gained a little my senior year. That was thanks to lots of regular soda, dining hall food, pizza, etc., and not exercising much. My gains the rest of my adult life weren't generally quite as extreme. I did gain 15 lbs again my first year of grad school but that was due partly to living on campus and eating dining hall food again (the healthy options were limited and I got bored after a while), eating out a lot while dating my now-husband, and also medication side effects.

ShibaEars

Cake, cookies, pizza and fast food in general. And booze. When I was 20 I broke up with my boyfriend and started partying on the weekends - I gained 10 pounds in about a month because all the alcohol and late night junk food (FYI, drinking age is 18 here).

Now I still have the sweets, just smaller portions, and I eat more fruits & veggies and lean meats. I actually cook at home instead of buying lunch out every day. I also workout 3 times a week.

levitateme

Pretty much the same stuff I eat now, just tons of it with no portion control.

SugaryLynx

I just ate too much and didn't move much

stealthq

I ate more of what I eat now. Fewer vegetables and fruit overall, fewer starches. I was never clinically overweight, though thinking back I'm not sure how that came about. Every time I ate pasta, my serving would have been about 2.5 times the actual serving size. Every now and again I'd get a nice baguette - you know, the baseball bat sized ones - butter it, or maybe have a nice pate or cheese with it and eat that for dinner and dessert. Yes, the whole thing. If I ordered a pizza, I'd eat 3-4 slices. Given my calorie needs to maintain, it should have been more like 1-2.

BethannyJo

Processed Junk! Hot pockets, Pizza rolls, Microwave Pizzas, Snack cakes, Doritos etc.. Fast food included. When I did eat real food I overindulged in white carbs, Pasta, Potatoes, bread etc.. That and Mountain Dew! Makes me cringe thinking about it. I went from a healthy athlete to a couch sitting junk eating machine, Gained about 85 pounds before I got off my behind and did something! I don't touch any of that stuff now.

endermako

Margaritas, Eating fast food for EVERY meal. When we did go out to nice restaurants I would always order dessert. It was an expensive habit as well.

MyChocolateDiet

pastries, donuts, pies, cakes, muffins, etc. in excess.

bcattoes

I ate the same things I eat now, and in more or less the same quantities. I gained weight when I stopped exercising regularly but kept eating as though I were.

I lost weight by getting off my lazy bum and exercising.

As for what, specifically, I eat/ate. I just try to eat a balanced diet of mostly "healthy foods" (by the general traditional definition). Probably about 85-90% of my diet fits that definition, the other 10/15% is wine and crap.

smc0170

I put on all of my initial weight on back in college when I quit competitive swimming. However I still ate like I was, so I gained a lot of weight pretty fast (from 180 to 230 in about 10 months).

Then it got to the point where I just didn't care anymore, and ate what I wanted, when I wanted. I was so overweight, that I just accepted my role in life as "the big guy". A lot of meals I would feel just horrible after eating, but that was normal. Chips, everything with cheese, sweets, fried foods, snacks...all the time. I put on more weight. Until I started tracking on a regular basis, I didn't know how bad it was (a typical McD's breakfast for me would be around 700-800 calories, a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings would be 1200+, my normal Jimmy John's delivered lunch was around 1000+).

It took my Mom passing away at only 58 from cancer to make me realize that I needed to snap out of it and take better care of myself, or I'd die young too. It's bittersweet for sure that I've lost like I have, but I wouldn't and can't go back now.

Autk79

All fast food. Especially sonic coneys, burritos and sushi rolls. And not one sushi roll, prob 3. I cant even imagine now how I ate all those lol

melsinct

I became overweight eating healthy stuff. I just ate too much of it. Portion control is now my BFF.

caracrawford1

A lot of weight loss forums/success stories focus on what to eat to lose weight. But I'd like to switch it up and talk about what people ate to get to their heaviest? And how did they change that and what is different now? I've noticed on weightloss shows they often show overweight people, pre-diet, gorging on junk. I know that for me, it wasnt so simple.

How I gained:
For me, I got into a bad habit of eating exclusively restaurant foods with hidden fats and calories. Id always skip breakfast then order a salad, but it'd be loaded with cheese, fried chicken, buttered croutons, etc. I would fluctuate between starving and stuffed. I noticed high fat foods put weight on me moreso than say, starches like bread and pasta. I ate a lot of desserts too. I was never a binger or a snacker, I just ate the wrong foods and was def guilty of waiting too long between meals- then Id make the wrong choices.


How I lose:
Well, I just started but Ive completely changed everything. FIrst of all I try to eat "clean"- meaning mostly whole organic food fresh food. Nothing in a bag..For example, I eat fresh cucumber salads w lemon & sumac with bit of hummus. But I dont buy pre packaged hummus. That stuff has so many preservatives in it. Real hummus has a shelf life of only 1-2days in the fridge. I try to do as much plant based eating as possible- green salads with lemon and olive oil, brown rice in squash, with 2-3 oz of fresh animal protein at each meal. I eat grains like rice or a slice of homemade bread. I really steer clear of pre packaged food. I avoid restaurant food I think its all bad.

I always eat breakfast. Ive learned I can not do a grain or fruit based breakfast. Some people do smoothies in the morning. I actually do smoothies for dessert sometimes, only a few ounces 1/day but it cures any sugar craving and is full of fiber. I add spinach and some chia seeds too.

For breakfast I have the same thing everyday bc its easy: whole wheat organic lavash + raw spinach+ egg whites+ 1slice cheddar (my only dairy), and fresh avacado. I get so much energy and I find that I never get too hungry so when lunchtime arrives I dont overeat or choose the wrong thing. Breakfast is sooo important to me.

I eat 3 meals/day one snack (smoothie). I used to skip meals all the time which lead to crazy appetite swings and inadvertant overeating and poor food choices and sugar cravings. I always drank a lot of water, but now I exclusively drink water and nothing else. Before, I drank a ton of diet coke.

That's a hard question to answer. I'm 5'3 and started at 160 I'm less than that now as i have lost weight (clothes are loosed) but haven't weighed. My highest weight was in high school at 188. Ive was heavy since a kid and ate what mom made us. The question assumes you were skinny before and can conscious ly remember a time overeating and gaining but that wasn't the case for me.

SteampunkSongbird

Pretty much the same stuff I eat now, just tons of it with no portion control.

Same here, no one food in particular, I was just unknowingly eating double the portion sizes I now know I should've been eating (sometimes more.) I did drink way too much Coke so my sugar intake must've been through the roof, but generally I just ate far too much of everything. I now weigh everything and eat more sensible portion sizes.

Crateria_

Lots of Five Guys Burgers & Fries

4homer

everything that taste good to me

bcattoes

But I dont buy pre packaged hummus. That stuff has so many preservatives in it. Real hummus has a shelf life of only 1-2days in the fridge.

What do you put in your hummus that gives it such a short shelf life? I make my own hummus and eat it for several days.

Timshel_

What did you eat to get heavy?

Everything.
All the time.
And sat around a lot.

Bel0602

Well I was having some personal issues back in March which caused to me to feel very stressed. So I guess I just ate my feelings away. My boyfriend knew what I was going through so everyday he would bring me delicious Indian/Pakistani food from his restaurant bc he knew how much I loved it. I ate how ever much I wanted. With NO EXERCISE afterwards whatsoever. I gained 9 pounds within 3 months. Basically laziness and over eating caused my weight gain lol.

psych101

too much

Devlyn_P

Processed foods not in moderation and NO EXERCISE...

TBH, I can eat whatever I want I just got to put work into the gym. Although eating clean is very rewarding.

CindyMarcuzAdams

I was always on the heavy side. Even back in kindergarden. But where I gained the most weight was in hospital cafeterias. Back in 1992 my son was hit by a car and was badly broken. That was 2 months in traction for him and 2 months of bacon a d eggs for breakfast, and burgers and fries for lunch in the cafeteria. Then I would leave my son at the hospital and go home and cook dinner for my family. 2 months later my hubby was diagnosed with cancer and over the next 11 years had 12 life or death surgeries. So 11 years of stress eating at the hospital again. I balooned uo to 333 lbs. That was a wake up call...

Skip ahead to 2001 I had weight loss surgery and lost 130 lbs... I got down to 205 but never under 200.

Skip ahead to 2003 hubby passes peacefully...

Skip ahead to 35 days ago... I have gained 35 lbs getting back up to 239 lbs. WAKE UP CALL...
I founf my fitness pal and here I am sitting at 223lbs.
My first goal is 199, I cant wait to get to onderland.
Second goal is 190, then 180. After that I will take one day at a time. 180 I will still be over weight but I may be happy there.
CINDY

Alatariel75

It wasn't junk that made me heavy, more a love for good, decadent food. Fattier cuts of meat for more flavour, lashings of oil, lots of multiple kinds of cheese, creamy sauces, bread slathered with home churned butter, cheesecakes, decadent desserts... I seldom ate junk but I worked in top end restaurants and all my friends were hospitality workers (many of them chefs) and cooking was what we did for fun and companionship. Like OP even a salad was loaded with cheese, oils, cured meats...


Now, I still love cooking, I'm still inventive and I still cook with friends but I put my inventiveness to making my cooking lower calories but just as flavoursome and decadent.

paulawatkins1974

Hubs and I used to buy a bunch of junk food while watching the biggest loser for weight loss ideas. True story! And we ate out almost every single night. Now We eat out maybe twice a month. I know that supposed "clean eating" Is all hype, (learned that from here) and it's calories in<calories out, and I still allow myself some treats. I do find with me though that too much processed stuff, junk food etc. slows my weightloss. Even if I think I'm under goal. Not sure if it's water retention due to sodium or I just don't log it correctly so I try to limit it.

mgleason01

Sweets! Cereal (and not the serving size…lol), ice cream, shakes, cookies…you get the point. And I probably ate out at least 5 times a week and not the good stuff. I never ate a lot but what I did eat was high in calories, fat and sugar. Throw in a couple of happy hours and there you go! A size 20! Now I am at a 14 and working my way down to a 10.

I plan my meals, watch my intake of process foods, increase in fruit, veggies, and lean meats and regular exercise. I have been going strong with a few cheat days/celebrations but I've noticed by staying diligent my cravings for the bad stuff has decreased.

Like now for instance, I have a piece of german chocolate gooey butter cake in the kitchen and I have not taken a bite. For dessert instead, I had blackberries with plain yogurt, agave, and chia seeds. A few months ago, that whole piece would have been gone; I will eventually eat it but I will also share it.

littleburgy

I didn't watch portions or snacking at all. I actually wasn't one to eat a lot of junk and my diet has never been horrible, but I generally just didn't keep track of how much I was eating.

cottonta1l

I binge ate a lot when my bipolar took a turn for the worse a few years ago - mostly because of the depression. It was pretty shocking when it started happening because I'd always been slim and a healthy eater. I was naturally underweight up until I was 16 and I started binge eating. I'd eat very healthy most of the time (although not enough because I'd constantly be trying to make up for binges), but then I'd have huge binges of like up to 8000 calories sometimes. Mostly ice cream, cakes, cereal, biscuits, sugary stuff, but really anything I could get. There was a point where it was every single day when I was suicidal. I was subconsciously trying to drown out my thoughts and feelings with food. Not surprising, I've always had an ~ addictive personality ~.
It took me a hell of a long time to rebuild a healthy relationship with food. All I can say is thank god I got through that. I haven't binged in about a year now and no longer experience urges to do so.

maryjay52

fast foods , lots of pasta , snacking all day, ice cream ! and NO EXERCISE ..no water ..drank diet sodas which isnt very good ..id order fast food with a diet soda thinking i was cutting back ...whooaaa where was my head at??!!!