When did you start gaining weight?

jkal1979

Pretty much since I was a kid, but it really started getting bad when puberty hit. I lost 50 pounds when I was 19 and kept it off for quite a few years but it slowly started creeping up. Being an emotional eater didn't help matters.

AlysonG2

When I started working at Sonic and Chili's in undergrad. I had no idea all that delicious food existed before that bc I was way too picky to try anything new unless it was given to me for free.

LosingItForGood13

21 first pregnancy

Tigre_Lily

When I moved to Florida maybe it was because when I lived with my mom I never ate. Then I move over here to live with my now ex I started gaining weight. After 7 years I said enough was enough and now I am down 5lbs with 10 more to go.

maicap22

When I got pregnant. Just last year.

malibu927

10 or 11, when I hit puberty and turned to food for comfort

chescaatherese

Senior year of high school. I gained 20 pounds to be exact from the amount of free time I had and all the social eating with my friends. I knew I had to make some changes when my clothes were not fitting properly and my pants kept ripping. I would go to dance rehearsals feeling out of shape. Once I started college and had easy access to the gym and healthy foods I started progressively making changes. Lost the 20 pounds I gained and am now trying to exceed goals

tattooedillini26

I did well through my first year and a half of college, but I started dating a guy who had terrible eating habits and went out a lot more than I was used to. So I started eating the junk that he ordered, going out and drinking more calories (which also triggered drunk eating), and then was usually to tired to go to the gym. I developed a very lazy and unhealthy lifestyle, and it continued for a while after we broke up, now I am getting back to my healthier self!

jimiller25

I was always a "healthy" size, played volleyball, ran track, but when I went to college and wasn't playing sports I gained the dreaded freshman 15. By the time I graduated, I had lost most of it, but then that first job after college and having a boyfriend who also liked to eat I went and piled it right back on and then some. I spent from 23 to about 30 carrying 60 extra pounds. Rediscovering the athlete in me, using MFP regularly and making some new fit friends has made all the difference...oh and learning how to cook and eat clean!

jamesryanfletcher

I believe that I started gaining weight (above normal growth) at around 6 years of age after we moved from a farm environment into a city. It was at this school that I started being bullied and became socially isolated. I soon there after got my first games console and then computer and was never really an active child either. So in the early nineties I was one of the earlier cases of childhood obesity.

I really became aware of the health consequences late in high school and have tried to lose weight intermittently for the last ten years. I actually weigh less now than when I finished high school and am almost two thirds of the way from peak weight to goal.

Lettee4

i was 8 years old.

Inshape13

20's after a violent/controlling relationship...then the weight just struck around til I decided to work through some stuff at 35.

ChristineS_51

I was about 40 - just stopped breastfeeding my fourth child, changed from nursing (job on my feet) to a desk job, gave up playing squash - so all of that combined to start a gradual increase of weight that just didn't stop. Then when I was in my 50's had some distressing family issues (husband's accident) and it piled on even more quickly.

I never thought I would lose weight again, but thanks to MFP and my friends, I have.

cootason

Started gaining weight in my teens as I was more into computer games and not very active it was a tough few years fighting a bit of depression at the time and things went from bad to worse. it took me years to finally decide to just get out and do something and I have to admit the decision has been the best one In my life I am not out of the woods yet but I have lost 30 Kilograms 66 lb its getting a bit tougher these days I try not to let the scales bring me down I maintain my 5 days of fitness a week and put in a solid effort my health club friends think I am doing well but I keep pushing through it seems I am getting smaller still so somethings going right .. my motivation is to get those years back and do the stuff I could not do as a teen. and most of that has come true. I am getting a stand up paddle board this year so i can get out on the water.

Meerataila

As soon as I got control over what I could and couldn't eat. So age 15, when I got my first job. After that, it was an easy matter to stroll on down to the store and buy whatever the hell I wanted.

Medusaboyd18

Since I developed depression. I'm 20 and haven't been at a healthy weight since I was 8 years old. Hoping to finally do it this time. I have PCOS it's really important to my health to get to a healthy weight.

marinadanielle

I've always been slightly overweight, but I really started to pack it on at 17 when I went to college. The combination of delicious dorm food and a bad breakup halfway through college that left me holed up in my room snacking all day ended up being a recipe for disaster. That segued into meeting my current boyfriend who loves me no matter how I look and me gaining "happy relationship weight" and getting lazy and I gained another 25ish pounds in the last year on top of the 40+ I'd gained in college! Just restarted my journey, but it's reassuring to know I'll be cared for equally now and when I reach my goal weight. [:

PunkyRachel

high school, I was about a size 6 as a freshman and a size 20 dress by my junior year

bv109

gaining weight was always problem. dem ecto feels

hearthwood

I was a major Jazzerciser in my 30's / 40's and never had a weight problem. Probably to thin at times. I then quit exercising, and refused to get in a scale a let 25 pounds sneak up on me. In fact I got so bad I would tell the nurse at the doctors office not to tell me how much I weighed. But my doctor finally got thru to me, so I rejoined my class took off about 18 of those pounds in the first 9 months, then got stuck on a plateau for a very long time. Joined MFP and bought a Jawbone UP and started losing again. Now just a few pounds to go.

susanbarrott

I am 47, had gall bladder removal surgery August of 2012. I used to weigh about 155 lbs before the surgery. Since then I have taken Cholacol (Bile Extract) every day but only 1 capsule. (The directions read to take 1 capsule before every meal). I do not eat a lot- small meals or snacks during the day, with occasional fast food in there. I work at call center 40 + hours a week till midnight - so I do sit a lot, but I also have an Arabian mare, whom I go to and work out frequently either in the round pen, or riding her. I do gardening, house work, stay busy and exercise moderately on my WII fitness board. I currently weigh 188 lbs and have to wear size xlarge, and 12 in shorts- this is frightening to me because I used to be able to wear a size 7! I plan on increasing the Capsules to the 1 at every meal as directed, and exercising a bit more frequently every week, and I might start taking an enzyme and probiotic (like my mare does) to see if this benefits me in losing any weight. Note: I do not drink enough water - I am a very big coffee lover and have at least 2 cups in the morning, and one in the evening to stay awake on my long night shifts and drive home. I probably only drink 1 bottle of water a day- I just don't like water very much. I do not drink soda at all, and liquor is a big no-no when you have had your gall bladder removed but I do occasionally drink white wine. I have no idea if this has anything to do with weight gain. I feel fine except for the weight, which I don't like it at all!

Fattackler2013

I'm currently 22 years old, however my weight has pretty much been an issue my entire life. I just kept eating, eating and eating without really worrying about the consequences. I've also suffered from depression which has also been a trigger to emotional/binge eating. During the latter part of last year I stopped caring about myself and I hate to say it, but I felt like I wanted to die. I feel much better nowadays, I'm losing weight and everything seems to be falling into place.

I'll never go back to the way that I used to be because I've worked so hard and being extremely overweight made me feel very miserable.

We've got this!

kp1439

well for me it was all my fault ... i just didnt care about my health ... and that was the bad thing i did ... now i am glad i am back to it and getting good result ... got a lot to live for ...

thedebster99

When I was 27 and started antidepressants..they make you pack on the pounds..

KameHameHaaa

I started gaining weight somewhat rapidly when I was six or seven. Whenever my parents had a fight my mom would scoop me away and take us out to eat somewhere or to get toys. My actual very first clear memory was from 1988 (I was 3!), seeing Oliver and Company in theaters then getting finger puppets from the movie at McDonalds afterwards. I was overweight by the time I was 9, when my parents saw it was a problem and enrolled me in martial arts classes. Only got worse from there because, as much as I liked martial arts, I just got bullied.. A LOT. So I ate more, became an introvert, and just kinda continued eating. Even after I ruptured the disc in my back I didn't try to lose weight til ten years later!

ProgressNotPerfection32

I've always had food issues with emotional eating. Grew up with a single mom, dad was a Disneyland dad. Mom was borderline abusive (nothing was ever good enough, worked me like an adult, never allowed to close bedroom doors, last time she 'spanked' me for misbehavior I was 16!).........so from that I hid food. Binged after school but worked out like crazy. Went to college and had freedom, gained 30 lbs, but lost it that first summer back home. Crap got hella crazy right after I turned 21 (cue crazy mom- called me and reported me as a missing person at 7am the morning after I went out drinking with friends), so I promptly moved in with dad.....dropped out of college.....started doing E......and got pregnant with my daughter.........tough pregnancy, sperm donor split when I was 8 months pg.......was 225 when I gave birth and got back down to 175 after daughter was born. Now cue awful relationship (very abusive) coupled with Depo Provera. and then marriage to him at age 24....... Ballooned back to 225, highest weight was 235, which was when I met my current husband. He loved me at 235, and loves me just as much now after 80 lbs gone. :-)

LunaStar2008

I started gaining weihght when I moved to the US. I arrived here with 132lbs and it started creeping up slowely. My heaviest was so far 185lbs and I am currently down to 171-170. My goal is getting back to 150lbs (+/- 5lbs).
Getting rid of the weight became more and more difficult after the birth of my son in August 2008. Since then it has become more and more impossible to loose it, but I must admit, before the child I was more active.
Also, since I am in the states I can afford and have whatever I want to eat. So, having this "freedom" and never before needed to care about my weight encouraged bad eating habits, I guess. Which I try now to get rid off as well as the excessive pounds.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

SomeNights246

It was a series of things that acted together to lead to weight gain.

The first that caused the chain reaction was being attacked by dogs when walking to the store. This led to PTSD like symptoms, that kept me inside. The first time I tried to walk to the store after the attack, I was harassed by cops.. which led me to turn around, go back home, and lock myself away further. This was when my inactivity began. The second was the death of my dog. It was a hard blow to take - because it was sudden and I witnessed it (and it was not a nice thing to witness, the way she went). I fell into a deep depression after her loss, that I never really recovered from. In hindsight, I should have gotten therapy after both events... but hindsight is 20/20. Anyway. I started turning to food for comfort. In the beginning, it was innocent enough. I'd eat a box of ice cream when I was feeling sad. Soon, I was binge eating. I wouldn't even realize I'd done it until the proof was there. And then, quickly, I was overeating in general. The binge eating and the overeating combined started to cause the weight to creep up on me. Still inactive, I spent most of my time inside, online, eating. This all happened when I was about 19-20, though the biggest weight gain occurred at 21.

Depression seems to be a common cause. Depression can be a deadly, life sucking, beast.

wannakimmy

I gained a lot of weight with my pregnancy almost 20 years ago. I never did lose it, just kept adding to it over the years. Passed all of my horrible eating habits on to my daughter, for which I will never forgive myself. I try very hard to stay on track now as I have actually seen and felt progress. Still have very hard days. I have to keep on this new lifestyle, I cannot give up.

muppet1501

Started around 8 years. Gained weight, bullied at school, bullied by my brother n sister and gained ever since. I went down to 137lb after my 2nd child at 23 but gained it all back when my not so lovely ex criticised everything I did and I sunk into depression. Now after 4 children and a supportive partner I want to get myself healthy and be able to wear nice clothes and be as active as my children are.