How did you gain weight in the first place

aedreana

In the late 1980s, I became far heavier than I had ever been(or have been since then) because I didn't realize it was happening!
BECAUSE:
1) I worked as a resident manager and my apartment was adjacent to the office. I ate ALL day because it was very convenient to grab something from my kitchen. I worked alone and didn't have to conform to any designated break schedule.
2) That was the era of long bigshirts worn with leggings. My clothes continued to fit me!

Jodsmission

I got really sick. Every doctor had two more scripts . Every script (while not relieving the pain) made me more tired and threw me more out of wack. I relied on take out and I eat anything that comforted me and I just kept thinking someone would give me the "magic cure " and then the weight would fall back off.

abadvat

Stopped doing drugs 9 years ago, self medicated the lack of drugs with alcohol for about 4 years and eventually quit smocking (5 years ago) BANG + 20 kg!
I am now happily ripped, traded my night outs for training sessions in the evening and morning runs and getting high on beta - alanyne!

chadya07

in short. 25 years of overeating and choosing food as my priority.

LumberJacck

Developed an illness that makes me tired all of time, and when you're tired, guess what you do more of? That's right, eat. I gain about 1kg/month unchecked.

DawnieB1977

I was overweight as a teenager...combination of genetics, hormones etc. I genuinely didn't eat too much and I was active. I lost loads of weight at uni, by not eating much, definitely under 1200 calories. I joined a gym when I started working and lost even more.

I moved in with my now husband and did teacher training. The combination of stress and too big meal portions made me gain weight, plus I was so busy I didn't exercise enough.

So I lost 40+lbs when we got engaged, then I was pregnant a month after our wedding. Despite exercise and eating well in pregnancy, I gained. I lost it all, then got pregnant again. I was lazy this time and gained loads. So then I lost it all and more, then got pregnant again lol. Baby no.3 is 11 weeks old and I'm losing weight yet again. No more babies for me!

whatyouwill

I've always eaten a ridiculously high calorie diet, from my early teens through until now.

However, from 13-18 I used to bike 5 miles a day, play Football (Soccer) at least twice a week, and, importantly practice Karate at a VERY high level at least 4 times a week. I reckon I must have been burning at the rate a professional athlete (maybe a tennis player does) and eating somewhere upwards of 5000cals too. I was lean, healthy, fit, powerful etc.

Then I went to University, stopped practically all exercise, ate the same amount (but more fatty, takeaway type foods) and gained around 3-4 stone in 2 years. It's been a battle ever since.

shellypaints

Years of suffering from undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea. In simple terms, sleep apnea causes a deficit of oxygen which next to calories is the body's primary energy source. So your body needs energy but it is not getting it from oxygen so you eat more and gain weight. When you gain weight the apnea gets worse, decreases oxygen requiring more caloric energy, so you eat more, gain more weight, which again exacerbates the apnea; and on and on and on... This is a very slow process that is undetectable at first and by the time you start snoring, you are severely overweight if not obese.

I have tried to sensibly lose weight (CICO) since I weighed about 150 after my second child and was concerned with my weight gain. All that did was cause me to be severely fatigued to the point that exercising was impossible. I was an athlete in HS and had been active running and walking when my children were babies and toddlers. So I knew something was wrong but it took almost 18 years before I finally stumbled upon the answer.

My sleep apnea was caused by having my nose broken by a baseball at 16. Which pinched off the left side of my nose which not only caused the sleep apnea but affected my awake breathing as well. Which is why exercising only made the whole situation worse.

_lyndseybrooke_

By eating at a caloric surplus.

kk_140

I always just ate whatever I wanted. All the women in my family are the same size (5'4" and about 160-170 pounds). I could honestly have traded pants with my grandmother before losing this 40 pounds. It is always where women in my family stop gaining weight, I don't pretend to know why.

It is probably just that is where our maintenance calories are around where we like to stop eating mashed potatoes and brisket and fried okra lol.

I just decided I would rather watch what I eat and be 125 pounds than not watch what I eat and always be on the high end of average.

cwolfman13

I used to be very active and I ate a lot to fuel that activity....then I ceased to be active but I continued to eat a lot. After spending nine months cutting the fat, I'm back to being very active and eating a lot.

kcollesano1

I'd have to say it was a combination of watching how my father ate.... (my mother barely ate at all and was the polar opposite,) my grandmother who would feed me hostess cupcakes by the box, and also the fact that as a 90's child, our generation saw a huge advance in television shows geared for kids, as well as video game systems..... it made a lot of us sedentary. I can safely say I spent more time playing Nintendo, Sega and playstation moreso than I was active outside with my friends. I also had weird food cravings..... I would go to the fridge consistently and eat slices of Oscar Meyer bologna and pickles... and I would do this consistently. People started noticing the weight gain from the time I was in 2nd grade. I started not fitting into my normal sizes and eventually I became a little porker.... and once I hit that point, I felt pretty helpless and depressed from it... and up until very recently that's what I believed.

healthierhappierh

Bulimia. At first I lost a lot of weight but then I ruined my metabolism and gained all the weight back.

seltzermint555

I have been overweight since I was about 8 years old and became obese as a teenager. I think there was some genetic predisposition there (NOT saying that's the whole reason at all, but I do believe it's a factor) but MAINLY I think it was my family's lifestyle of being fairly sedentary (we didn't just sit around watching TV but my parents usually drove everywhere, no sports participation, lots of reading, etc) and eating almost exclusively restaurant meals, processed snack foods, and dessert after every lunch and dinner. There also was not a wide range of vegetables served and I had the typical "kid tastes" so I didn't really like a lot of veggies until I was in my late 20's. Honestly I never really binged or ate huge portions, but the food I ate was pretty high in fat, calories, sugar & sodium and lacking in other areas. I thought nothing of having cookies & milk, a huge Danish, or cake for breakfast especially as a teen.

After reaching the mid-200s I stayed at around the same weight for many many years, however I gained about 50 lb around hitting age 30 and I believe that was due to the job I had creating a lot of two things...extra stress and extra income. That meant I was eating to deal with emotions (anxiety, depression, general stress) and had the funds to buy all of the food...daily Starbucks, lunches out, fancier dinners out with alcohol and/or dessert, etc.

chaoticdreams

I sat on my butt all day and ate anything and everything I wanted...... coupled with a Southern family that believes food is both comfort and required in all family settings.

That egged on by severe depression and mental issues that have since been worked through.

But mostly because I like food. It's delicious. And I hate exercise. I used to believe exercise was the root of all evil.

Not the case anymore, thankfully!

Although food is still delicious.

Iwishyouwell

I see all these people putting their reasons and then-but I don't want to make excuses it really was my fault.....Well just so you know, their are cases were it CAN BE NOT YOUR FAULT...like not being able to walk on one leg for a year and then a month ago getting A METAL PLATE WITH SIX SCREWS, AND TWO METAL CAGES AROUND TWO DISKS IN MY BACK....so excuse me if that sounds like an excuse, IT'S NOT.....I Guess I COULD EXERCISE if I WANTED ANOTHER ROUND OF A BACK SURGURY THIS IS #2. (I'm still using a walker and reacher but hey that sounds like an excuse I should get my lazy *kitten* up and run a marathon! lol)

I understand that you've been through an ordeal, but yes that is an excuse. You can keep weight down even without exercise. You could lower you calories to reflect the reduced level of activity you've facing currently.

A lot of times people will use an injury as an excuse as to why they gained lots of weight. The injury doesn't force you to overeat beyond your TDEE. It's just that most people who get injured and require rest continue to eat at the level of activity they had before the injury, or they turn to food as comfort and begin to overeat.

Of course people's priorities often change when going through an ordeal like you have, and often body weight concerns fall by the wayside. But do know that it's still your responsibility. I think we all need to own up to our actions.

abadvat

I see all these people putting their reasons and then-but I don't want to make excuses it really was my fault.....Well just so you know, their are cases were it CAN BE NOT YOUR FAULT...like not being able to walk on one leg for a year and then a month ago getting A METAL PLATE WITH SIX SCREWS, AND TWO METAL CAGES AROUND TWO DISKS IN MY BACK....so excuse me if that sounds like an excuse, IT'S NOT.....I Guess I COULD EXERCISE if I WANTED ANOTHER ROUND OF A BACK SURGURY THIS IS #2. (I'm still using a walker and reacher but hey that sounds like an excuse I should get my lazy *kitten* up and run a marathon! lol)

Who took the jam out of your donut girl?

earthboundmisfit

I was anorexic as a teenager and in college my mind and body rebelled against the starvation and I started eating compulsively. Been yo-yo dieting and eating emotionally ever since...bleh

dewsmom78

2 babies in 3 years. I lost all but 10lbs with my first, and then gained 50lbs with my 2nd.

BUT, I am working my butt off, with only 20lbs yet to lose. I will get there.

gert1985

I was always thin, fit, muscular. The day I got pregnant with my first daughter I weighed 112 pounds. It's been downhill since. Long story short, I drink too much soda, not diet, don't exercise, have an office job and eat what I want when I want.