For those who weigh 300 pounds and up

scubasuenc

I was over 300 lbs when I started this weight loss journey. Just like it doesn't come off overnight it doesn't go on overnight either. I hit 180 by 15 and then went up slowly, reaching 330 by 31, then lost 80 lbs in a year and spent the next 15 years working my way back to 300 again. The gradual change allowed me to ignore it or deny it. Yes my clothes got tighter, but I don't shop that frequently. I might go a year or two without changing sizes. I also hated to look at myself in the mirror or in photographs. All I saw was a fat blob. At some point it didn't really matter whether it was 250 or 300, I just hated myself.

I didn't eat because I was hungry. When I was bored, or sad or angry I ate. If you looked at what I ate during regular meals, my portions were reasonable and my food choices weren't terrible. The problem came in the snacking and the mindless eating I did, mostly in the evenings and on weekends. In other words food became a way not to deal with my other issues.

What changed was when my health started to suffer. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic about 5 years ago, but managed to control it for a while. Then last year I totally fell off the wagon and got to the point where I needed to take insulin. I did not want to go down that path. I started the insulin to get my blood glucose levels under control, but my goal became to lose weight and get off the insulin as quickly as possible. 5 months later I had lost enough weight I no longer needed insulin. 3 months after that I was able to reduce my oral medication to the minimum dose. At my next checkup I hope to be medication free all together.

I've learned a lot about myself and changed my relationship with food. I still find myself wanting to eat my emotions, but I recognize it and do a much better job of stopping myself and finding a more healthy way to deal with what I'm feeling.

mamaoftwins9197

It's probably different for everyone. My highest weight was close to 400 pounds. My journey started when I was about 10 and was a latch key kid. I couldn't play outside because my mom wasn't home. I ate a lot because I was bored. I wasn't allowed to join sports...my single mom didn't have time to take me to practices and games or money to afford uniforms. I ate more because I was bored. I turned to binging and purging in high school. Gave up the purging, kept the binging. Stress eating. I got in a horrible relationship with a drug addict. Every time he turned to drugs or went to jail, I turned to food. I had three kids in less than three years, including a set of twins. Depression. I take birth control and anti-depressants, both of which are famous for weight gain. Couple all of this with a general love for food and lack of motivation and voila! But again, I'm sure it's different for everyone.

TheFrugalFatass

My highest weight was 272 lbs. In my case, I was struggling with compulsive overeating disorder. Like an alcoholic turns to alcohol or a heroin addict turns to heroin, I turned to sugary and carb-laden foods to deal with depression, loneliness, and stress. I once figured up the calories in a binge I had, and it came out to well over 10,000 calories ingested over the space of about 45 minutes. That binge included a quart of ice cream, a sleeve of saltine crackers, a package of bologna, and ten slices of American cheese. In the heat of it, I knew I needed to stop but I could not stop.

mamaoftwins9197

It's probably different for everyone. My highest weight was close to 400 pounds. My journey started when I was about 10 and was a latch key kid. I couldn't play outside because my mom wasn't home. I ate a lot because I was bored. I wasn't allowed to join sports...my single mom didn't have time to take me to practices and games or money to afford uniforms. I ate more because I was bored. I turned to binging and purging in high school. Gave up the purging, kept the binging. Stress eating. I got in a horrible relationship with a drug addict. Every time he turned to drugs or went to jail, I turned to food. I had three kids in less than three years, including a set of twins. Depression. I take birth control and anti-depressants, both of which are famous for weight gain. Couple all of this with a general love for food and lack of motivation and voila! But again, I'm sure it's different for everyone.

Oh, and I'm 5'10", if that makes a difference.

shadowjack1965

Simple enough for me. Spoil your stomach by giving into every whim and desire and satiate yourself with high calorie foods and don't work out.

Those days are over. I'm below 300 and heading for 200 with a vengeance. Time to correct the mistakes of the past.

PikaKnight

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1366510-how-can-someone-get-to-538lbs

Another great story is Ed's story..but I seem to have misplaced that link. If anyone can throw it up here, that'd be great. But he does pop in that thread and talks a little about his own experience if no one can find it.

onematch

Probably ten pounds at a time. Since I had kids (NOT using that as an excuse, just a reference for time), I gained about 10 pounds a year. It's been 7 years and, go figure, I need to lose 70 pounds! Obviously it would have been easier to get on it after the first ten, but it just doesn't seem like a big deal at that point. Then one day you can't buy clothes in the regular stores anymore, struggle to tie your own shoes, and are genuinely shocked every time you see a photo of yourself.
I swear I look in the mirror and think, "who is this fat woman and where did she come from".

Anyway, it doesn't matter how you got there. What matters is what you're going to do about it now. It's never too late to start living better.

kaseysospacey

I was always chubby but I got really sick and they couldnt figure out what was going on, after my son was born it got a lot worse and I gained 100lbs in like four months ehile exclusvely nursing him and watching what I was eating closely. I have severe thyroid issues and gain weight constantly if im not on the correct (high dose) meds. Now theyve found tumors on my thyroid so hopefully bad **** doesnt start up again

TutuMom41

Rally, for me, it had a lot to do with genetics. My family is made up of big, German ancestry. All the men in my family are barrel chested and big limbed. We are all very strong by comparison to others naturally. As in, stronger than most and not needing to work for it. Along with a terrible diet for many years, and a growing amount of inactivity, it was easy to be this big. I played college football at 295, and was faster in 40 yards that some guys who weighed 50-60 pounds less. I'm sure genetics have played a big part in quite a few people who are this big.

I was always told it was genetics and I "was just big boned" Loosing the weight proved otherwise.

sarabig2fit

i no longer weight 300 plus but i just didn't pay attention. i was in a relationship that wasn't working, i went to college, i started taking the shot birth control, stopped really being physical except walking to classes, and i was eating the worst food possible. i never even realized how large i got until after i'd already lost some weight. i'm 5'2". i weighed 375 at my heaviest. how does one let go so much that we get to that point? I still can't even begin to tell you.. i just did.

however, i do recollect thinking that i couldn't buy new clothes because nothing fit, but all of my clothes 'fit' because they'd be stretched to the limit. i was busting out of a 3x/size 28.. and never gave it a thought for very long.

Yoshirio

The highest I have seen is 262. My answer is, I just never cared until I turned 40.

shaynepoole

I had a mother who went from a fat kid to skinny woman with binge and purge days. To her, all food made you fat - I ate lunch at school, I was getting fat. I spent the week at my grandmothers, I was getting fat, etc, etc. So when I left home and was finally allowed to eat food without hearing her constantly mentioning how fat I was getting, I ended up getting fat.

I occasionally would lose weight but never make any real adjustment to the foods I ate so the weight came on. It wasn't until last year when I hit my highest weight at 340 (I moved and was working from home so my activity level was an all time low) and I started having back pains, that I was finally motivated to do something about it

_Resolve_

I used to weigh 375 lbs, I got that way from being lazy, eating to much and not caring about myself.

Yup, that's pretty much as honest of an answer that I can give.

arwFTW

I can imagine that when you say you are not trying to offend any one that you mean it but... Come on..

I thought the same thing....but I figured she just worded it badly. I'm sure she is just curious looking for things to avoid doing.

ORRRR maybe she just wants to hear all the fatties' stories. ******* WHY DOES A PERSON AT 160LBS CARE HOW SOMEONE ELSE GOT TO 300LBS? JUST SEEMS LIKE *kitten* KIND OF QUESTION. IJS

I wonder the same thing sometimes. Not to be *kitten*-ish..
But I experience such a high level of discomfort getting to be 50+ pounds overweight that I'm compelled to start dealing with it.

I don't quite understand how someone can gain 100 pounds or more and be comfortable or unwilling to deal with it unless they're suffering from mobility or medical issues.

I would never have come out and asked outright however.. lol.. but in my case I think I'm trying to understand how other people think.
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It doesn't happen over night...it's those 5 lbs at a time you get used to it, you deny it's happening. If it was 100lbs all at once, people would definitely be uncomfortable. When you're complacent and comfortable it's hard to make a big change.

smantha32

It doesn't happen over night...it's those 5 lbs at a time you get used to it, you deny it's happening. If it was 100lbs all at once, people would definitely be uncomfortable. When you're complacent and comfortable it's hard to make a big change.

True. Big changes are hard even when you're motivated.

JG762

how did you get that big in first place? I am not trying to offend anyone ,I am just curious.for me,i am naturally curvy so whenever I stop working out and not watch my diet I gain weight until I reach a certain weight or look. probably around 160`s and I am 5`3 but I never gain more even if I don't go back to the gym. So I was wondering with people who end up gaiing up to 300 pounds, do they eat at least 5000 calories day to put on that much weight. This is just out of curiosity and I am sorry I offended anyone

How did you gain so much weight to get up to the 160's? I mean really....

Are you seriously so shallow that you feel like you have to ask a question like this or do you have some need to somehow feel better than others who are heavier than you?

One of the other posters said something along the lines that "this is an *kitten* question", she is spot on.

TheSatinPumpkin

Pretty much the same with me @ 432lbs.

I used to weigh 375 lbs, I got that way from being lazy, eating to much and not caring about myself.

Yup, that's pretty much as honest of an answer that I can give.

6ftamazon

My biggest was 325. I actually got to 280 in my last year of high school, got down to 170 when I was 23, then I met my ex. The guy actually held me down and forced food down my throat and I gained 100 lbs in that relationship. After that relationship ended, I was in a really bad place and binged and drank a lot until I hit 325. The first time I looked at that scale, I cried. My first workout was hell...I couldn't even jump off the ground. So I've been working my butt off ever since.

lyrics09

I don't quite understand how someone can gain 100 pounds or more and be comfortable or unwilling to deal with it unless they're suffering from mobility or medical issues.

^That is a douchey and ignorant remark. You certainly do NOT have to have any medical issues that cause you to gain that much. You don't know each one of us that has had this happen. pfft jerk.

& OP to me is right on the 'line' of sounding douchey but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. Still odd that someone 160 wants to know about 300lb people- but I'm not judging (maybe they're really 300 lbs themselves and too scared to say it) And I'm not ashamed of talking about it since I made a right decision.

It just happens, when you're not looking. If you lived a life that was Never filled with right eating habits (telling you the consequences) or never really cared about your weight (like if you were always big so you know nothing else) it just happens. Drinking 6-10 pops a day and not realizing how much sugar and crap that has, and how big of a calorie surplus that adds up to over years. When you're used to pairing that pop with tons of salty snacks that have no portion control. You try to do things in your life to totally avoid it like stay inside and hide, avoid buying new clothes, avoid meeting new people, playing video games, etc you're there before you know it. I was 180 in high school while my friends were 120-140 and college I was 200-210 while they were 140-150 and now I'm 304 (or I was 30lbs down since May). I was used to it. My parents are pretty awesome so I know they didn't say anything not to hurt my feelings, my dad can eat whatever he wants and never gains while my mom was also very curvy/larger of a build--neither are fitness or healthy eating advocates either.

And I didn't honestly FEEL any different. I knew I was big, I'm not diluted, but I felt the same. I was just more tired, blah, annoyed, and depressed with my looks. Some of my clothes didn't fit each year and I just ignored it, or thought it was a couple pounds. I didn't want to weigh myself on my own ever because it was always depressing so I avoided it. All those days of calorie surpluses add up real slow, and before you get the courage to make a change you can be there right at 300. You don't gain it overnight, just like you can't lose it overnight.

RHachicho

Now that I have lost a lot of weight i can honestly believe how someone can be baffled by this.

The fact of the matter is that if you consistently overeat your capacity to overeat increases. It also seems to work in reverse. There was clearly once a time when I was packing 5k+ calories in a day without much effort. Now I just raised my allowance from 2 - 2.5k and it feel like total freedom. Hell sometimes it even feels like overeating lol.

That's why you can't believe that someone could eat that much. Because if you tried to just overnight you probably couldn't.

Also you would be surprised what can happen when you approach stuff like bagels, fresh baked pretzels chocolate and ice cream with zero restraint.

And full sugar pop ... don't even get me started. I could polish off 2 2 litre bottles of coke in a day sometimes. Boil that down and that's like a whole saucepan full of treacle.