What derailed you?

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

And what do you wish you'd done differently?

Back in 2009, I was the thinnest I've ever been; I felt great, I looked fantastic, I loved shopping for cool, sexy, funky clothes that actually looked good on me.

So what went wrong?

I switched my highly active lifestyle - manual job, cycling everywhere - for sitting at home to write essays for my degree. I quit smoking and caffeine and a few other bad habits, and I turned to food to replace that sense of having a 'treat'.

What do I wish I'd done differently?

I wish I'd had the treadmill I have now. I was at home so much and so often wanted a break from being bent over a desk - learning to run would have been awesome and it would have kept the pounds off.

So now your turn - what derailed you? And what do you wish you'd done differently?

TheCrawlingChaos

Similar story for me. When i was taking classes I worked overnight stocking bulk freight so I'd be carrying heavy furniture and pushing around pallets of water and other heavy things all night. When I graduated I got a programming job, meaning I sat on my *kitten* for 8-10 hours a day instead. I didn't really change eating habits or anything. So that built up pretty quickly.

mommamandyloo

I was a closet anorexic/bulimic. I liked the attention of "Where do you put all that food?"

So when I went into recovery, it never occurred to me to slow down my intake. I still sought out the attention.

I wish I had been more open about my image problems back then and received proper help, and nutritional counseling.

Because now, 10 years later, I'm messing with a messed up metabolism... lingering image issues... and a ton of pounds.

SabrinaLily

Failure which led to depression and anxiety. I failed the Bar exam several times- the test you need to pass to be a lawyer. It killed me. I *did* let down my family, put myself into financial ruin over student loans I had no way to pay back, and I've watched people around me pass the exam time every time, leaving only myself behind. I've been in a years-long depression over this which has altered my personality and ability to care about much of anything, let alone myself. Got a negative thought? Shut it up with food. Problem is, the weight packed on and the depression got worse because of it. So here I am, only two weeks in but doing well (by my standards). I'm preparing to take the test again in February but it's a challenge to get out of this rut. The better eating has certainly helped too- it's something I can be proud of. As for the rest, one day at a time. One day at a time.

ZombieKillaPrincess

Last year, I was at my lowest weight since high school and was super active and fit... I ended up being in an abusive relationship. He was verbally and emotionally abusive and wouldn't let me leave even after I broke up with him. He stalked me and made my life hell for a few months after. The break up was around the holidays and I made poor food choices, some stress eating of all the unhealthy food that floats around work and family events during that time... I also had to stop going to the gym that I went to because he went there too.

Eventually, I built up the courage and strength to get a restraining order and at the end of it all, I found I had gained about 25lbs!

I am now actively working to get back to where I was last year. It's a struggle but I'm determined!!!

MelanieRBrace

I gained 70 pounds rapidly due to an inactive thyroid which was eventually diagnosed as hypothyrodism. I'm determined to get my body back now that I have my condition under control. I wish I had been more in tune with my body and been diagnosed sooner. I made all sorts of excuses for the weight gain not thinking it could be a medical issue.

sofaking6

Mine was a bad relationship as well. I was so mired in anxiety that I just got 'stuck' in everything. I couldn't think straight for a couple of years, and then when I finally dumped him I kept on isolating myself - lots of shame and quite a bit of self-pity as well. But this is my way out of that, hopefully losing the weight will make me feel more like being social again.

jessiruthica

About 9 years ago I lost 60+ pounds and was the lowest weight I'd been since college. Then I met my future (now) husband and gained some "happy fat". Then we moved countries to a city where food is big and you have to drive everywhere. Then we went through a whole fertility nightmare for about 3 years (we now have a beautiful daughter who is nearly 3). That all resulted in putting back on all the weight I lost.

Life gets in the way. Things get difficult. I'm hoping that the current journey to health I'm on can weather whatever storms will inevitably come our way in the future.

seltzermint555

I think the biggest downfall for me has always been restaurant meals. Convenience and instant gratification of almost any craving. For many years I TRULY didn't realize restaurant foods were that much worse. I had zero clue about calories until I joined this website...if you asked me back then I would have guessed that a breakfast sandwich made at home with an egg, bacon, and 2 slices of toast, was the same calories as one from Sonic or Denny's or wherever...or maybe 50-75 calories higher because they put a bit more butter. HA! So far off.

I don't mean to make restaurants out to be the devil btw. I still enjoy dining out a couple of times per week...just not multiple times per day, every day!! ;-)

fredgiblet

A job.

Once I started making my own money I was able to eat what I wanted when I wanted. Midnight Taco Bell runs, 3 burritos instead of 2, large Mountain Dew refills, it all adds up.

LeonCX

For me it's the scale. The #@&!* scale. Especially when you have been perfect, and it rewards you with a big fat zero. That just ruins me. Been trying to only weigh myself twice a month now instead of weekly.

seltzermint555

A job.

Once I started making my own money I was able to eat what I wanted when I wanted. Midnight Taco Bell runs, 3 burritos instead of 2, large Mountain Dew refills, it all adds up.

Actually this was me too. Not that food exactly. I always had money for fast food and indulged often. But when I got a better (and more stressful) "career" type of job in my late 20's, my ex husband and I were both obese already but the weight issues were impacted HUGELY by two good incomes and going out to dinner constantly at better restaurants, entertaining at home, more desserts, ordering appetizers, drinks, etc. That's how my usual weight in the mid 200s went up to 300 scaring the bejeezus out of me at age 32.

Francl27

Well it was ages ago, but it was a job too. I went from being a student (15 hours of classes, rest was free time) to going to school twice a week and to work the other three... So I went from following a strict diet with a nutritionist to eating out every day (I lived in France, nobody packs lunch there, plus your job gives you coupons for free meals). I learned nothing from my 6 months with a nutritionist, as the diet was so strict, and it was impossible to follow once I didn't eat at home anymore, so I gained all the weight back plus friends.

Then I moved to the US and stopped walking 2 hours a day (which I did naturally, working in Paris) and that made it even worse.

But all that was 12-16 years ago... I just slowly gained weight until two years ago.

ew_david

I had a kid. I used her (and everything else) as an excuse for 6 years before I finally did something about it.

crystalstinson7

Wow! This actually makes me feel better. I gained all my weight because of a bad relationship, and, while I don't like that anyone else went through it, it's nice to see I'm not alone!

I was at my healthiest when I met him, and things were good for about 8 months. Then he started cheating on me and abusing me emotionally. When I turned to food I gained about 10lbs and he started to verbally abuse me. He'd say stuff like, "You're too big to ride my motorcycle. It's not meant to carry a heavy load." Ugh!! Really? Jerk! And he had no shame. He'd say it in front of people, who would then feel sorry for me which made me feel even worse. And I was only, like, 145lbs then. I wasn't HUGE. We finally split, but he kept coming back around and playing mind games with me. The weight went up and up and up. It took about a year after really saying bye to him for me to get to a good place where I was ready to take control of my weight. I've lost 47lbs since January, and it feels awesome!

Good luck to everyone working toward their own goals!!!

Melrose_girl

Lack of general organization and self-discipline. I do much better when I schedule exercise and follow a routine.

alpacalypsia

College dining halls. A boundless selection of high-calorie comfort foods, not to mention the huge portion sizes dished out. I kept giving myself the excuse that I could use a little extra weight, but once I started getting a little chub on my belly, I stopped those thoughts in their tracks and came back here to watch what I eat :happy:

ilovesnugglies

I was raised believing that skinny equaled beauty. I was not a fat teenager, only 132lbs, but was called fat because I had a ponchy tummy. I found drugs at 17 and fell in love because they made me skinny. I quickly fell into addiction and fought it and my weight on and off for years. I got heavily back into drugs in 1996 and of course they kept me skinny. I got clean in 2002 and gained 200lbs in 6 years. Finally in 2011 I had a diabetes scare and got on the weight loss wagon and over a course of 16 months I lost 75 lbs with the help of MFP. I ended up with a third knee surgery in 2013 and it was so easy to get back into my old eating habits. I gained 17lbs back and have been back on MFP for 13 days now. I already feel better.

cwolfman13

Nothing "derailed" me per sei...I graduated from university and took a desk job so I became less active and didn't do anything to make up for that. Beyond that, getting married and starting a family and having kids, etc put pretty much everything else on the back burner.

I can't say as though I wish I had done anything differently...I am who I am today because of the decisions I've made, both good and bad. My guess is, had I kept my leaner profile I probably would have less actual working knowledge of nutrition. Gaining weight and having some related health issues arise as a result actually made me research proper nutrition. Before I was lean, but not because I watched what I ate...I ate pretty ****ty and didn't get anything resembling proper, balanced nutrition...I just moved a lot.

May_Rose

I just gained nearly 10 pounds in the last month. Today I'm getting back on track.

I got married a month ago and then went on a honeymoon and ate and drank everything I wanted for nine days. I wanted to enjoy the experience. Then, when we got home I was used to eating more and actually feeling full after all my meals so the eating trend continued.

I had to put a stop to it today because my pants are feeling tighter and I refuse to buy new clothes because I'm overindulging in food.

Back to the grind .

MisterZ33

honestly, here is what it was for me. not placing any blame on anyone, but at some point you look back at the habits you formed as a child.

there was never any food structure in my home. we were poor (family of 6) and my folks relied on the cheaper foods, which were usually unhealthy than actual food. eventually, my folks' careers stablized, however they were so busy trying to put food in our mouths, they were unable to look into the nutritional value of the foods they were bringing into the home. we never learned proper nutrition at home and rarely discussed health and firness. also, we rarely ever ate together as a family.

i think this may be the case for many immigrant famiies who live paycheque to paycheque. making ends meet and paying rent supercedes the importance of buying healthy foods and preparing nutritious meals.

Eventually, the financial burden eased on my parents as my siblings and i brought home paycheques, but the nutritional dynamic at home, reletively stayed the same.

it wasn't until i got married and moved out of my parents' place where my meals became healthier and structured. i thank my wife for this. because of her, i began eating healthier meals. but stil...25 years of damage was done.

we have learned more about nutrition and meal planning and hopefully, we can pass on these good traits and values to our kids.