how did you get fat?

coachniquenya

I put on weight because of My love of Pizza, Curry, Chineese, Kebabs and lager - now i try to cook for myself and try to stay away from the alcohol (apart from 1 day a week) xx

Mmmmm curry....drool....mmm kebabs.....drool

Jizes318

I was always active when I was younger, played sports in High school etc.. after I had jobs that required constant movement. I looked great. I ate what I wanted no matter the size portions. Sometimes seconds. Then I got my current job. A desk job and still ate the way I use too. I noticed my metabolism was slower and I had to buy bigger clothes. Then I honestly just became lazy. I always had guys like me, I still thought I looked okay just not as thin... now for some reason I have decided to get back to the way I was.. I decided to take control for the first time in a while.

jennylynn84

I was born fat, lol.

Seriously though, my parents never really taught moderation in food. They didn't cram us with junk food and it wasn't that they never told us "No, you can't have a cookie." but the whole concept of healthy eating and watching fat was never done. My parents are just now losing weight and I've never seen them this small.

So, I just grew up being heavier than most people I knew.

Around high school I decided to change that, started taking a ton of ephedra and eating very little. I lost some weight, but when I starting having major heart palpitations and experiencing some very adverse side effects and ditched the medication and began eating more (at the insistence of loved ones) I gained back the weight and more.

I got married a few years later and came down with married weight. I became a raging hypochondriac and then developed fibromyalgia and gained "depressed and in pain" weight.

That turned out to be a lot of weight.

Now that I know more about healthy eating and cooking, and I am more physically active again, things are MUCH better.

musicjunkie1982

Ugh. I've always battled with my weight, weighing in at 185 at age 12. I slimmed down at 16 by abusing diet pills and eating almost nothing at all, but I managed to get to a healthy weight by age 20.

Then I got pregnant.

Due to health problems during my pregnancy, I gained over 100lbs. I had preeclampsia and retained water all over my body. After my son was born, I pretty much just sat around at work and home, so I stayed chubby. I finally took a good long look in the mirror about two years ago and didn't like what I saw, so I joined a gym (going 3-4 times a week), used small plates for meals, and cut out almost all junk food. I still indulge every so often, but I don't binge like I used to.

My son is my main motivation, with my guy being a close second. I want to be healthy for my two guys, and I'm only 9lbs away from my 130lb goal!

shaunarlr83

I never enjoyed working-out, so I didn't. I've always enjoyed food, so I ate.
Too much pop, fast food & other junk. Too big of portion sizes.

Then, I got married and started eating the same size plate of food as my husband.
He can eat whatever and not gain, and I'd just go along with him.

Not paying attention. Not caring. Until my clothes stopped fitting. Then I started to take charge!

Exactly the same as me except getting pregnant before I was 18 jump started it....

nelsaphine

I ate 2 packets (8) of mni cholocate donuts with my morning coffee every day!! Also, my husband is an excellent cook and I'm addicted to his food instead of being addicted to the gym like he is :P

mandypizzle

I use to be very in shape, wanted to be a personal trainer, and was at the gym 2-3 hours a day... Then.... I had kids! lol! I worked out through my first pregnancy and lost the weight pretty fast. Then for financial reasons, I had to give up my gym membership 3 months into my second pregnancy. That KILLED me! I had no idea what to do at home! I ran with the jogger often after I had my second son, lost quite a bit of weight with P90X but had some killer depression issues that threw me down pretty bad. Never lost the weight and found out I was pregnant with my third. Soooo now here I am 50-60 pounds overweight! I feel like crap all the time! But I'm ready to train myself to workout at home and get back in shape!!

I also have a very hard time with sweets! Always have! That is something I will probably always battle but... I have to fight it somehow.

wriglucy

SCHOOL!!! School made me fat. Last semester I sat on my butt for 8+ hours a day just doing homework! Crazy....school helps you, but it also hurts you:) This semester isn't as stressfull, so hopefully it'll be easier.

Hollie_78

I just plain old didnt pay attention to what I was putting in my body...I do love my fried chicken (thats my biggest problem) lol. I believe giving up your favorites is the hardest part. Good luck to ya!

riley711

Very insightful, thought-provoking question. I used to live a very active lifestyle, which allowed me to eat whatever I wanted. Cheesesteaks, hoagies, fried chicken, fried fish, hamburgers, french fries and popcorn (syrupy sweet drinks too) were the norm. Veggies and fruits were not part of my vocabulary. However, I was always at a club, dancing those calories away. Then I got engaged and stopped hanging out and partying completely. When the relationship ended, I was alone in a new city. Didn't want to go back to my old party girl lifestyle, so I basically just existed (code for depression) and lived a very sedentary lifestyle. And the pounds just started packing on. Now 15 years and 100 pounds later, hear I am. I'm sure I was consuming 3000 to 5000 calories per day, easy, with no activity at all to burn it off.

Was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a few years ago. That got me started with looking at what I'm eating, and helped me lose 10 lbs. Exercise is a challenge for me. I know that I need to get moving to stop the pains, but the pain keeps me from moving a lot. In particular, knee pain (arthitis), and stiff joints and muscles due to lack of use. That is the truth, but I also have "excuses" for not exercising too. I've been on MFP for a week now, and I really like it. It is really helping me take a hard look at what I'm eating, where my calories are coming from, and how I can do better with my food choices. I plan to keep up with the message boards for ideas and encouragement.

riley711

I have to agree with Ashley 0616...my weight problem is also part of a life-long struggle with self image, self worth, and abandonment issues. I use food as a comfort. And it was comforting because it was good (tasting) and nobody could take it away from me.

I would try different diet plans, but would get tired and quit, especially if I didn't see immediate results. That would make me even more depressed because I couldn't do it and be successful. Made me feel like even more of a failure. Failed at love, failed at life, failed at everything. It is only by God's grace that I have not totally given up hope that I can be healthy and fit once again. Truly, it is by His grace that I even found out about MFP. And I firmly believe that just like God delivered me from a 30 year addiction to cigarettes, He will surely delivery me from my food issues and guide me back to healthiness.

alantin

I just ate too much without really knowing (or caring) how much I really needed.

I never was an emotional eater - the only emotion that I associate to food is that I get grumpy when hungry - but I do love food! Now I'm just more aware of what and how much I eat so, in a way, I suppose I now view food with more respect than I used to. :laugh:

LLP1225

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

I am still trying to find someone else to blame.

angievaughn

Where do I start!!! I guess it was the 3rd grade....I blew up like a balloon and never looked back. In high school, I played volleyball, basketball and did field events in track but I was still 190 pounds. No one ever told me that going home and cutting up 2 pound of potatoes and frying them was bad. It was what was in the house....so it's what I ate. Then I got married, moved to another state...had four babies and never checked up on what I was eatting. By the time I hit 35...I figured I should just embrace it and love myself. Then it happened....the doctor's visit!! So, from that moment on...I have been working on my new lifestyle!!!!

lilac67

I have always been a big and tall girl. At my first baby check-up the nurse held me up and yelled to the other nurse, "Look at the hips on this baby!". (Actually--it's true!) I'm 5'10" and built like a football player, but I have learned to embrace my build. I was always the fat kid at school. My family had lots of depression and food issues. I learned alot of bad habits. I am also an emotional eater. It got really bad after I lost my mom.

Almost 3 yrs ago, I quit smoking after almost 30 yrs. I really didn't gain any weight from it. The next year I changed what I ate. Making switches to brown rice, whole wheat bread and giving up white stuff. I started taking martial arts classes. Now I'm trying to get control of my portions as well as my emotional eating.

I know I'll never be a 5 foot tall and 120 lbs, I don't want to be. I am tall and strong and striving to just be the best me I can be! I'm trying to make this my best year ever!

htimpaired

I used to be really into exercise and diet, and then I started getting really anxious and depressed. Unbeknownst to me I had undiagnosed OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder). First I lost a TON of weight (unhealthy, waaay too much weight loss) and then I started drinking alcohol to self medicate. I stopped exercising and watching what I ate. End result-I gained 30 lbs.
Now, I stopped drinking, started exercising again, watching my diet again, and those 30 lbs are (just about) gone.

krazymyra

i stopped excercising...plus i have PCOS>.

bryanbolick

I've always been a super picky eater---like beyond anything most people can understand. With that being said my diet consisted of a handful of items all of which add up to be a recipe for disaster. Imagine eating fast food for almost every meal, what was I thinking? Along with never making time or shall I say not nearly enough time to workout for whatever reason. Those things combined just destroyed my body.

ivyjbres

Pregnancy led to a job at Waffle House because no one else will hire a pregnant chick. That led to free waffles. Free waffles = fat. Free food in general really, that's my biggest problem. I'm a foodie and that what I do for a living, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. My problem is, I enjoy getting fat, just not being fat.

CarolHudson11

I never enjoyed working-out, so I didn't. I've always enjoyed food, so I ate.
Too much pop, fast food & other junk. Too big of portion sizes.

Then, I got married and started eating the same size plate of food as my husband.
He can eat whatever and not gain, and I'd just go along with him.

Not paying attention. Not caring. Until my clothes stopped fitting. Then I started to take charge!

Hello! Have we met? LOL! This is ME!

brandygburke

I was skinny after both my kids (see my profile pics for a picture of me when both my kids were toddlers and I was remodling a kitchen - I was all bones!) Then the doc put me on some medicine and I remember gaining 8 pounds in two weeks - and eventually 15 or 20, but when I went off the meds, I continued to gain and gain and gain. So I thought it was the meds - and it may have been the start of it, but it certainly wasn't the only culprit. I think over the years I just really stopped caring. I was settled in my marriage, had kids and a career and a really big gut all before I knew it. I dropped a bit of weight after my divorce - enough to score my amazing new husband, but then the comfort and the "I don't care's" began again and I realized that I had gained over 15 pounds since marrying him (like, 2 years ago - we're still newlyweds for Heaven's sake!) I tried working out (so many health issues it's not even funny - heart failure being one and a muscle disorder being the other) - I tried dieting but I was on and off again and couldn't resist temptation - this is the first time I've stuck with anything - and it's only been 2.5 weeks but I feel like I'm really gonna stick with it this time - for lifetime - good healthy changes!

nonchalantaka

Life!! Had children, focused on everyone but myself which meant no exercise, no enough sleep, was working on my MBA at the time, focused on my career and started eating out too much because time in the day seemed to be limited. I have now decided that I must continue to focus on my career, running an organized household but also focusing on my health which is important and shouldn't be put on the back burner. I am important too!!

Pange33

Oh boy...what a profound question...let's start with the family. I was always the "skinniest" in my family-at 5'10 and 220 lbs, as a teenager. We were taught to finish everything on our plate, and my older brother has always had a major issue with food. He eats whatever he wants, whenever (and it shows). If mom brought snacks into the house, it was a race between my bro, father, and myself. If you didn't go for it afterschool you wouldn't get any. I remember begging my father when I was 13 to stop bringing home Dunkin' Donuts every saturday morning, because "shouldn't we be eating healthier?" I LOVED playing sports, and discovered in myself that I can be extremely driven and focused, and I loved pushing myself. But I didn't really pay attention to my diet (how much control does a teenager with no money have over their's and their family's diet?).
It was shortly after I graduated, not sure where life was going, and I was depressed about leaving high school (weird because I couldn't wait to get out while I was there). I got a job at Dunkin Donuts (go figure, check out my FAT pics in my uniform), and I packed on the pounds for 2 years. Towards the end of working there, I hit a wall, and realized what I had done to myself (265lbs!), after watching the biggest loser and seeing most of the girls that were lighter than I was. I started going to the gym-and rekindled my love affair of excercise. I got a new job, bookkeeping for a garage, and about 4 days a week, I worked my butt off for at least 2 hours each session. It paid off! I lost 55 pounds, eating pretty much what I wanted, although I had started to really learn about nutrition and stopped drinking soda, and limited greasy foods.
A year later, I had moved far away from my big beloved gym, to a super small town, with a super tiny gym within walking distance. My intentions were good, but after a few months of not going (it was a comfort thing, I was used to being a random person in a sea of people working out, to "It's nice to see you today, Angela, how's work going? You still have that apartment down the street? How's your roommate?" And it's mostly big guys lifting weights at the times I would be going). I had hit another wall. I hated feeling out of shape, I felt FAT-even though I had lost so much already. Then I read a book that changed my life, and I went Vegan/vegetarian/succumbed to meat when I SUPER craved it for a year. I lost 15 more lbs without even trying-no excercise. So...within the last month we hit a wall again. AHA!!! What if we combine my love for excercise with my new found healthy nutritional lifestyle?! And here I am!!! Diet AND excercise going hand-in-hand! Vegan, and exercisaholic. Funny thing is, the guy who owned my gym just sold it, and I just met the woman who's running it now a couple days ago, and she's friendly, but not outgoing (YAY!!!! I come and go as a random person!!!). That's how I got fat, and how I'm going about to change it for good

Frappuzzino

I have a hormonal imbalance disorder that effects 5-10% of women of reproductive age. I only have a mild case, but I gained 50 pounds from it unfortunately.

junebug523

I got married.

No, seriously. We are a cuddly couple. Nesting and eating yummy food became soooo much better than exercising! It was blissful. But, it definitely made a difference. I gained 20 lbs in the first year or so of being married. I've lost all of that now, though! Woohoo! I've hit that first milestone...now just need to attack the rest of the weight I want to lose.

mamagooskie

I liked eating the wrong kinds of foods and as much of them as possible. Exercize consisted of walking to the fridge and back to couch and having 2 kids helped me pack on about 70 lbs too.

Redkoala

Eat crap and played alot of video games growing up, if i could start over i would do it all differently. Children need to be taunt about being healthly so much sooner! BAN CANDY!

dewittmom

I had 4 kids in 6 years. I don't gain wieght unless I am pregnant, but never had much time to lose the weight in between babies. I was 120lbs before kids and am now 185!!! I know I will never be that little again because I was 18 yrs old at the time, but I know I am not at a healthy weight. And that is what I really want is to feel like I am healthy, (looking good is just a perk!!!). I am done habing kids now so I no longer have an excuse to not be fit. 4 kids ought to keep me fit all by them selves, but I think just for convenience I make meals according to what the kids will eat and that is not always very healthy. I think that is what helped me gain so much while being pregnant.

edorice

Refurbished our kitchen with granite counter tops and under-the-counter wine cellar. Filled the wine cellar. Drank the wine. Ate and snacked non-stop. Drank more wine. Gained weight. Funny thing is is that I never stopped working out during that time.

KendalBeee

Mostly it was how I was raised. We weren't a rich family, so food was unhealthy (cause it was cheap) and I had to clean my plate. My mom and stepdad used to be dance instructors (ballroom) but when they had a crappy business partner, they had to get desk jobs. Mom has always had low self esteem issues due to my biological father and it wore off on me. It didn't help that I visited my bio dad every other weekend and (now I realize) he insulted me and made me feel self conscious of my body too. Up till 6th grade, I would come home from school, snack, and spend the rest of my evening outside riding my bike around the neighborhood. So what changed in 6th grade to make me stop? We started moving. I went to 2 new schools in 6th grade, 2 new schools in 7th grade and another new school in 8th grade. I lost my love of bike riding cause once we started moving, I never had a real neighborhood to ride in.

High school saw the same pattern though....come home from school, watch tv and snack. Once I got a job I would come home, eat a big "snack" to get energy to go to work (cashier at grocery store), I'd eat another "snack" on my break, and then I'd come home and eat dinner. By the time I graduated, I was 215lb. I was able to maintain this weight through college, for the most part (was anywhere from 215-225 depending on the week).

After college I married a guy who worked a very physical job so he had his daily exercise. I was working at a drug store at the time, but he didn't like my hours, so I found a desk job and put on 20 pounds. He thought he was being sweet to bring home fast food for dinner, which did not help the situation. He mentally abused me...made me feel horrible about my body. He was having affairs (yes, multiple...he was giving them all the affection and love and I was only used for physical pleasure...and that was only about once a month when I felt I HAD to). I never felt more alone than when I was in that relationship.

I eventually got up to 260 and couldn't fit into any of the pants I had.....I either needed to buy a bigger size or lose some weight. I had joined MFP over a year before I actually started using it on a daily basis. You have to be mentally ready for it.


And yes, I left him. So I guess in addition to the weight my ticker says I've lost, I also lost about 260 pounds of *kitten*. :bigsmile: