How did you gain your weight?

kcalabama

While I was never skinny - I had a very low percentage of body fat until about 10 years ago when I got divorced. I'm packed on an extra 20 or so about over the course of a few years. Then 3 years ago I had a major surgery - and they cut open my belly and I found I flat couldn't do almost anything I had done before and my muscles weren't healing - probably a combination of age and lifestyle - so I packed on 50 lbs in about 1-1/2 years. I lost 20 last Jan-march but then I had a job where I was working overtime 7 days a week - didn't have time to work out - they feed us with foods that weren't healthy - and I gained it all back PLUS an additional 15 pounds....
I've got a long way to go but since just before Christmas to when I started tracking this - I had lost 10 pounds - so I have an incentive to get this all off. I weighed less than this when I was pregnant with my kid 21 years ago.

valwes04

I just really like to eat. I especially like to eat my emotions.

This !
Happy= ice cream
sad= ice cream
Excited= drink w/ friends

Wow, doesn't it suck that I ate for every emotion!
No more!

delilah47

My story:

In my mid-twenties I started gaining weight. I would gain 5-10 pounds then diet it off. This was back in the 70s before fitness became an “in” thing to do. Finally in my late 30s I got the message. You need to exercise to maintain a healthy weight. I started doing aerobics every day and walking up and down a small mountain in my area several times a week. Then, while I was painting at my new condo, I took a miss-step on my ladder and fell to the floor. The fall caused my spine to slip off center. That was the beginning of a slow and steady weight gain. My back got worse and worse and I exercised less and less until 3 years later when I had to stop trying. It’s been about 11 years ago and now I am nearly 80 pounds overweight and cannot stand up for more than a few minutes at a time without severe pain. I have tried nearly every form of exercise including recumbent bicycle, physical therapy, ab crunchers and more. After a short period of time, they all caused severe nerve pain in my back and legs.

I know this sounds weird, but I finally found a way to get aerobic exercise. I have a bistro height table which I put a pillow on and lean on. Basically, I do low impact aerobics (to the tunes on my phone) with my legs while supporting some of my weight on the table. The first time I finished a 30 minute workout, I cried I was so happy. I could tell it was a good workout because of my past experience with doing aerobic exercise. I am just beginning but for the first time I feel positive about the possibility of losing weight and getting in shape and I am hopeful that after losing weight, I will be able to exercise without support.

I am so glad I found MFP. I tried WW online and it was not user friendly in my opinion. Here at MFP I have found every food I have needed to enter so far and have entered one of my personal recipes. I also enjoy reading the blogs and learning about other people's challenges and the support other MFP members offer.

I have a long way to go, but would like to encourage those who feel like it is impossible to even set a goal to keep trying. After many years I have finally found my starting point…

Hang in there!

koosdel

I just ate too much.

whoiskat23

Pregnancy and then emotions. I was 123lbs when I first got pregnant. I gained 90 lbs with my first and lost 40. Gained 50lbs with my second and lost 10lbs. I don't know what it is like to weigh 130-170.lbs, no idea what I look like at those weights. It's almost surreal when I think about it. It will be 14 years, I've been carrying this around and am excited to see what my body will be like when I get there. Crazy.

MinnieInMaine

i simply looked the other way for about 8 years. oops.

This is pretty much my reason in a nutshell too - only I looked the other way for close to 18 years! Started putting on weight my senior year of high school due mostly to emotional eating. Made several half hearted attempts through the years to take the weight off and was semi-successful but not dedicated enough to stick with it. So I'd regain plus 10-20 pounds. On top of it all, I never really allowed myself to figure out what the root cause was and how could I change my bad habits if I didn't understand what drove them (stress, boredom, loneliness).

Totally new approach this time and it's working famously so far!

infamousmk

I moved in with my boyfriend, and then lost my job. I decided to learn to cook while I was out of work to help more with my portion of the household expenses. I slept in late, cooked large, several-course dinners and desserts every day. Lots of rich, fabulous foods with very little physical activity.

So, that sucks, and now I have to get back to a healthy place while loving my cooking ... but the plus side is that I've become a phenomenal cook.

Secret_Agent_007

I have a set of sweet teeth. Not one tooth. All of 'em.

secrets_out

I bought it with my taxes.

secrets_out

And ate alot

th2much

well like most of you bad eating habbit + no exercise= me 2 weeks ago. I have gained abt 8 kgs in last year because we made a big move and that left me little sad and alone ( moved to a new city/country) I miss my friends and how we use to do exercise together.

ackeebee

I noticed when i hit the big 30, weight started to stick. My diet/lifestyle had not changed from what it was in my 20s so I am convinced it is age on my part. I believe when you reach a certain age, maintaining requires some work....

charmainecurrie

being lazy...not eating well...and having a couple of kiddies didn't help

Pete1471

The short answer is

As a child -=terrible parenting + poor teachers at school + sedentary
As a teenager = terrible parenting + poor teaching + depression + sedentary
20's = depression + sedentary
30's & 40's = depression + sedentary + disability

FearAnLoathing

I quit drugs

lor007

Mostly I ate too much and moved too little.

I could probably find some way to blame it on something else if I tried hard enough.

ahmpierce1

Let's see...

Papa Johns for dinner + Booze on weekends + Quitting Smoking = 25 pound weight gain in 2 years.

Sucks, but I take full responsibility for my weight gain. Now, I am taking full responsibility to get this *kitten* off!

SalishSea

Hi all.....I gained my weight by:

1. Not realizing how much our metabolism changed when we reach 40.
2. 10year battle with excruciating painful endometriosis. Life-threatening.
3. Good old-fashioned over eating.
4. Hormone medicine called Depo-Lupron which made me gain 40 pounds in 6 weeks. But saved my life.
5. Sedentary, never felt up to exercising for above reasons.
6. My husband is a chef. Went to a fancy culinary school.

CuttingtheTies

Used binge eating as a coping mechanism with a lot of things.
Recovered from binge eating.
Then financial issues have forced me to eat foods that are not that healthy.

So all that together made me gain 40 pounds the past 3 years.
Now I'm trying to get better, and eat healthier, minus financial struggles.

musicaljessica

I was a skinny kid. Then when my parents split up they would "treat" me to meals out, sweets after school. etc..So I became the fat girl. When I was about 12 my family joined a gym and I started going to Badminton, aerobics, swimming and circuit training classes. Lost the weight. When I was 14 my mum left and I started eating to fill the gap. Then while I was in sixth form I barely had to time to eat - but found an hour for the gym and 2 hours for walking every day so I lost alot of weight. Then I met my boyfriend and started the cosy nights in, takeaways, etc. And in 3 years have gained about 5 stone. I never really noticed my weight til about 2 years ago - it was never important. But I am battling with my willpower to lose this extra weight - and losing.