Shedding Pounds Gained From A Dark Past?

rachellosesitall85

Everyone has their weight gain/lost story as no two are the same. Are there any MFPers who gained weight brought on from childhood trauma or other traumatic experiences in life? And if so, how have you been able to shed the pounds and move on?

I personally had a very traumatic childhood over the span of 10+ year and I gained weight by using food to protect myself. No, not an excuse, just my experience. I not only gained weight, I skated through life, completely dissociated from a lot of my reality. I am now seeking professional help to help with closing wounds that I never realize were still opened. Not every weight loss story starts from the freshmen 15, or extra baby weight, or even a chubby child. Would love to hear your stories!

oh_em_gee

I can relate some. A roommate told me I, "had such a pretty face" and "guys would be all over me if I lost the weight". I remember (aside from being a bit hurt) thinking that I didn't *want* all that attention from men. Becasue of my past, fat and frumpy feels safer than eye-catching and sexy. I know it doesn't make the best sense logically, but my anxiety tells me otherwise

Nessiechickie

My weight gain reasons:
1. Lazy
2. Bad Habit Friends
3. Bad relationship with food, using it for comfort

And I have gotten rid of all these reasons... minus sometimes I have those days were the couch is glued to my butt :laugh:

rachellosesitall85

My weight gain reasons:
1. Lazy
2. Bad Habit Friends
3. Bad relationship with food, using it for comfort

And I have gotten rid of all these reasons... minus sometimes I have those days were the couch is glued to my butt :laugh:

May I ask how you got rid of it? I know if you can change your way of thinking, or starting new habits and repeating them until they become an actual habit can help.

PANZERIA

My mother checked out mentally when I was 12 years old. I got blamed because I was an 'oops' baby. My parents had only been together for a few weeks when she got pregnant and my dad said 'you're getting rid of it, right?'. I took that guilt very seriously. This went on and off until I was 17 years old - not eating, then binge-eating out of sheer depression.

I gained went until I was 200+ pounds. My fiance helped me through the emotional part, and now he's helping me through my physical part. I had to work through it myself as well (obviously), but I managed to turn it around, but it's been tough. I'm still mad at my mom to this day, and I think the weight is going to stick with me until I can forgive her for the horrible things she said to me.

Nessiechickie

I use to be so bad with food for comfort.
I don't know if many people can say this, but I would drive to Dairy Queen order the biggest freakin' item on the list and sit in my car and eat it till I was sick. Pretty horrible. I used it for a lot of things, boredom, sadness etc.
But I just got use to saying NO to myself, no i do not need that. I started treating myself to different stuff like back massages or new hair products, nail polish etc. I also started wanting to become more pretty, put more effort into the way i looked. I was a big sweat pants girl. Now i take time to put myself together and make me feel beautiful. (I'm sure I'm going to get some- You don't need make-up to be sure of yourself).....I don;t really care what they say since this is what works for me. But this got rid of the i'm not good enough feelings. Majority of it was just getting use to saying no to myself, stopping and asking yourself am I really hungry or am I bored, thirsty? (I drink water like it is going out of style)
And losing the bad habit friends that was just a fluke, just became enemies because she didn't want me to have a b/f.
Hope this helps add me as a friend if you want or have more questions.

ninamariesanchez

Hi I can relate I started with my traumatic experiences from the age of 6 On and I mean it just recently all came to a stop I am 36. So like 4 years ago I started getting counseling and still am but I have used food from that age up till now to cure any of my feelings. And I am starting up counseling again next week so I have raw emotions out there right now so I cant seem to stop with the junk food and everything else. I do have a relationship with Christ but this area has been very personal to me. And when I started this I was really gung ho about it but as things occur I tend to go to food. So I am praying that this time around I let God heal me completely so I can start on my weightloss and dont have to worry about my feelngs and problems of the past. I have done alot of work as far as getting past somethings but as I continue to grow in God more stuff comes up and there I go I run again to food. So That is my story I have been all the way up to 370 in weight right now I am 247 and I hate it!

Moxie42

In high school and early college I dealt with extreme depression and anxiety for a variety of reasons, which resulted in a few self-destructive habits. I was still dealing with those issues when I went through 2 years of absolute hell when I was 21-22. It took me over a year to get even remotely okay. That's my weight really started to balloon. I distinctly remember at one point thinking, "this has got to stop" but then the other part of me said, "you've been through enough- you deserve to enjoy yourself" and for about 7 years it went on like that. Now I realize I can enjoy things without food, I can enjoy healthy food, and I'd be so much happier if I were healthy and not overweight. It's still a struggle and I have my bad days but it's getting better, slowly but surely.

Treesy72

Everyone has their weight gain/lost story as no two are the same. Are there any MFPers who gained weight brought on from childhood trauma or other traumatic experiences in life? And if so, how have you been able to shed the pounds and move on?

I personally had a very traumatic childhood over the span of 10+ year and I gained weight by using food to protect myself. No, not an excuse, just my experience. I not only gained weight, I skated through life, completely dissociated from a lot of my reality. I am now seeking professional help to help with closing wounds that I never realize were still opened. Not every weight loss story starts from the freshmen 15, or extra baby weight, or even a chubby child. Would love to hear your stories!

Similar past, then I lost my weight, all 115 lbs of it. I was finally happy and expecting my third child. Then my son was born and he passed away hours later in my arms. It'll be one year tomorrow since his birth/death and I have gained it all back. I am now trying to start over, I try to stay positive for my remaining children, but it really has been a dark time. So I've got 12lbs gone so far and I've been a member for 2.5 weeks, things are looking up.

Take care xo

nataliexxxx

I used to eat when I was bored or upset which was basically all the time instead of having lunch I used to have chocolate crisps and sweets- and a lot of them

rachellosesitall85

Everyone has their weight gain/lost story as no two are the same. Are there any MFPers who gained weight brought on from childhood trauma or other traumatic experiences in life? And if so, how have you been able to shed the pounds and move on?

I personally had a very traumatic childhood over the span of 10+ year and I gained weight by using food to protect myself. No, not an excuse, just my experience. I not only gained weight, I skated through life, completely dissociated from a lot of my reality. I am now seeking professional help to help with closing wounds that I never realize were still opened. Not every weight loss story starts from the freshmen 15, or extra baby weight, or even a chubby child. Would love to hear your stories!

Similar past, then I lost my weight, all 115 lbs of it. I was finally happy and expecting my third child. Then my son was born and he passed away hours later in my arms. It'll be one year tomorrow since his birth/death and I have gained it all back. I am now trying to start over, I try to stay positive for my remaining children, but it really has been a dark time. So I've got 12lbs gone so far and I've been a member for 2.5 weeks, things are looking up.

Take care xo

You probably hear this a lot but I'm sorry for your loss. You will break out of the depression. We all have dark times, and some of us even darker but the light will come back again. I know that sounds mega cheesy but you're not alone!

Treesy72

Everyone has their weight gain/lost story as no two are the same. Are there any MFPers who gained weight brought on from childhood trauma or other traumatic experiences in life? And if so, how have you been able to shed the pounds and move on?

I personally had a very traumatic childhood over the span of 10+ year and I gained weight by using food to protect myself. No, not an excuse, just my experience. I not only gained weight, I skated through life, completely dissociated from a lot of my reality. I am now seeking professional help to help with closing wounds that I never realize were still opened. Not every weight loss story starts from the freshmen 15, or extra baby weight, or even a chubby child. Would love to hear your stories!

Similar past, then I lost my weight, all 115 lbs of it. I was finally happy and expecting my third child. Then my son was born and he passed away hours later in my arms. It'll be one year tomorrow since his birth/death and I have gained it all back. I am now trying to start over, I try to stay positive for my remaining children, but it really has been a dark time. So I've got 12lbs gone so far and I've been a member for 2.5 weeks, things are looking up.

Take care xo

You probably hear this a lot but I'm sorry for your loss. You will break out of the depression. We all have dark times, and some of us even darker but the light will come back again. I know that sounds mega cheesy but you're not alone!

Thank you There are so many great people on this site

sukiheart

At 18, I was thin. At 19 I was date-raped. At 21, I was carrying an extra 100 lbs. I checked out mentally for about two weeks after the trauma. I was totally numb. I think at that point, my subconscious stepped in to take up the slack from my conscious mind checking out, and it decided the thing to do was get fat so I'd be protected. As to losing the weight, it's 18 years later, the man who raped me is dead, and I've healed up about as much as anyone can from that sort of trauma. It was the trauma that put the weight on me, and losing it means breaking the hold that event has on me. Keeping the weight on is letting that event forever mark me. I won't let that happen. I won't let it or him have that kind of power over me.

Treesy72

This should be called "The STRONG Women" Thread

jackieatx

I was a heroin addict for three years, and with that came a lot of screwed up experiences I'd rather not get into. In my first year of being clean I replaced drugs and alcohol with food. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I met someone who went to OA. It will be three years of being clean in November and I can finally say I'm done with vices (alcohol, drugs, caffiene, food, nicotine. In that order.) Whew.

yogagirl1111

I have to keep on repeating to myself... "I am not a victim, I am not a victim...." over and over till I feel better.

kdeaux1959

I have never had to deal with what you speak of. The biggest thing in this situation is to do what you seem to be doing... Deal with the root of the problem ... then with the fruit. In this case, wait gain is the fruit. You can better deal with the weight when the psychological end is dealt with; that being said, many weight loss activities can be therapeutic and enable you to deal with the issues at hand. Find success on the scales and build up those endorphins through exercise and it is likely that you will be able to feel better and maybe see things more clearly... Best wishes on your journey to health and fitness... both emotional and physical.

jobee3

Thank you for starting this thread.

I started using food for comfort around the age of 10 when my parents got divorced. My mom was doing the same thing, and looking back I realize I learned a lot of my bad eating habits from her - some of my memories of us spending time together involve watching TV and eating mindlessly. I then lost the weight as I got older, then around 19 put some back on. Lost it again in my early twenties.

When I was 26 I was sexually assaulted by someone who I thought was a "friend." This brought up repressed memories of another assault when I was a child. About two months later, my mom died suddenly and I found out my dad was terminally ill. Needless to say, it was a rough time. I started coping the only way I knew how - food. Then I got laid off from my job and hit my highest weight ever. Then my dad died. Then my beloved pet died. And then, and then, and then...

I've had a lot of crap thrown my way in my life, more loss than any of my friends can fathom, and all before I was even 30 years old. I knew I was using food to cope - it was the only thing I could depend on, the only constant in my life.

So, here I am. I've been in therapy for about 2 years, and I'm finally at a place where I can even type out the things I typed above. They're not so scary anymore. I have a long way to go, but I'm just taking it one day at a time. It's all I can do. I'm sick of letting these things control me, ruin friendships, and define who I am. I just turned 32, and I want my life to be different. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. I'm finally ready.

fit_librarian

I'm not going to share the whole story. But basically, I had two very abusive parents and eating food was comforting. I didn't ever really care about my weight growing up and in college I tried a few diets here and there. But what really helped me was dealing with the abuse. At my college, there was free counseling and therapy groups you could join. Also, being removed from my parents helped as well. But I didn't worry about losing the weight until I worked through the trauma. It's still a daily struggle, especially when I visit my family. I feel so much healthier though--and so much more like myself--after losing 25lbs, getting help, and getting my life in order.

BrieLP

I was married to a Marine and a stress eater. Not only was I always stressed from worrying of my husband but he was physically and emotionally abusive when he was home. I lost all of my self worth and confidence. I finally left him in 2008; then I turned to alcohol to hid the shame of a failed marriage. I've always hated the way I look but was too lazy to actually do something about it.

I fell in love with a wonderful man who loved me for me big butt and all but I want to feel beautiful again. We are getting married in about 2 months and i want to feel and look beautiful on the day I marry my best friend

fitpilatesqueen

Well ...I started gaining weight at about 15yrs old. I was bullied to hell and back from age 11-16. I wished every night during that period I would fall asleep and never wake up again. It was horrible, People on the bus were concerned, I was so pale and sick looking when I had to go to school. I have never connected my weight gain to those horrible years. And when thinking of it I´m not sure if there is a connection.