What caused your weight gain?

pannellkat

I see many people on the forums that are trying to get "back" to where they were before they gained weight. Some of us have gained 50 lbs or more and some just a few lbs to get off. What do you think caused your weight gain?

I know for me, it started with the depo shot, birthing 2 children and not breastfeeding, and those darn Rockstar Energy drinks daily just did me in!! Oh and not staying active. Went from 125 to 175 in NO TIME!

XFitMojoMom

birthing two children , also not BF'ing, being type II diabetic with child #2, having an eating disorder in my teens and 20's.
oh, and loving single malt scotch and toppy wine!:drinker:

edited to add: yes, erm, and filet mignon with blue cheese:blushing:

Lisa0711

Mine all started as a kid.. I've been heavy all my life. But I lost some and got to a healthy weight when I was 15-16. However that all changed when I met my current boyfriend 4 years ago. I put on 50+ pounds and didn't even realize it. I was just so happy with my boyfriend and our relationship that I didn't care about how I looked and ate how I wanted. It didn't help that my scale broke either. Then I realized that I was really really big in our pictures and bought a scale.. I pretty much broke down when I saw how much I gained. And then I ate some more from the depression from that. It really is a viscious cycle. But anyway, after 2 years of "pitty me" crap I woke up and did something about it and I've lost almost 50 pounds since, (just got under 200 today! 199.8:bigsmile:.) So mine was partly the result of being in love, the rest out of pure laziness.

Rugbychick16

2 words - Portion Sizes!! I can't BELIEVE what I thought a "portion" was, or how many calories I thought it had!

songbyrdsweet

Starting to DRINK way too young...well, at all.
Living off Banquet meals and fast food.
Portion control.
A controlling ex-bf who wouldn't let me go to the gym.
Never having an interest in working out until late highschool/college.

Nickstery

I was big as a kid, my Mom likes to blame it on video games and that when I eat, I do so really fast and feel like I need more till I'm finally full. My family had always told me if I slowed down I would notice I am full quicker.

Out of High School I was doing Weight Watchers and was down to 220 from 275. I felt awesome and looked skinny for the first time since I was 5 years old. I came back to my home town and kind of got into drinking a little too much and wasn't watching was I was eating anymore and got back up to 260.

Lately I've been listening to my amazing fiancee who is guiding me through eating healthier and trying to slow my eating pace down with some avail but not as much as she would like. I have been better about controling my portions. I also think at the time that I had come back to my home town I didn't have the best self-esteem about myself. Luckily I have a wonderful fiancee to help me out with that.

shadechick

My husband got a new job in a new city (I'd lived in the same city 27 years) so when we moved, I had no job, no friends, no family, and hated where we moved, so I got depressed. That's where it all started. I'd been 110 lbs all my adult life and could always eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound and never needed to exercise. So, 30 lbs later, I'm really trying to lose it!

AshleyTaylor2017

I was always natually really think. I had a very high metabolism in high school and graduated weighing 108lbs. I put on 40lbs in the last 4 years, though I suppose I am not "fat" I can't believe how much I have put on and how I just didn't care. I just assumed that since I had always been thin and never had to work at it, I would always stay that way! Well...I suppose eating out all the time and consuming 2500 calories or more a day probably did this...with the lack of motivation to work out. If only it was as easy as it was back then

jzbaby626

I gained 50 lbs when I got pregnant. I lost about 25 after having him. Before pregnancy I could eat whatever I wanted & not worry, since I was technically underweight. That wasn't the case after pregnancy. I can't eat whatever I want & not gain a pound anymore. I think my metabolism has slowed down. I gained back the 25 pounds I had lost after pregnancy. That happened over a 2 year span. I topped out at 150 and thought how did i get here?? The answer is not hard...I LOVE FOOD. All those snacks sure do add up. It didn't help that I didnt have a scale in the house for about a year. I had no idea I had gained THAT MUCH. Now I realize i can't eat the same way I did when I was a teenager. I never thought I would be overweight. I was thin my whole life before age 20. I want my body back so I am dieting and exercising and hoping it will come back to me!!!

SachaMichel

I've always been an emotional eater, and still am; I don't think that's something that I could ever change, unfortunately.

I was a reasonably-sized kid though, mostly because my binges were on stuff like fruit and yogurt and bread (a ton of it).

However, when my family decided to go to Asia and my boyfriend and I broke up, I was left alone and I'm not sure what happened, but when I binged I suddenly started turning to high-fat muffins, pizza, and chocolates by the the package.

Anyways, I've finally cut the habit and went back to my old ways of overeating healthy foods, lol. It still makes me gain weight (they're still calories after all) but it'd definitely not as bad a problem.

guidosgal

Nothing cause my weight gain but someone caused my weight gain and that someone was me. For me I never had a issue being the big girl (when I was single no lack of dates) after I got married I guess if the Hubby didnt complain then it was OK. If it got to tight I would buy a bigger size. Ect Ect. I really did not think I ate badly (I guess that chipsahoy does not make a good breakfast) So my weight was caused by my own ignorance. And my new healthy body is caused by being awhere. I have been using this saying for many years "Many people say that ignorance is bliss, but now that I am learning I see all that I have missed" and it is really true. I will never be ignorant about my own body again :glasses:

lildebbie

Well...

I started with a chubby child, a fat teenager, then as a young adult i was put on diet pills lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time (like 40 lbs in 2 months)...Then met hubby , got married, was happy and comfortable and we both ate whatever we wanted.

Then 2 kids ..the funny thing is that after each of them i was 30-40 lbs lighter than i was when i got pregant, but soon gained it all back.

After my last child i was on a good path of loosing weight, then life happend, i was going on the path of loosing more and more, then my hubby lost his job, i got a new job in a different state, we moved 500 miles away from my family with a 4 yr old and 9 month old. to a place i hated...next thing i eneded up weiging 318 and now here I am at 290 and dropping.

So in short (or long) ...always had issue with food,..i have always turned to food, being happy turned to food, being depressed turn to food.

So lesson here...i don't need to turn to food and find something else to turn to.

MadWorld

5 years ago, I was not the same person I am today. I partied more than a normal or sane person should. When I woke up out of my haze-- I had a lot of work to do mentally and physically.

MacMadame

My problems started as a kid. I chunked up as I was going through puberty and my family flipped out. So I went on my first diet at age 13 and that started a lifelong cycle of yo-yo dieting as I'd lose weight then gain it back with friends.

LittleSpy

I'm pretty similar to Blondie. I've been overweight my whole life. I started getting it under control when I was about 14, but around that time I really started struggling with anxiety/depression issues and I started gaining. I was probably about 160 then which was up to about 200 by the time I graduated high school. Then I went to college and gained 30 more. I decided to take control after my sophomore year and lost 40 pounds but pretty much gained it all back within a year and a half because I hadn't really lost weight the right way. I thought I was eating right, but I wasn't at all, and I had started walking about 5 miles 5 times a week, but I stopped doing that so the weight just piled back on immediately. During the time I was gaining that 40 pounds back, I started dating my boyfriend. I really let myself go because I was comfortable with our relationship and we started eating a lot of rich foods and for some reason I thought I should be able to eat as much as he did. Suffice it to say, 3.5 years later, I had gained 40 more pounds on top of gaining back the 40 I had lost. I literally woke up on September 8th, 2009 and thought "WTF am I doing? I'm killing myself..." I found MFP that day and I've been feeling great since.

So, yeah, awful awful viscious cycles, emotional eating along with anxiety/depression, being happy with a relationship, and never learning healthy habits to begin with = me at 270 pounds.

Anumie23

I've always been heavy since I was young and just kind of accepted it after trying and failing at numerous diets. I just recently ended a long term relationship with my son's father. He said a lot of hurtful things about me and my weight. I gave my all to him and I decided that it was time to give it all to myself for a change. I just recently started this lifestyle changed and i've lost 6 lbs so far. Looking to lose about 100lbs but it starts with one step and i'm on my way!

Athena

JJs25th

I have kept an eye on my weight ever since college -- I had seen the family pictures. My relatives all started out skinny, then came their 30's -- and *poof* they show up as 250+ pounds. :huh: I was determined not to go there! :grumble:
Then I started perimenapause and my metabolism slowed down, but my eating did not.. Then I was put on a couple of medications to try to prevent my migrains -- one of which cause a 15 pound gain in two months. That was a lot for me. Then there was the portion creep issue. Who knew a single serving bag was not a single portion? :noway: And I too am an emotional eater, so as business got tougher and more stressful -- I turned to food. :frown:

Last winter was the last straw. I have been joking that I should have known that something was up! I was warm in January for the first time in my life!:laugh: I wasn't really warm -- my blood pressure was out of control. Hello -- it was time to face reality. I weighed more than when I was 9 months pregnant; and the clothing I was in was too tight -- again...:grumble:

Thanks to my friend that shared MFP with me!!! :happy: :flowerforyou:

lsjd2000

mostly inactivity but also 3 pregnancies _ though i did lose alot btwn the 2nd and 3rd then also i was on meds for my migranes and they really packed on the pounds now trying to lose.

FireRox21

Wow, where do I start? I was very athletic as a child (figure skating, ballet, etc.) and was quite muscular. I am originally from Memphis, and back then down there, home cookin' was the only thing we ate. Full fat, calories, sweets, you name it. I was 85 lbs at 8 years old and not even 4' tall by then. (I'm only 4'11 now and I'm 30yo). I spent my tweens, teens and early 20's with eating disorders and binging on food. I became incredibly fit in college (16yo-21yo). I was on the ice hockey team, swim team, and went through the Firefighting Academy. During that time, I could eat ANYTHING I wanted and not gain a pound. I was constantly working out.

Then life happened.

I became engaged at 21 to a *kitten* of a supposed "man". He constantly told me I was fat. I was 100lbs. I have pictures of me at my 21st birthday where my arms are as big around as my ankles, my veins were popping out, and I had bones poking through my skin. My hair was falling out and thin, my skin was ghostly, and my eyes just had no life to them.

Then, came the alcohol. A LOT of alcohol. No food, just alcohol. This went on for 6 years. I lost all of my friends, a few jobs, a beautiful place to live by the beach (which was great for my new found love of the ocean and surfing) with a WONDERFUL boyfriend, and almost my life.

I settled down, quit the alcohol, and met my fiance. I was 165lbs then within a year have gone up to 185lbs. I was comfortable. We both LOVE food and to eat. I was comfortable with my weight. If it was too small, I'd buy a bigger size or just wear baggier clothing to cover up the bulges. I also blamed most of my weight gain of the medicines I have to take for rheumatoid arthritis and the fact that I couldn't do a lot of cardio exercise because it was too hard on my joints.

Then, the bells, buzzers, and the gong of the scale went off. I found MFP 8 days ago and have lost 3lbs. I have finally realized the cause of the problem is myself. All of the snaking, the super-sized portions, and the denial finally caught up with me. I realized that yes, I have gone through some serious emotional hell, but the only person that can help me is me!

I have discovered, just in 8 days, that this battle can be won. I CAN exercise and eat right. I HAVE the energy to do the things I want to do (with rest breaks for my joints as needed).

Sorry for the long post, but seeing things in retrospect is good.

melissaag1984

I was always a little bit on the chunky side. I never have and still don't quite understand why. I had very strict parents and grandparents who would not let us inside after school until dinner time. So we played A LOT when I was a kid. I also danced all the way up through college. I was just never thin. i never ate badly really, so it was just always the way I was.

When I got to 8th grade I started dancing hardcore, about 30 hours a week. Dance was my life, and I was always one of the heavier girls, but [not trying to be conceited] but I was really good. I hated myself for it. I auditioned A LOT for a ton of different shows, parks, everything. I was just never the right size. My dance teacher always said it was a strength at competion b/c judges would expect less from me, bc of my not being typical dancer thin. But it still always bothered me. So basically I was super involved in anything theater related and all through high school would skip meals, eat randomly, try to not eat sometimes. It was a constant battle to lose weight.

Then I actually lost about 20 pounds in college. I was really happy, really involved, I don't really know why but I lost weight. It probably helped that I have never been a real big drinker. In college I was a salad eater. Every meal, whenever we went out to eat. I basically lived on chicken salad, iced coffee and ramen. I was happy when I graduated college. I was still heavy by most people's standards but I was physically healthy...if that makes sense. I was able to do anything. When I met my now Fiance we started eating out more but b/c I was still dancing it was fine.

Then Law school came. Long days in the library, a gazillion coffees a day to keep focused. horrible eating habits and livin with my fiance. I gainedabout 30 pounds in 3 years. I also blaim it on being a little unhappy because I had to stop dancing cold turkey. When something is such a huge part of your life for so long, to stop kills the spirit. So now I am happy again, looking for studios in my new city to take drop in classes and trying to lose more weight than ever before and look Gorgeous in my wedding dress in a year and a half!

TByrd1325

When I was in my senior year of highschool I got out around lunch time and my mom would always pick me up and we'd go out to eat. This turned into an almost everyday thing.
Lots of drinking. Lots.
Fast food, ramen noodles, pizza, mac and cheese. HUGE portions.
Then I got pregnant.


=D