What caused your weight gain?

gympamela

I was in great shape, 16 percent body fat and ripped and smoking hot, then add the depo shot, a terrible breakup, leaving the military, and working in a bar- instant 50 pound weight gain! I lost almost all of it but 15 pounds in the years following, then got pregnant with my daughter and was at 173 pounds until recently. I have not lost alot, just about 10 pounds or so in 18 months.
So now I am in it for the long haul- I remember what it felt like to go from being the fat kid to the fit kid, and I want that feeling back!!!

Hemis_mom

I think it all started when I became a teacher--I don't know why but when I grade papers (for hours) I munch--and because I spend hours on my career I don't take care of myself--there isn't time to eat right, cook right, exercise--a lot of eating out--living with a husband who can eat ANYTHING he wants and doesn't gain an ounce--portion control (or lack of)--emotional eating--rewarding myself with food---letting food make me feel good instead of other less harmful things--I just tipped the scales at 200 I have to do something but still feel like my job is such a sabotage on my health in more ways than just eating-- I think the stress creates cortisol which sticks the fat right to my belly--YUCK-- I need to figure out how to balance everything but have to admit right now I have not--

Thank you for sharing your stories you are so inspiring you make me feel like I can do it! I just need to figure out how

stormieweather

A very late age pregnancy (40's) put 30 pounds on me. I didn't lose the weight when I had the baby. She was only 6 pounds of the 35 pounds I put on. Then I tried hard dieting (ie: eating as little as possible). And I gained...slowly, but I gained, all while eating less than 1000 calories a day, actually most of the time I ate less than 600-700 calories a day.

So now it is a major struggle to get my metabolism working again. I lost 2 pants sizes and 13 pounds in the first 3 months after I started MFP, but have been stuck ever since (not losing). Maybe I killed my metabolism entirely!! /sob.

Ashia1317

Hmm . . . as a child I was always active all the way through college. I barely sat still. Even through all that, going to school with guys, i never had to watch my weight. I would finish pizza's with them, i would eat at the local Burger King and down whoppers. I could eat anything I wanted.

Then, once I graduated college and was hired at my current job, my metabolism changed but my eating had not. I never noticed the weight gain at first. Clothes started to get tighter, and of course, my grandmother had to comment.

It's been a hard road trying to train myself to eat healthy and watch portions since I never really had to focus on it before. My mother always had healthy meals at our house, which I always mocked, not really understanding that "Mother is always right". I would sneak candy or something "bad" for me.

I have a young sister who is on the path that i was on. I tease her for being a size 1 (being only age 14). But in reality, she won't be that way forever if she doesn't get her healthy habits in check. She's a huge ice cream -aholic and not so keen on veggies like I was. I hope my changing habits will be good for her as it is for me.

As you get older, it gets harder.

Ashia1317

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!

I'm noticing some people on here have said about Depo. I was 8 lbs lighter before i started it and now i gained 5 of that back. ugh! i'm wondering if that's the culprit . . . .

DrJerryFowler

As a person posts in their Daily Food Diary here, they will probably find what I found:

Sugar, Bread Products, and Fat/Chocolate filled products have the most calories.

I WAS WAY OVER MY CALORIES - FOR MANY YEARS (no matter what "diet" I was on).

Most people (including me) have no idea how easy calories add up - unless they track EVERYTHING they eat/drink.

Now that I'm tracking everything, I have no doubt I will lose weight.

dporter1183

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!

I'm noticing some people on here have said about Depo. I was 8 lbs lighter before i started it and now i gained 5 of that back. ugh! i'm wondering if that's the culprit . . . .

I gained 30 lbs in 60 days on the depo, but I was younger and really thin before hand, so the extra weight wasn't too big of a deal to me, but I slowly started to pack it on after that! I even asked the nurses before I got it "I heard this shot makes you gain weight, is that true?" and they said "No, most girls actually lose weight!" I have a hard time believing that!

Ashia1317

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!

I'm noticing some people on here have said about Depo. I was 8 lbs lighter before i started it and now i gained 5 of that back. ugh! i'm wondering if that's the culprit . . . .

I gained 30 lbs in 60 days on the depo, but I was younger and really thin before hand, so the extra weight wasn't too big of a deal to me, but I slowly started to pack it on after that! I even asked the nurses before I got it "I heard this shot makes you gain weight, is that true?" and they said "No, most girls actually lose weight!" I have a hard time believing that!

I did my research before i talked to the doctor. i heard there was weight gain and asked my doctor what her opinion was. she told me it's usual for 5 lbs a year possibly. i was under 138 when i weighed in one week before starting depo at my physical. a year later, i'm 5 lbs heavier and counting . . . i've been craving things i never did before and i feel fatigued a lot. i'm assuming that's part of it (like i'm PMSing all the time) . . .

MercuryBlue

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!

I'm noticing some people on here have said about Depo. I was 8 lbs lighter before i started it and now i gained 5 of that back. ugh! i'm wondering if that's the culprit . . . .

I gained 30 lbs in 60 days on the depo, but I was younger and really thin before hand, so the extra weight wasn't too big of a deal to me, but I slowly started to pack it on after that! I even asked the nurses before I got it "I heard this shot makes you gain weight, is that true?" and they said "No, most girls actually lose weight!" I have a hard time believing that!

I did my research before i talked to the doctor. i heard there was weight gain and asked my doctor what her opinion was. she told me it's usual for 5 lbs a year possibly. i was under 138 when i weighed in one week before starting depo at my physical. a year later, i'm 5 lbs heavier and counting . . . i've been craving things i never did before and i feel fatigued a lot. i'm assuming that's part of it (like i'm PMSing all the time) . . .

I gained 25-30 pounds on Depo- in 6 months! It seriously disfigured me, gave me stretch marks all over my thighs LONG before I had children. I actually found support groups online for Depo users who not only gained weight but also suffered other, terrible side effects. I HATE Depo.

cheri03

too much hand to mouth disease.

HonestOmnivore

bump!

afeinberg

great post
for me, it was getting pregnant and having kids - before that i was in the best shape of my life - in the gym 5 days a week and with a trainer twice a week = my husbadnd too - gained appropraitely with my son, breastfed nad took it off like a champ - was skinnier one year later than i was before i had him; but i was exhausted, finanically depleted with no money for the gym or the trainer, no time and no energy; 3 months later i was back working full time and just needed meals that were EASY - when i finally got back to working out on my own when my son was 2, i found out that i was pregnant again!! THere goes the workouts... so easy to make the excuses - i;m prengnat, tired, whatever (mind you, i worked out the enitre first pregnancy)

With my daughter, i had severe post partum depression, and she didn't sleep through the night until she was 8 months old (she is almost 2.5 now) and my husband started a new job and was gone A LOT - again totally stressed, starting drinking more often, cooking meals that were EASY but not healthy, eating off the kids' plates so that the food wouldn't go to waste - DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN KRAFT MAC N CHEESE AND PERDUE CHICKEN NUGGETS??? WELL I DO NOW

anyway, i knew i was gaiining becuase my clothes didn't fit and i had the dreaded muffin top. and it made me sick to look at pictures of myself

and i made a decision to change.

And now i work out 6 days a week - i am up to running 3.5 miles in 35 minutes 3 days per week, i do ALL the jillian michaels DVDs and still don't have the money for the gym -- but i am losing inches and gaining muscle and my jeans look better than ever.

LOVE this site - loev being able to know how much i need to exercise to be able to eat for the day

get_fit2009

too much hand to mouth disease.

HA HA HA! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

size6Jessi

KIDS! LOL, 3 kids in 5 years!

Positively_Me

bump

LittleSpy

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!

I'm noticing some people on here have said about Depo. I was 8 lbs lighter before i started it and now i gained 5 of that back. ugh! i'm wondering if that's the culprit . . . .

I gained 30 lbs in 60 days on the depo, but I was younger and really thin before hand, so the extra weight wasn't too big of a deal to me, but I slowly started to pack it on after that! I even asked the nurses before I got it "I heard this shot makes you gain weight, is that true?" and they said "No, most girls actually lose weight!" I have a hard time believing that!

I did my research before i talked to the doctor. i heard there was weight gain and asked my doctor what her opinion was. she told me it's usual for 5 lbs a year possibly. i was under 138 when i weighed in one week before starting depo at my physical. a year later, i'm 5 lbs heavier and counting . . . i've been craving things i never did before and i feel fatigued a lot. i'm assuming that's part of it (like i'm PMSing all the time) . . .

I gained 25-30 pounds on Depo- in 6 months! It seriously disfigured me, gave me stretch marks all over my thighs LONG before I had children. I actually found support groups online for Depo users who not only gained weight but also suffered other, terrible side effects. I HATE Depo.

I had a friend who started taking Depo probably 6 years ago. She was always a pretty small-- maybe 115-120 at 5'2" (definitely unhealthy, though). She gained AT LEAST 100 pounds in just a couple years. And she also went completly maliciously crazy which I just couldn't deal with anymore after a couple of years (which is what I told her before I stopped answering my phone whenever she called :ohwell: ). I mean, she wasn't "normal" to begin with - but that's kind of what I liked about her! We were best friends & even roommates my senior year of high school after I moved out of my mom's house and before I moved away for college. We're not friends anymore at all. I'm not sure how much of her craziness was due to Depo, but I think most of it was directly related. If not from the hormonal issues Depo causes, it was from her increased anxiety/depression due to gaining so much weight so fast (and the fear of becoming as big as her mom who probalby weighs 500 pounds). I'm sure she would've gained weight anyway, but not nearly so fast. It was insane -- her stretch marks were blood red because she ballooned up so rapidly. Pretty awful story, really.

Eliaheart

Aside from birthing my 2 wonderful kids, my hypothyroidism - combined with anti-depressants - was a dreadful combo. My hypoT is better controlled now (still in the process of adjusting meds), and I'm almost completely off the anti-ds, so I hope it'll help!

How inspiring to read everyone's stories!

Falcon

being too lazy and too much fast food. Over the summer I had become more active and biked 10 miles one day. I broke my ankle and am thankful I didn't put all of it back on. I jumped on the scale and was happy that I didn't gain too much of it back, a small minor step back.

Jasper1028

Well, college happened...haha:) Too many late nights, mixed with drinking and late night snacking really did it for me. I was around 115 when I went to college, then my first semester is when it happened...I went up to 141, now Im at 136, and still losing, hoping to be 120 soon...then work my way to 115!!

vhuber

I believe it is "SUGAR ADDICTION" !!!!