Why did you let yourself go?...

summercake

I felt like I was going to be fat forever so I just let myself go. I was never even skinny as a child so I though that thats the way that im gonna stay. But know I know that I dont have to be fat forever. I can change that. And I am

mickeyullrich

When I got married in 1999, I weighed 105 and felt fat. I was thin my whole life but I used diet pills and I was constantly dieting and trying to starve myself as a way of punishing the people in my life that I was mad at (I am not sure now why I thought that made sense). I never felt small enough. I have also struggled with depression, OCD and anxiety since high school. After my first child was born in 2002 I started gaining weight (breastfeeding made me so hungry) and at the same time was transitioning into being a stay at home mom. I felt invisible. My husband traveled all the time and I was lonely and sad so I started eating more and bingeing more. Now I have four children and I have finally had enough of being unhappy with myself. I went through an eating disorder program last year to help develop a healthier relationship with food, and although it's still not perfect, it's much better. I am horrified that I have let myself get to this point...Sometimes I still stumble, but MFP has been an invaluable tool and I am finally exercising again! I need to make it work this time for my family and for myself!

Seej

I never saw a doctor, but I think I might have been a little depressed. I lost interest in a lot of things, and I had no real direction. I was always a little heavy, and it got worse when I moved out and didn't have a health-conscious mom to keep an eye on my diet.

One day, I stepped on the scale and faced how far gone I was. 220 pounds, not active at all, gorging myself on processed garbage. I turned it all around when I realized I wanted to feel good again. I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I feel great.

jenstanley13

Why did I let myself go?

I let myself go because I had post partum depression after having my daughter and simply did not care how much I weighed or what I looked like. I could have stood to lose some weight before I got pregnant and although I tried to be good I still gained more than I wanted and the depression on top of that had not given me the motivation to help me become a better me.

Why did I make the choice to lose?

I went and had pictures taken with my daughter and felt horrible about how heavy I looked; I decided that she deserves a healthier mom who likes herself both on the inside and out. I have joined a gym and started working out regularly and am much more cautious about what I eat. Now I take the time for ME and I know it makes everyone around me happier to see me happier.

jessie5367

I think the main reason I let myself go is laziness and stress.

Also, I began yoga on a weekly basis last fall and loved it. However, the tendinitis in my wrist/thumb/elbow was so intense that I just had to stop. And since then I am scared to do any exercise that involves my hands.

Also, I had zero motivation for the past few years. I was just focusing on getting my degree. Now that is done and I am getting married and being a bridesmaid all by November! So I need to get myself motivated and excited about losing weight.

castelluzzo99

Because our society allows mothers to use pregnancy and having children as a valid excuse to get fat and stay that way. Pure and simple. I used my children as an excuse to not work out.

^^This, pretty much. I was losing steadily at first, but then in December I started eating too much for supper and after a while, my skirts started getting tight again. I finally got to where I said "Enough is enough" and got serious about exercising. Otherwise, yeah, it's easy to let circumstances dictate our lives and create excuses that seem legit, but really are just excuses.

But now I'm addicted to exercise. I actually like being a bit sore! It tells me I'm doing something right! Anyhow, I'm so excited about the inches going down--it's way more rewarding than eating too much!

bluevwgurl

Gained alot of weight during pregnancy (eating way too much), and while I have yo-yo'd since then, I have never been happy with my body since. I absolutely hate what my body has become.

C12254

I was always a "bigger" girl (Or so i thought at the time. I was on the high end of what the BMI considers healthy). I got pregnant right after my mom had twins (The twins, and my oldest child is only 13 months apart). I was young and just watched her practice the "eating for two" thing and thought I needed to as well. I gained 80 pounds. Went on the Depo shot after I gave birth which made it impossible to lose weight. after that I had more kids and the weight just piled on. Ive been with my boyfriend since Jan. of 2005 and didnt feel like I needed to lose weight after that long. "Who do I need to impress. He loves me just the way I am."

Ive recently figured out I need this for me. not him. not anyone else. but just me.

AndreannaTamira

As a kid I was a tiny bit chubby. Higher end of normal weight I would guess, looking at children pictures. My mum would not owrry about that, she always liked people being a bit round, as she calls it (she herself has never been even close to overweight, allways on the thin side).

I was an unhappy child, as there was a lot of family drama, divorce, bullying at school etc. going on at that time. This did not lead to emotional eating, but it lead me to my main hobby, reading. I would read books, immerse myself in other worlds for hours. Every adult approves of kids reading a lot, but it is not a physically active hobby.

My first big weight gain happend just with the start of puberty. I can look at pictures that have been shot at the beginning and end of a 6month period and I can see how I basically balooned. I don't know why, maybe, being a bit older I played less outside than even before, maybe hormones. But I wonder why no adult intervened. I was in a boarding school at this time, there where in my group for teachers responsible for 12 kids...

I had low body awareness, I would not realy feel my body. To me it was just the machine that needed to somehow function for my brain to go on going. I was the nerd, the know-it-all in my class and I embraced it. At this new school I was not bulied for it, but only slightly teased, sometimes even admired. I really started to not give a damn for my body as long as I could stay "the clever one".
I shaped myself into "that clever, practical girl you can come to with your problems, both accademically and emotionally. - The good friend who won't intervere in your romances."

I started to only really feel my body when I was swimming, hungry or extremely full (something which to me felt pretty good). I still read a lot. My body was just a machine, walking my brain around.

I stayed overweight, but not obese.

Then depression hit and the two things I stil could find some sort of pleasure in where my books and comfort food. Not always, not even thatoften, but more than in a lot of things. I had to stop studiyng, as I could not concentrate well, I lived away from my friends and my family who anyway each had their own ive. Allthat had validated me was destroyed. How could I be "the smart one" if I had tanked uni? How "the good advice giver" if there was nobody to give advice to and anyway I did not even manage to listen to my own advice? How was I "practical" if I did not even manage to pay my bills in time? I was a mess, depressed, low self esteem, you name it.

I went from overweight to obese.

I fought the depression and won, I met somebody who loves me unconditionally, I am working on my self esteem. I lost 30 kilos before joining MFP but stalled for a year and never gott the remainder of (well, at least I kicked "obese" in the butt). Heck, I even might go back to uni soon.

Live is good.

JudithEssex

A series of things: It started I guess with some injuries (broken foot bones from two seperate accidents - go figure) that had me in a boot or restricted movement for about a year. After not moving much for a year, I was deconditioned, and didn't really want to move. Then I had a tragic death in my family and that put me on the couch with NCIS and a bag of something or another. I have depression which gets worse when I am sedentary. then I had another round of foot and knee problems. And that river in Egypt - denial!

Plus i am older, so I keep thinking it is my age. Which I know is malarky.

Now I started with MFP - and a trainer. I am losing V-E-R-Y slowly, but it is coming off. I get terrified I can put it all back on over the weekend, but I have some built in supports.

Prettymisssparkles

Depression and losing sight of myself.

^This

Simone_King

You know I think it was a lot of things combined.

My mother no longer controlled what I eat and just chose bad choices! They went away for two to three weeks and I would just snack on nutella!

I love that stuff.

Than I got stuck on Starbucks. o_o No really, started it couldn't stop.

I was drinking oh...three to four 20oz diet dr. peppers

Junk food galore.

I lost my job for six years. Lack of money and what I did have went to food.

Long story short gained weight, didn't care, didn't see it, and thus gained it all.

Now that I see I lost some of it and still working on it.

kganc001

I didn't even notice I was gaining all the weight until I needed new pants...mine was medication induced. Needless to say, exercise is the best RX I could have ever asked for. It's not only put a huge dent in my depression, but counting cals gives me a way to focus my OCD and anxiety

Schlackity

I've been asked, what made you decide to lose weight? How are you losing weight? but rarely does anyone ask why? I had a chat with my mom ans she was the first to ask- why did you let yourslef go? How did you gain all that weight is pretty obvious-food and lack of movement...

When I was a teenager I dated a guy who I liked,but he was embarrased to be seen with me or have anyone know we were hanging out as more than friends.I knew deep down that was why we never went on dates in public.I learned through a school mate how he trully felt. Needless to say it crushed me and was a catalyst in my weight gain.

I had to protect myself from being hurt by a guy ever again.I figured if you can't take me as I am now (heavy) and see past looks, then why bother with you or love?

Years past and I only ever dated 2 guys after that experience one of them being my husband who has loved me through all my sizes,but understands I need to lose this weight for me.Which makes me feel like the luckiest girl alive ^u^

So I ask you now why did you let yourself go?

OMG....did we date the same guy? Mine told me we looked like a circus couple (I was 5'5" and about 250 lbs and he was 5'2" and about 100 lbs) so he refused to walk with me anywhere in public. His friends made fun of my weight and he allowed it. Then he told me I should "try" to date other people because HE could do better! I was young (early 20's) and believed him. I went on a roller coaster of diets between my early 20's and 30's. After my second child was born, I was pushing 275 and then after my divorce, I was pushing 300. I have a definite emotional relationship with food, and I'm trying very hard to break that habit. I now am remarried to a man who loves me no matter what I look like but he encourages my healthier eating because he wants me to be around to be with him when we're old and gray and he's trying to learn to eat healthier too. As for that guy who thought we looked like a circus couple???? He's still single and living with his cat. :-)

littlelady2b

My mother died in my livingroom. I ate my way through my grief. Within a year I had gained 75 pounds.

Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I hope you were able to get some grief counseling that is very tramatic. I wish you the best through your weight loss journey and healing process. My heart goes out to you.

littlelady2b

My problem with weight loss has been my struggle with pain and chronic vertigo and a slow metabolism. Both make it difficult to exercise but I know it is necessary to keep my muscles in shape so I do what I can in a chair for toning and I walk with something for assistance. I went into a severe depression after the birth of my second son when I was diagnosed and I've already struggled with my weight all my life so I decided to take kinesiology in university which had a disibility program that assisted me. I was the oldest and heaviest student but I didn't care I was driven to learn and find out how I can help myself and hopefully others who have disabilities and struggle with their weight. I learned about nutrician and I studied obesity I did presentations to try and educate the young fitness trainers who had no clue how to help people with physical disabilities that are living with obesity many didn't understand obesity and judged it as people being lazy and overeaters and that is rarely the case. I learned a lot and I gave a lot but unfortunately the pain and vertigo, being a single mom of two young children and a student became too much for me when I reached my 4th year and I had to leave school I had reached burn out. I completed 3 years of my degree and to this day believe that calorie counting, perseverance, lifestyle change and acceptance are just some of the ways to encourage weight loss. I accept myself for who I am, the way I look and the disabiliies as a part of me and I'm working towards a healthier me. I don't need to be skinny according to society's standards I need to be healthy and those who feel that my weight is a reflection of who I am inside as a person don't need to be a part of my life. I'm doing this for me and my children no one else. I wish everyone the greatest success on their weight loss journey because it isn't just a journey for weight loss for some it is a journey towards a better healtheir lifestyle and learning to love yourself.

BrunetteRunner87

Sounds like a lot of people were depressed or had something happen to them. With me, my mom is just an amazing cook!