Why/how did you become overweight?

jennontheroad

For those of you who want to share, I am interested to hear your stories about why/how you became overweight.

Were you always overweight?
Or were you once a healthy weight?
Did you "let yourself go"?
Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?
And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food?

Thank you for sharing, I think your stories will shed some light and help us to understand our weight loss journeys, since the mental component is so important, and we have to know where we come from to move forward.

Feel free to link to other past threads or groups.

RepsnSets

For those of you who want to share, I am interested to hear your stories about why/how you became overweight.

Were you always overweight? No, I gained weight when I left home a very very long time ago

Or were you once a healthy weight? I was a healthy weight in my teens and then again two years ago

Did you "let yourself go"? Yes, I also met new friends who partied alot so I was drinking alot and eating alot....mainly greasy food.....alot

Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? No

And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food? Mainly with bad foods and not exercising

Thank you for sharing, I think your stories will shed some light and help us to understand our weight loss journeys, since the mental component is so important, and we have to know where we come from to move forward.

Feel free to link to other past threads or groups.

sheenabandy

I was a healthy weight up until my sophomore or junior year of high school. When I started self medicating with sugar, I started getting fat. After every hard time, I would go on a binging streak and get as much sugar in me as possible. Ice cream, cake, soda, etc.
Then I found out the guy I'd been dating for 6 months was engaged to someone. And he strung me along for another year. He would show up out of nowhere and I would just keep getting ice cream and dr pepper and donuts to deal with it.
When he got married and left, I just continued using the sugar to get through the day. I couldn't find anything that made me feel better. And that lasted for 5 years.
I got up to 250lbs. At 5ft, that's not pretty.
I would get to the point where I could deal and I could get down to a lower weight, but then something would happen that would make me rebound.

But in November, my boyfriend of 4 months died of a heart attack. Apparently, he'd had diabetes and didn't know to treat it.

So I fell back to my binging for a while. But the night of the funeral, I had a panic attack so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. I had to go to the hospital for monitoring.

They released me with xanex. But the panic attacks didn't stop. I realized the caffeine from my sodas was making it worse. I had to stop the caffeine. Which meant quitting one of the primary chemicals I'd been using to get by.

So I quit all the sodas. I drank decaf tea. Sweet at first, but slowly decreased the sugar. And I drank water.

I'm down to 228. I've been through a car wreck and my hamster died and I didn't relapse. I think I'm gonna make it this time.

sleepy11

I always teetered between the high end of normal weight and the low end of overweight until college. I gained the freshman 15 and just kept going. I have overeating and inactivity to blame. I also drank like a fish for years. For a long time, I could drop 10-15 lbs in a couple of weeks so I didn't let my weight gain bother me. Now my metabolism has slowed down and it sucks, but I've learned that the weight stays off when I do it slow.

MallorieGreiner

Were you always overweight?
-Nope. Always a "skinny kid."

Did you "let yourself go"?
-In a way. I was always told I had a high metabolism. I do/did, but I let that mindset go to my head.

Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?
-I'm all about the "no excuses" mindset, but I did/do have depression/anxiety issues and there was a big thing that happened in my life that was probably the turning point.

And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food?
-Eating waaaayyyy too much

ACDodd

Joined the Navy.
Sat in a class room 8 hours a day and drank beer the rest of the time.
Went from 130 to 170 in 9 months and just kept gaining.

blueeyeddragon2115

Bump...

goldthistime

In a word, stress. First time was when my husband and I built our house. Happy ending but extreme financial duress and constantly facing the fact that we had bitten off more than we could possibly chew. Next time was when I had too heavy a workload at work. I found that I could concentrate much longer if I stuffed in carbs. It was effective, I did well at work, but it took a toll. Then with each of two pregnancies. Then my husband and I started a business -- crazy stress. So I put on the pounds until we were doing well enough that I could quit my day job, then put it on again when the business grew scarily rapidly, took it off when things settled and then put it on again when we put the business up for sale and I had to spend hours every evening preparing reports for potential buyers and then in months long negotiations. Lost weight when we sold the business, and in fact got into the best shape of my life, but then put it on again when I got heavily involved with the stock market. I did extremely well in the markets for a while, but lost my fitness regimen and used food to push my concentration levels again, and when the inevitable happened (i.e. I lost money), the pounds piled on. So here I am, close to an all time high in weight and starting out again...

williecruiser

I think I just let myself enjoy burgers, fries, pizza, ranch dressing, etc. etc. I am a yoyo dieter. I love fattening food, but hate being fat. Trying to take the weight off again, but this time I want to keep it off. Eating decently and having occasional 1/2 servings of old favs is my goal.

pamwhite712

I'm 5'7" and had always weighed around 115-120. I was one of the lucky ones- I could eat anything and I wouldn't gain weight.

However, in 2003 I started experiencing problems and my weight went down to 103, and I couldn't keep anything down. My doctor put me on Zyprexa and I started gaining weight. And gaining and gaining and gaining. I tried to get off the medication but the headaches I got and the buzzing in my head (yes, it felt like a neon sign flickering in my brain) and not being able to eat would always get me back on it.

So at the beginning of November, after tipping the scales at 195, I decided to try and wean myself down to the lowest possible dose. Because I've tried to lose weight while on it and it just didn't happen.

So now I'm on the lowest dose possible and the weight is slowly dropping. I will probably never weigh 120 again, but I'm healthier now than I was back then.

nsagley

I was overweight from the time I was 12 until the summer before I turned 17. I lost 65 lbs in 6 months. Then I met the man I ended up marrying and because I ate at work then ate with him I gained 30 lbs then got pregnant. I got pregnant again when my son was 6 weeks old. After my 2nd son was born I weight 220 lbs and maintained between 220 and 230 for 6 years even through another pregnancy. I got divorced and got down to 210 then my dad died and my world fell apart. I got up to 240 and stayed for a while. Then I got laid off and gained another 16 lbs which is where I was when I joined this site last week. I have decided no more excuses I will not be fat anymore.

bonitacash08

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. As a kid, we didn't always have enough to eat (single mom and 2 kids without enough to go around). When I moved with my dad, that constant fear of being hungry caused me to stuff my face at every meal. I've always eaten more than my friends. In high school, cheerleading got me down to a healthy weight but after I graduated I put on the freshman 15... Then the sophomore 10.. The junior 10.. The senior 10.. The. The "oh crap I'm not graduating this semester" 20. I just want a healthy relationship with food and to be active again..

cklapk1

I have always been overweight, practically since birth I guess. I grew up in a household full of overeating and unhealthy choices, in addition to minimal exercise. That combination led me to where I was before I started college. Now I'm eating healthier and actually exercising (what a concept!), and I'm steadily losing.

eggsmilkbread

Were you always overweight?
-Pretty much, yes.
Or were you once a healthy weight?
-I think at some point(like kindergarten maybe?) I was "normal"
Did you "let yourself go"?
-All my life. Except now!
Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?
-My grandmother, a very important figure in my life whom I lived with, died of lung cancer. My parents divorced before that. All while I was just a wee one, say 7 years old.

And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only
through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food?
-Throughout my teens I tried to be active, but it would only come in "spurts" for a few weeks then back to just sitting around all day. I've ate crap food all my life though(not so much now. )

americangirlok

Those are some awful things to deal with! Sometimes I think people (and I mostly mean me) disguise our self destructive streak with foods- it's less obvious and more socially acceptable while you are doing it. It's only when it gets to the consequence point that the judgment starts.

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

i had a cavity filled and suddenly i could eat chocolate pain free! long story short i got fat

samanthalynn11

I haven't always been overweight. I was quite skinny until fifth grade when my parents got a divorce and I started to gain gradually. I became a pescetarian/vegetarian and unintentionally lost a lot of weight in high school. Then my boyfriend of about six months moved three hours away for college after we graduated and we saw each other once a month. During the time we were apart I'd spend most of my time hanging out with my best friend every day and eating bad food to distract myself. I also have TERRIBLE self-control. Being on birth control could also be a contributing factor to my weight gain, so I've heard. Now, four years later, I live with said boyfriend and he's naturally skinny but has poor eating habits, so that doesn't help either!

sally_jeffswife

I was getting electric shock like migraines where I would feel like I was falling when I was laying down and it would shock my head and then feel numb to touch and all around the back of my head and I was on a medication called Gabapentin and I gained 45lbs in like 3 months and I was worried about it cuz it was getting to where my clothes felt tight on me and so my Dr switched my meds to Verapamil which is working wonders now and I feel much better. Don't lose anything on that one but don't gain really either. But wanted to just really get bk down to my normal weight or a bit smaller if I could. My downfall is I love cooking and so I have to really watch portions alot closer. But I have found some workouts I absolutely love. I love the Billy Blanks Jr Dance Party Bootcamp,The Billy Blanks SR Ab Bootcamp,Sweatin in the Spirit with Donna Richardson Joyner with Kirk Franklin,Kettlenetics, and I have a stair stepper machine. My next goal is to get a Bodybeam....I think that would be something I would really use that would be really good. Since starting myfitnesspal I have given up regular soda...I don't really care much for diet soda so I have gotten to like the Coke Zero, also the Diet Fuze Lemon Ice Teas aren't bad and Mio Water and Light V-8 Fusions are good as well. And I am a coffee holic...love that. Actually its much easier giving up sodas then coffee for me. I have 3 kids. At one time I could fit into a size 5...would be happy to get bk down to a size 7. Right now am at about a size 13-16 depending on the brand.

North44

For those of you who want to share, I am interested to hear your stories about why/how you became overweight.

Were you always overweight? No, I had a bit of yo-yo-ing throughout my adult life, but was never super overweight
Or were you once a healthy weight? Even at my heaviest I was only a few pounds overweight by BMI standards
Did you "let yourself go"? Yes, I guess I did to a certain extent. After my fourth child was born life got busy. It was hard to exercise and I found myself taking a lot of pleasure from food.
Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? No, not really, other than having four kids- and my husband started to travel with his job.
And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food? I was overeating mostly fairly good food, restaurant food, and crap food too. I was not exercising.

Thank you for sharing, I think your stories will shed some light and help us to understand our weight loss journeys, since the mental component is so important, and we have to know where we come from to move forward.

Feel free to link to other past threads or groups.

Apyl32

I was in shape until I turned 21 and was pregnant with my first child. I gained almost 90 pounds with her and even though I went to weight watchers right after having her the weight did not come off it just piles on. Its now 11 years later and I'm about 150 pounds more than I was pre-pregnancy. I was also recently diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance. The doctor feels my medical issues kicked in while I was pregant with my daughter when my hormones where changing. So all these years I couldnt loose the weight because I was insulin resistant. I recently started metformin to help with this so should be able to loose weight now. I started today!

DontStopB_Leakin

I ate all teh foodz.

Also

sabotage.

This.

NobodyInParticular

I ate a lot.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I was once a healthy weight.

My dad died, unexpectedly, and I ate to sooth my broken heart. Great plan, eh?

kelly_e_montana

Always been overweight. Have achieved a healthy weight in my lifetime only through bulimia. Have achieved other fitness goals without being bulimic through regular exercise and calorie counting but have never achieved a "healthy BMI" without the additional use of purging methods. Have been calorie counting since I was 10.

I have not purged in approx. 10 years.

Ghette

I had a very high metabolism never ever worried what I ate. I got pregnant and my body did a flip. I would eat lettuce and gain weight. My doctor put me on a 800-900 cal diet I still gained weight. I said #%# it, if I was going to gain the weight anyway, I was going to eat what I wanted. Wrong wrong wrong attitude! I'm trying really hard to lose the weight now and it is still a struggle. I eat my allotted calories, walk 2 miles everyday and do strength training ever 2nd day to see very little to no movement on the scale. Frustrating to say the least.

CherokeeBabe

For me, I just became less active. I started working from home, going from 8+ hours a day on my feet and running around constantly to just sitting at a computer, combined with too much convenience food. I only put on around 20lbs, almost halfway done losing it, thank goodness!

americangirlok

For those of you who want to share, I am interested to hear your stories about why/how you became overweight.

Were you always overweight? No, I gained weight when I left home a very very long time ago

Or were you once a healthy weight? I was a healthy weight in my teens and then again two years ago

Did you "let yourself go"? Yes, I also met new friends who partied alot so I was drinking alot and eating alot....mainly greasy food.....alot

Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? No

And did anyone become overweight while still being an active person and (over)eating homemade, whole foods, or was it only through eating essentially crap food, processed foods, restaurant/fast food? Mainly with bad foods and not exercising

Thank you for sharing, I think your stories will shed some light and help us to understand our weight loss journeys, since the mental component is so important, and we have to know where we come from to move forward.

Feel free to link to other past threads or groups.

Pretty much always been overweight or at least thought I was. A few years ago I ran across some old high school photos and I was like "huh, I wasn't fat then afterall." Which made me really sad b/c I felt like I wasted so much time then. Anyway, I like junk food and I like TV and books and when I'm bored or depressed I just fall into that. That's not new. That and I have a tendency to be self destructive -not in obvious or "dangerous" ways. But with food, occasionally alcohol, definitely with smoking (6 weeks today!) speeding- that kind of thing. Like every time I've had some small success I've ruined it for myself and convince myself that it's always going to be like that. That I'm always going to fat and alone and die with my cats so I might as well enjoy what I eat. So my goal is just more better- even if it's a little at a time.

Mustaine4Pres

Had a baby. I gained some weight a few years earlier and got into an exercise\diet program. lost it in 6 months and was on a good schedule (would stop at the gym on the way home from work). didn't have a problem with my weight before, but darn it, it doesn't want to come off! Very worth the beautiful girl i have , but i wish i could get back to where i was.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I was anorexic, then I was anorexic and bulimic, then I was just plain unhealthy (I drank coffee and smoked and ate when I remembered to eat). I thought I had a poor relationship with food, I realize that I had a general imbalance in my life. I realized that my relationship with food and exercise had more to do with where I was mentally, but also that I had a but of a lack of knowledge. The past 2 years here haven't just been about budgeting my food and exercise but budgeting my life in general and attempting to make sure that I'm functioning with balance and at full potential. Balancing our household budget, balancing my work/life reality, balancing my sex life, balancing and balancing. More where I need it, less where I don't.

Athena125

I was very, very thin in my teens and early 20s. When put on anti-depressants in my mid-20s I gained weight, but then lost most of it the year after I got off. A back injury (along with the hunger producing and water-retaining steroid injections) made me gain weight very quickly; again, after my back healed, I lost it within a year. Most recently, though, it was 15 pounds gained from not working out and spending too much time working (in a seat), then the next year meeting my boyfriend and eating out wayyyy too much with him (he can eat A LOT). I gained another 15.

Last 6 months though, I lost about 13 pounds. Looking to lose the rest through healthier eating and exercise.

I notice that whenever I start eating whatever I want, I don't really eat bad foods; it's just that I don't eat enough good ones (protein and veggies). I mean, yeah, peanut butter and apples are healthy, but eating just that because I'm too busy puts on pounds! And just because something is from Whole Foods doesn't mean it's good for you...gluten-free flour is still WHITE flour most of the time and loaded with sugar. I had to learn all this the hard way...now I'm chubby :-(

This time around, though, I am really trying to weight lift 2x a week, an hour each, because I don't think I ever had enough muscle. So I'm trying to do something positive...if I had stayed thin, chances are I wouldn't have ever though of weight lifting, and I know it will be good for me in the long run!

peasantsong

I had a thyroidectomy and gained a lot of weight very quickly afterwards. These past 3 months are the first time in my life I have ever been overweight. It is a terrible feeling!