Why/how did you become overweight?

Artaxia

Pregnancy and hormones FUN TIMES!

topazora

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.

I was always a little overweight. In highschool, I was 140-150lbs and then college made it up to 170-180lbs. But lost 30 and got down to 150lbs. But I gained 20lbs back by letting myself go and eating too many calories from bad foods. So I started trying to watch my calories and what I ate, and dropped the high calories bad foods.
So while plateauing at 170, regular milk had always made me brake out in zits, so I switched to soy milk in my college years. After college, I noticed I was bleeding more often than usual and eventually the bleeding got really bad and I started gaining weight- even though I was eating healthy. It wasn't until my doctor tried putting me on birth control, the bleeding got out of control and I ended up in the hospital that's when we found the uterine fibroid- something I believe was caused by the soy and the birth control. But the hormone disaster caused me to gain 50lbs. So, I really should weigh 130lbs, the first 40lbs was my fault, I should've known better, everyone was saying, count your calories and I didn't listen. It was the next 50lbs that was caused by hormones malfunction. Now that the fibroid is gone and I'm no medication, I'm losing the weight

ReadyForWeightLoss

I was always "chunky" growing up. But when i turned 14 i got tired of it , I wanted a change I started at 205 and lost 55 pounds by going to my local ymca. I dont remember how long it took me to lose the 55 pounds but it was like around 10 months. I mantained my weight at 160 for 2-3 yrs then i let my self go wat back to 205 and got pregnant at 17 almost 18 then gained 45 pounds with pregnancy . After two rounds of depo shot i ganed 15-20 pounds. Now im here trying to lose 100 pounds and keep myself at 160 .

Terran1976

Trained in the martial arts growing up, so was very active. My mom cooked most of the time although I preferred fast food.
Got a job at Mcdoanlds at the age of 16. MISTAKE. I was around 140 the , wearing a size 10 or so. Ate constantly. Quit martial arts. Ate more. Met my future husband and had my son. Really let myself go after that. I was still working as a restaurant manager and eating constantly. Had my daughter and got divorced. Big weight gain. Stress of being a business owner and raising my.2 kids...I got up to my highest weight of 235; I started working out and lost 50 pounds. Kids got chicken pox and I lost the habit of going to the gym. Gained it al back.
I got so sick one week that I couldn't keep anything down. Lost 10 pounds and decided what the hell, I'll keep going. Currently down to 181 with another 30 lbs to lose.

Phoenix_Warrior

I started eating too much and moving less after high school.

DeterminedToLoseIt02

I was skinny up until I was around 11 or 12 and I was eating badly for a while and when I hit puberty I gained weight. I've heard it's common since I've eaten really badly since then but I put on any weight since I was maybe 14. Only thing now is taking the weight off.

tfleischer

bumping this. Will reply with some thought to it tomorrow.
Going to bathe and soak and go to bed.

Dewymorning

I was a normal weight until I started university. After that I started eating a lot of junk food- high sugar energy drinks, muffins, cookies etc.

It was not unusual for my breakfast everyday to be a large hot chocolate and a muffin, or a chocolate danish.

Slowly my weight crept up and up. In my 3rd year I decided I needed to join the uni gym (which I should have done in 1st year, hindsight is a wonderful thing), and that stopped me putting on weight, but I never lost more then a kilo.

Then whenever I stopped going to the gym my weight would keep going up. I would start again, the weight gain would stop, but would never lose.

I finally hit the point where I was borderline obese according to BMI, and a friend of mine was using MFP, so I decided to give it a try, and I finally started being able to lose weight.

I am now almost back down to the weight I was at the beginning of my 3rd year at uni.

blueberrybelle21

I was always very skinny as a child. While I was not underweight for my age, at some points I was for my height (I have always been tall). When I was 12 or so I finally hit puberty and started filling out a bit more, and suddenly I was no longer a 'skinny kid'. I think overeating was quite a lot of my problem too, I snacked a lot in the afternoons and at the time we had a caregiver who was lovely but always got me chips and ice cream. I probably should have said no, but I was used to having a fast metabolism and being able to eat whatever I liked. I kind of adopted a 'I'll start my diet tomorrow' attitude for a few years, which was really bad, but now I am eating healthier foods and exercising more!

Vnm77

Born that way! 10lbs at birth... But, now I'm getting to my ideal weight, finally!

aronao

Born big - 9lb plus in the early 70s, both parents overweight. Spent most of my childhood eating way too much, being topped up on chocolates and cake by my Holocaust-surviving grandparents, both overweight too, who lived with us. Never told not to eat something or to stop eating or to eat less.

Finally when I was in the last year of high school, I told my parents I was going on a diet, lost 10kg+ and kept it off for about 5 years but regained. Then been yoyo dieting ever since.

Now, working on a healthy method of weight loss, doing exercise and targeting a sustainable and realistic GW.

LeboMatho

Tagging for later.

rb16fitness

Had always maintained a healthy weight until a few years ago. Piled on 28 lbs through not exercising any self discipline. Felt worthless seeing my reflection but couldn't muster the motivation to do anything about until recently. My self esteem improves a touch with each pound that comes off.

RemyaUnnikrishnan

I was only 52 kg 4 years back. Then after my college that means 2 years back i was 54 or something. Then after college slowly i started gaining weight. That was due to the difference in my food pattern. But the starting was my exercise sessions. I used to do yoga while i was 12 years old. But My Sessions were in a slow pace..Ie i used to exercise only whenever i like and that too in a moderate pace. So i didn't gain much pounds back. But once i joined an ART OF LIVING CLASS. There i used to do sooryanamskaras. The class was only for 7 days. There i worked out like a freak..i haven't worked out like that in my lifetime. But after that i returned to my old exercise pattern. I rarely moved. I was not conscious about working out because i was still in a healthy weight. and i started gaining weight. But i didn't knew this because i didn't used to check weight. But my shape changed. Flabs started getting visible. This was when i noticed my weight gain. I was really upset about it. and i joined a gym. This was another mistake from my side. After taking a break i gain weight which i lost earlier. Now i'm 64 kg and my height is 5'2.

arcana7609

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? Started gaining around age 10 and gained 40 lbs in one year.
Or were you once a healthy weight? Was a very hyper skinny kid before that
Did you "let yourself go"? As much as most 10 year olds.
Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? Have no idea
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? It was the 1970s so everything we ate was either killed by my dad or grown in our garden. The closest fast food is still 30 minutes away.

I answered above, but to elaborate. I was a little chubby before 10 years old and then my weight just kind of blew up. By age 12 I was 218 lbs. I was in track, played softball and was a cheerleader. I was very active and ran two miles a day and in the summer time spent all my time roller skating and swimming. We didn't have cable in the 70s and 80s so I spent all my time outside playing. My mother took me to one doctor after another because my paternal grandmother had to have her thyroid removed, but her thyroid problem never showed up in regular tests. My paternal aunt had thyroid cancer. My maternal aunt is hypothyroid and so is my mom. My maternal cousins all have thryoid disorders.

My mom knew something was wrong with me because I would be super hyper one day and then the next I would have to lay down just to fold washclothes. Each motion made me physiclally exhausted. My thyroid showed up normal on the basic test they would do. No one ever tested me further or checked my anitbodies.

One doctor finally told my mom that my problem wasn't medical it was a case of "too many donuts" so my mom put me on a diet and put me in a weight loss group where as an 11 year old girl was told that a good way to motivate myself was to take a picture of a pig and put my picture on it and stick it on a fridge.

I learned to hate myself. I kept gaining even though I was very active. When I would swim people would tell me "no one wants to see you in a bathing suit stay home" so I stopped swimming.

When I would be walking kids would say "stay in your house"

People want fat people to lose weight, but apparently don't want to have to watch them go through the process. I became very depressed and of course stopped doing anything. If you do nothing even if you eat very little you're gonig to gain weight if you don't burn any calories. I didn't understand this basic concept. I also wouldn't eat breakfast or lunch. I would wait until I got home from school to eat. I would then overeat, but nothing like binging.

I am now 405 lbs and my mobility is fine. My last job was carrying 40 to 50 lbs boxes around and jumping up and down to load printers. I would like to get down to 299.

A lot has changed for me. Mostly my opinion of myself. I don't hate myself any longer. This has led to me making healthier choices. I am trying to be more active, but still having problems with energy even though I am now on thyroid meds and the endo informed me I have Hashimotos and have probably had it my entire life. I didn't go on meds until age 42. I am now 44.

I've been logging my foods without really restricting and in 32 days have been under my calorie goal 28 times. I am set to lose 1 lb a week.

I haven't weighed myself since I started and I probably won't. I am just taking it day by day.

darrensurrey

Thinking I was invincible and started eating 2-3 of these a week on my own.



(As well as my normal food intake.)

dga226

i was overweight as a child my mother always gave me seconds sometimes thirds. I was active some bowling some basketball with friends and bike riding but most times was video games and a soda or chips. then i got older and lived on my own and always made sure had plenty of soda on hand would go through two or three 3 liters in a day not good i know and my teeth are bad

but time for a change just ened to eat better and get the stress of my life

if any one here wants to add me feel free and tell me why

dga226

lets start a trend to being heal;thy

maffff

Was Working in an office, sedatory lifestyle, just got lazy. Stopped going to the gym and work hours increased. As work got busier I'd be leaving home at 6 in the morning and grab something on the way in, get something lunch time then more likely to pick up something on the way home rather than cooking, or cook at 10 etc. Found myself snacking too. Had a year or two I wasn't happy with the partner [now ex-girlfriend, best decision I ever made] and I was fed up/depressed, but that just sounds like an excuse with hindsight. She was quite lazy too and liked ordering pizza in, etc, or cooking crap rather than anything proper.

I'm 6ft, Got up to 222lbs, although I didn't look nearly 16 stone I was mortified when I weighed myself on day. Had a load of change at once, broke up with the ex, moved town, changed role at work, and met the girl I'm with today. My girlfriend suggested the app to me as she was looking to lose a bit of weight and I thought I'd do it too as a motivational thing, I think I've taken up on it a lot more than her. I'd had a few comments from family etc about my weight but just kinda brushed them off, despite the office. Now people are starting to notice the change, and it's great.

I knew I wanted to drop weight but never had the motivation to gym crazily or go though the punishment of a diet. I'm probably eating more than I ever was on MFP, but I'm more educated on food and have a better idea of what's in things. I'm ramping up gym activity too and overall a bit less sedatory. Allow myself to snack etc, but as long as I know what I'm logging it's fine, or I'll switch to something which isn't as bad.

Was never 'small' but I wasn't big either. Kinda upper end of healthy range. SInce June I've gone from 16stone to 12.8 and feel like once I hit my goal I can maintain it this way if I give myself a range and infrequent weighing - if I push the top end, cut back a little.

My goal has changed too now, I want to get my fitness up and possibly bulk a little once I hit my lower range [where I'll probably be skinny-fat]. At the moment strength and fitness is sorely lacking.

All in all, no excuses, stress didn't help but I got lazy and comfortable then with what I was doing, didn't realise quite how bad a lot of things were and I had no motivation to change the rut I got stuck in. Now I've got a different motiavtion that feels manageable.

I've never dieted before [I have used the gym alone to lose weight - lost 2 stone then at one point over the next year put 3 on once winter struck, a few injuries and excuses to avoid going to the gym crept in] and it always sounds like it's meant to be torture. This hasn't felt like a diet.

linzchapates

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.

No, I wasn't always overweight. I maintained a healthy normal weight and BMI until my first year of University.

I did let myself go. Got in a relationship, ate a lot of the same foods together. Knew I had gained some weight but didnt' really pay attention to just how much .
The relationship was turbulent and I was isolated from friends and family, I turned to eating food as a hobby. I basically just sat around waiting for the next meal. I also didn't really have a good handle on what my body actually needed calorie wise. also, my ideas of portion sizes were really far off reality.
Basically it came down to being accountable to myself. Did I eat out of stress and boredom? Yes, was I in a crappy place in my life that caused me to do this? Yes... but I'm the only person who could change these situations. I'm not defined by circumstance anymore

DavidTacoma

Fatty foods and lack of exercise caused fatness and weight gain. Avoid all fatty foods like meats, nuts, grains, cheese, fast foods, fried and dairy products. Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, yogurt, drink green tea, fruit juices and plenty of water. Go for walking, running, and cycling. It burns fat,make strong bones and muscles, boost energy, improve heart functions and improve fitness.

GuybrushThreepw00d

Were you always overweight? Or were you once a healthy weight?
No, I was always "healthy". At 18 i was 147lbs (10.5 stone).

Did you "let yourself go"? Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?
Routine changed when i started working, i ate about the same but drank more alcohol and moved less.
I had poor realisation about what effect nutrition and exercise would have. I also didn't have any goals for my body.

mamma_nee

MY CAR AND MY JOB MADE ME FAT !!!!!


I was never skinny but never over weight I am 5` 1`` and weighed 105 lbs when I graduated high school , I was always very active - rode my bike everywhere, Played tennis, volley ball, soccer , danced alot , 100 sit ups every night before bed , I never sat in front of a television .

After high school I got an office job and a car and the rest is history I remember driving around a parking lot 10 times to get a parking spot close to the entrance to a mall !!! LOL now I park as far as I possible can .

nikamar

My only problem were the portions. I didn't even eat "junk" that much, and I was a very active runner.
I simply ate too much, no mystery there.

DavidTacoma

Fatty foods and lack of exercise caused fatness and weight gain. Avoid all fatty foods like meats, nuts, grains, cheese, fast foods, fried and dairy products. Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, yogurt, drink green tea, fruit juices and plenty of water. Go for walking, running, and cycling. It burns fat,make strong bones and muscles, boost energy, improve heart functions and improve fitness.

<a href="http://befittacoma.com/">Tacoma gyms</a>

loopy1962

In my teens and early 20's I was always a size 8- 10 (English) and never weighed more than approx. 8 stone. Then when I had my first child I went up to a size 12, by the time I had my 2nd child I went up to a size 14 and then an accident meant I lost my right leg. The trauma of it all and being stuck in a hospital for 10 weeks away from my kids who were only 2 and 4 years old meant I went intoa deep depression. For comfort I ate. I went to the sweet shop in the hospital every day and stuffed chocolate and crisps as it made me feel better for a short while. I went up to 12 stone when I left the hospital and I was stuck ina wheel chair for 6 months. I loved cooking and kept making cakes to keep busy, the kids loved it but it meant my weight kept going up especially as I couldn't walk to burn it off.
Now my weight is at 18st 2lbs and although not in a wheel chair now I walk with crutches, have a tumor in my spinal column which is paralysing me and cant get around much.
I have started tracking my food and have got myself a personal trainer to come twice a week to start me off exercising. As my upper body is ok we use a lot of dumbbell work and after 7 weeks my top half has gone froma size 26 to a 22 so I am amazed but I am also depressed as my weight hasn't gone down on the scales. I am always under my calorie allowance and really so fed up that the weight isn't coming off.
Any advice would be great.

jane (loopy)

DawnieB1977

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.

Both my parents are I overweight, and I started to get overweight as a teenager, despite eating healthily (we were never allowed to go to places like McDonald's, and the first time I tried a take-away was in my 2nd year of university!). I didn't know a lot about eating properly then, so I used to starve myself. I'd eat a small bread roll for lunch, and that was it. I also wanted to save my school dinner money for books lol. I used to walk to and from school, a mile each way, as my dad was always at work and my mum didn't learn to drive until I was 14, and then my parents shared the car. I did PE twice a week in school, played badminton after school on a Fri etc. so I was fairly active, and I didn't eat junk or stuff my face.

I lost a load of weight at university, and then by about age 23 I was a uk size 10/12 (US 6/8). I barely ate though, and did loads of cardio.

I put some weight on again when I was about 26 and had moved in with my now husband and started doing teacher training, which was very stressful and time consuming. I got engaged when I was 30 and lost loads of weight again. Then I got pregnant just after my wedding and put weight on, lost it, got pregnant again, put more weight on as I was lazy in that pregnancy, lost it all and more and became a very toned size 6/8.

Now i am 20 weeks pregnant, still logging and eating well, and exercising 4 or 5 times a week. I hope that next April I won't be having to lose loads of weight again!

Eyerin

I'm in my early 50's so I have a few decades to deal with. Lol.



Q. Were you always overweight?

A. No. I was a tall, slender, lanky girl for many years until my mid 30's. I was one of those people who could eat and never really gain too much. I thought my thighs were fat though at our wedding when I was 120 pounds soaking wet, which was ludicrous.


Q. Or were you once a healthy weight?

A. Yes, until my 30's. I was always 5'7" and weighed in between 115-130.


Q. Did you "let yourself go"?

A. Yes, I did. I love making comfort food, baking and snacking. One day, I looked at a photo from our hot vacation and was disappointed. I was 185 and unhappy with myself for this.


Q. Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?

A. Yes this too. It sure didn't help. An underactive thyroid gland medical condition cause me to pile on even more in a very short time in my early 40's. It took a longer than usual time to have a proper diagnosis of how a person could gain 20 lbs. in a month while eating the same healthy offerings after I'd successfully lost 50 lbs. in changing my lifestyle with healthy eating and good exercise habits. I kept being told "welcome to menopause", but I knew it was something more than that.


Q. 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?

A. Crap food, and quick bites at home. As parents of 2 busy athletic pre-teens/teens at the time, we were running them to their much loved (both different) sporting leagues summer and winter every night a week as their games were on alternating nights. Shovelling food in 10 minutes between getting home from work and getting to the event was not a healthy way to go.. Not big on fast food or having it too often, but there were days.....Of course, the kids were active. We, not so much other than a lawnchair or bench and concession food.


Interesting thread and good to know we all have different stories and are not alone!

MzExclusive85

For me, I come from a family that is naturally big on both sides. Then on top of that we always "cook" good and "eat good" I've always been unhappy with my weight/size b/c I was developed way before other girls my age. I thought I was fat many times when I really was just an average size. Now that I am older, i have used food to deal with my emotions and being bored etc. and I eat like theres no tomorrow. Now that I am truly big I am wishing that I was the size I was when I thought I was fat. I've been trying to lose weight for years only to lack the dedication and willpower needed to succeed. But now I'm fighting to regain my old self again!

mygrl4meee

Was an healthy weight until my first pregnancy at 14. Was forced into placing her for adoption. So lots of emotional eating. Married the first guy that came along and spent 11 years in an unhappy marriage not feeling loved or wanted. Divorced and we married and happy. Found my daughter and reunited a few years ago so I am finally at a good place in my life and doing this for me.