Why/how did you become overweight?

MrsRogers2010

Were you always overweight? Not overweight, but a little bigger than the rest of my friends (but I am much taller than them also)

Or were you once a healthy weight? Before I got pregnant I was pretty darn hotttt! lol, and during my pregnancy I didn't gain an insanely amount of weight probaly 25 lbs ( had morning sickness that lasted the whole 9 months)

Did you "let yourself go"? Yes, I moved right after having my son, over 150 miles away from home. I had no friends, and my husband worked long hours. I often told my husband "if we would have never moved I wouldn't be so big now, I had friends and places to go and could have stayed busy and lost this weight by now". I was also unemployed which was something new to me. I had always worked since I was 16, we lived in a SMALL town where there were no jobs, I didn't have a vehicle of my own at the time and I didn't have anyone to watch my son while I worked had I had a job. It was just me and the baby most of the time. I was bored, lonely, and depressed, and I turned to food. Then I found out I had a hypothyroidism, but I didn't stay on my meds like I should have, for various reasons. Then, as time went on, I continued to blame it on those factors. 7 years later here I am, weighing 30 lbs more than I did at 9 months pregnant! I only have myself to blame, and only I can change it.

conniemaxwell5

I have always been overweight by at least 25-30 pounds. At my heaviest I was 80 pounds overweight. I'm currently 40 pounds overweight and am hoping to get to what is normal for my body sometime this year. I grew up on a farm and we ate whole foods raised right there. My mom always made desserts though so I became addicted to sweets / sugar at an early age. I was bullied at school for my weight as well as my intelligence and I would come home and eat a cookie (or a few) while pouring my heart out to my mom. I think at some point I linked the sweets to the comfort she gave me. I still want to turn to them when I am stressed or overwhelmed. When I give up sweets, I lose weight so I know being overweight isn't just something I have to live with. I changed my lifestyle about 10 years ago and lost 45 pounds. I backslid and gained 30 of it back about 3 years ago. I turned 50 last year and decided it was time to get healthy. I joined a gym and started eating right and I've lost 35 pounds and am feeling great.

darrensurrey

Were you always overweight?
No. Was underweight!

Did you "let yourself go"?
Ate more than I moved as I got older/busier. Was quite active (climbed, trained) but ate a lot more carbs than I really needed to. Mmmm crisps. :bigsmile:

Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication?
Fortunately, not, so very much my own fault.

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?
At too much of everything. I ate quite healthily and cooked my own food for the last 10 years but just ate too much of it. Nothing new there!

You're right about the mental component - too often overlooked.

rileamoyer

Ate too much for my level of activity. That is all.

mommy1126

Were you always overweight?
No, actually before I had kids, I had never been anywhere close to overweight. In fact, if anything I had trouble not dipping in to the underweight category.

Or were you once a healthy weight? I was a healthy weight for most of my life.

Did you "let yourself go"? In part.

Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? During my last pregnancy (my son is now almost 2) I had severe complications, and so did he. So, I was on complete bed rest for approximately 2 1/2 months. The only time I could get up was to go to the bathroom. At the same time, I had gestational diabetes, and they had me on a special high calorie diet to try and offset the fact that he was not getting enough nutrition due to complications with the cord. So, needless to say, I put on a lot of weight.

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 combination. After my first son (12 years ago) I ate non-healthy stuff, and actually lost all but 5 lbs of my pregnancy weight. I have already mentioned the complications I had with my second son, and when I was pregnant with him, I actually ate healthily.

Debbe2

I ate too much. Pure and simple. Over consumed and under active. I've corrected that unbalance and am much happier and healthier.

SpecialSundae

Were you always overweight? Yes. I was a chubby child who loved food.
Or were you once a healthy weight? Yes, for about five minutes whilst suffering a second bout of Delhi Belly in India.
Did you "let yourself go"? No.
Or perhaps it was due to a traumatic event, injury or medication? Nope.
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've always (largely) eaten decent food, lots of fresh vegetables etc. I was just very inactive (or active in the wrong ways), ate portions which were too large and (at times) drank too much.

Bubsys_mom

Were you always overweight?

No. I was actually skinny/fit up until around 2001, my 8th grade year. Tagged with a bad knee and ovarian cysts, then the pressures of school I just gave up and started packing on weight.

Or were you once a healthy weight?

Once upon a time I was.

Did you "let yourself go"?

Yes.

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

Tendonitis in my right knee caused me to stop playing sports. I had ovarian cysts, which my doctor said could cause weight gain due to hormone imbalances. Then it just became depression and the attitude, "I don't give a f**k anymore."

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?

N/A

Liz12mae

i was actually too skinny now that i look back at it, before my daughter was born. But its just because i would dance til 6am at raves like every frid-sun... and i wouldnt do that now anyway....haha
but when i was pregnant i didnt exercise at all.... i mean at all... and i ate EVERYTHING, and a lot of it.. i gained more weight that i should during pregnancy, even my doctor kept telling me that. and then after she was born... i didnt go back to work for a year and continued to gain weight. overall in about at year or so i gained around 100 pounds. the good news is i am working my way back to where i want to be (about 20 pounds more than i was before my daughter) and i have every entention of being there by the end of the year. only 27 pounds to go!

Liz12mae

I let myself go and stopped caring. Food became comfort and before I knew it I was 374lbs and miserable and had to make a change! My story is as simple as that.

your profile picture is amazing! great job!

ami5000psu

I was a healthy 120-125 pounds and was very active all through high school. Like most people I gained a few pounds freshman year but it was no big deal. Then my sophomore year of college I got hit with a bout of serious depression and went from 135 to 160 in less than three months. Eventually I had to drop out of school for the semester to deal with the depression. I stayed around 160 for the rest of college. After I graduated I vowed to lose the weight and get healthier. It worked for a little while and I got back down to around 140 pounds my first year of graduate school. But living in an area I disliked and attending a school I ultimately ended up hating made me fall off the wagon. I gained everything back plus about 10 pounds. That put me at my highest weight ever--170 pounds. So once again I'm on a mission to get myself healthy and hopefully keep it off. I've gone from 170 pounds in 2011 to 147 as of this morning and I couldn't be happier.

HerBravado

I was always overweight as a child, but once I hit preteenhood, the weight dropped & I was normal, healthy, & active.
Then a really deep depression hit me, right around the age of 13 or so.
My parents thought it was simply teenage blues,
but then my period disappeared for an entire year.
Again, they thought it was normal, since it was known that a girl can "lose" her period for a little while & get it back.
Long story short, my gyno finally diagnosed me with PCOS,
after I packed on about 80lbs.
Just started taking the diagnosis seriously a couple of years ago.

iLoveMyPitbull1225

It allllll happened after high school. I was never skinny or anything but I was reasonably athletic, being on the dance team and I ran track. However after I graduated I stopped these activities and that was a big factor. I love to party always have, so ungodly amounts of alcohol over the years has contributed...and finally, really bad eating habits. I love food, everything, I would eat anything and everything I wanted, whenever I wanted. I love to cook and bake. I had jobs over those years at food places, one was a donut shoppe and one was panera bread. I was surrounded by deliciousness. The combo of all three is why I got to how I was.

OfficiallySexyVal

I have always been a little on the chunky side but never super overweight that was until my grandma passed away when I was 13 and I gained over 100lbs in less than a year. I went from being a 5'10" 180lb 13 year old to being a 5'11" 300lb 14 year old. It was a very hard time in my life and I have worked passed those issues and now on the way to recovery.
Only 60lbs to go until I am back to where I was!

DebbieLyn63

I was pretty skinny as a kid growing up in the 70s. By HS, I was more naturally muscular and carried an extra 5-10 pounds in my midsection and thought I was 'fat' compared to the other thin girls, so I had to watch my weight to keep it in line. I discovered alcohol in college and gained a little, got married, gained a bit more, got divorced, lost the extra weight, got married again, got pregnant and gained, lost the baby weight, got pregnant again, lost most of the baby weight, had a bad accident at work, was off work due to broken neck and surgeries, gained 30 pounds, back to work and lost the weight, few years later got divorced, had back surgery and gained some, lost most of it after going back to work, few years later got married, had a knee injury and surgery, got pregnant with third child at 36, went back to work after birth with 30 extra pounds. Three months later had a severe disabling spine injury that put me in a wheelchair for a few years.
Constant pain and immobility, plus stress of losing my job and income, then father dying, then having my youngest dx'd with Autism, all added up to five years later having added another 50 pounds to the 30 I was carrying already. 100 calories a day over maintenance is all it takes to gain 10 pounds in a year. Do that 5 years in a row and that is 50 pounds. It is just that easy.

I didn't gorge myself with donuts and fast foods. The only time in my life that I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight, was around age 30 when I was working a very physical job and training with some pro bodybuilders. But even then, I was only eating between 2000-2500 a day to maintain.
My extreme decrease in activity after my knee injury, pregnancy and then permanent disability at 37, coupled with the stress of all the life events that happened during those 5 yrs left me at an all time high weight of 237 when I finally stepped on the scale at a WW meeting. I changed my eating and concentrated on losing by various ways over the next few years, and my weight fluctuated down and up and by the time I started here in Aug 2012, I was at 228.

For the past 6 months I have logged on every day, and aside from Holidays, have stayed around my calorie goal and have exercised as I can. I have managed to lose 37 pounds and am halfway to my 'Healthy' goal.

For me, it was accepting my reality and that I simply cannot eat as much as others, no matter how hard they may try to insist that I can, according to some online calculator. I have to know my body. I have to be consistent. I can't do it for a week and expect 75 pounds to be gone. I have to stick with it even when the scale doesn't move as fast as I would like it to.
I have to be happy with 1 pound a week. At that rate, in six months I will be down another 26 pounds and only have 11 pounds to go. YAY!

For me, I have never accidentally lost weight. I have to remain conscious of my weight and calorie intake at all times, and must continue to do so if I wish to keep this weight off. It sucks, but it is so worth it! I feel better now than I have felt in 12 years.

Pixi_Rex

Well growing up - no until Graded 5 - 7 I was fat... lost weight over the summer before Grade 8 and during grade 8 lost a total of 50 pounds... kept the weight off until a few years after I graduated because I was active with swimming and walking everywhere ( I grew up in a town of 500ish people and we would just walk for hours after school sometimes not getting home until 9pm) and watching what I ate (or rather my mom was watching what I ate because I asked her to) A couple year later I moved away and in with my boyfriend and my thyroid went pffftt and I gained even more weight and then I was in a car accident which left me was some injuries to my back, and left shoulder/arm and I got frustrated and quit trying because I was in pain and I am not a nice person when I am in pain.

Do I blame anyone? No one but myself, yes I have a thyroid that would rather just take up space in my body than do what it is supposed to, yes i was in an extreme car accident that left me pretty messed up physically but mentally and emotionally as well and I just let things get away from me and now I am fighitng like hell to get back into some kind of a shape other than round.

DebbieLyn63

I have always been a little on the chunky side but never super overweight that was until my grandma passed away when I was 13 and I gained over 100lbs in less than a year. I went from being a 5'10" 180lb 13 year old to being a 5'11" 300lb 14 year old. It was a very hard time in my life and I have worked passed those issues and now on the way to recovery.
Only 60lbs to go until I am back to where I was!

You were 5'11" at 14?? Wow, that had to be a bit tough on you even without the extra weight. So sorry you went thru such a traumatic time at such a young age. Good for you now that you are working on improving your health, and congrats on your success so far. You are a very strong young lady. You will certainly reach your goal!

Wanderson1311

I had always struggled with my weight throughout teens and early adulthood. My weight never really became a huge issue until I got married and noticed that it was out of control. When I started having a kids is when it really spun out of control.
I would say that I really just let myself go. Once my now husband put a ring on my finger I really just stopped trying. I feel bad because thats not fair to him or me.
My husband would never ever say anything about my weight. He always says that he loves me just the way I am. But I want to feel sexy and I want to feel like when he looks at me he thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Which I am sure he does.

juliemouse83

I was skinny...all through childhood, high school, early adulthood, and into my 30's.

I was in the low 120's in my teens and 20's, and in the 130's in my 30's. I took a job that was sedentary, and I wasn't moving around as much as I had been in previous work, and crept up to the low 140's about 8-9 years ago. I looked okay, tho. Healthy, not chunky, or like skeletor.

5 years ago my husband had a bunch of surgeries on his neck, and it put him out of work for a while. Continued surgeries, ultimate disability, three kids to raise, I was working two jobs, and everyone was tended to but me. I was too busy worrying about everyone else; and not just immediate family. I was doing it at work, too, trying to fix everything for my employees.

I got in the habit of caring for everyone but me. I didn't feel that I had time enough to take care of myself, and in December 2012, it showed. Well, it showed back last April...I saw a picture of myself at an art auction and could NOT believe how ROUND I was. Last December was when I said to hell with it, I'm taking me and making ME a priority. Period.

I signed up here in the spring of 11, and did all the wrong things...ate 1200 calories daily, worked out, lost weight, didn't know about BMR & TDEE. I got hungry, cranky and then the weight loss stalled. I stopped logging. I gained back the weight. And then some. Then I had an accident that put me off my feet for about a month last year, and by spring I was ready to do it again, but I did it wrong again. (Y'all remember the definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?) Well, that happened. So I got hungry, got frustrated, gave up and took up sitting on my @$$ and feeding my face.

Lesson learned? You can't take good care of anyone else if you are unhealthy or dead. I am learning to make ME a priority. And damned if it doesn't feel GOOD!

BrotherBill913

I've had a few very serious accidents since I was about 22. Broke my spine once, was in a wheelchair long time, long story. Then in 06 broke my neck. Yes had the Halo on my head, 4 srews drilled into my skull to hold it on. Sexy huh??? lol..... Both from motorcycle wrecks, So with injuries comes down time and then the weight gain. Going through a MINI injury now and this inspired me to do better for myself today

ahviendha

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?

I was not always overweight. I was a healthy weight until I began my long term, long distance relationship when I was 19. Then I packed on 50-60lbs. I did let myself go, when I was with him I was happy, ate whatever he ate, and when we were in separate countries again, I stuffed my face with gelato and cookies. I became overweight eating crappy food, too much of it, and not exercising.

Then I realized, at 22, I felt trapped in my own body.

bettynfamily1

I have been overweight for most of my life. It started back when I was diagnosed with rhuematic fever back when I was going into 7th grade. At that point I was so tired I could not go to school, I had to stay in bed all the time. My mom was the best cook ever, fried chicken, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, all kinds of things and to soothe me from the fact that I couldn't do anything she fed me quite well. A year later when I went back to school and had to stay down a grade because the school did not get me a tutor, no one recognized me I had gained so much weight! Probably about 180 lbs as a 7th grader. Went up and down with fad diets and such and ended up passing out all the time and was told I needed to have surgery to get my weight level and keep it there, as my heart was not adjusting to the ups and downs. Did well with that but did start gaining again, spent a lot of time with my Mom and she always had homemade baked goodies hanging around and loved it when we ate, none of the 8 of us are small! Had colon cancer in 2005 and almost died and lost tons of weight then. My mother passed in September of last year and it has really taken it's toll on me. I don't have all the goodies to eat anymore and I don't take her to Bob Evans for breakfast after church every Sunday or Wednesday night Max & Ermas with cheeeburgers and pina colodas! Or Arhcie's ice cream! Though I wish she could still be here! So in September last year, my two older daughters and I decided it was time to do a competition between the 3 of us. We joined Myfitnesspal and started keeping track. I have been doing Zumba 3 times a week and I have always walked and now I wog when nice out. My daughter's' did get my metabolism so they struggle also. Since joining I am down 27 lbs and have went from a size 18 jeans to 12! I feel so much better about myself and pray that the good Lord will continue to help me thru this journey in my life and the loss of my mother!

carlysuzanne85

I was sexually abused by brother from ages 6-5. (I can't believe I'm posting this!) People talk about emotional eating - I think I ate so I wouldn't feel anything, and I got very good at not feeling anything. Comfort food was my friend, especially growing up in a family where meat & potatoes ruled. Even so, I was a jock in high school and college so even though I was overweight all the activity kept it in check. After college I stopped being a jock but never changed my eating habits. Later, even though it was subconscious, I'm pretty sure I gained weight as a protection - against any kind of emotional attachment to people... against life.

Fast forward to post-grad school - the memories started coming back, depression and PTSD set in, and comfort food was...well.... a comfort. And the depression made it all but impossible to get moving and get some exercise, and I was on a cocktail of 5 different psych meds, some of which caused some weight gain. I was also drinking a lot of alcohol to forget and probably came closer to being an alcoholic than I'd like to think about.

Fast forward again to now:
- years of therapy later, no more psych meds
- joined a gym and work out 5-6 times a week
- the gym has a pool and I swim 3-4 times a week
- I see a nutritionist/dietician who believes in real food and no diets
- I've dropped from a 4x-shoulda-been-a-5x to 1x, size 28 to 22
- I've lost just under 100 pounds and I'm about halfway to my current weight goal.

You are an inspiration. I'm so sorry for what you went through but am so inspired by how far you have come. Thank you for sharing.

Psyb3r

I have always been overweight. Ever since I was a baby (I weighed 9lbs when I was born). It didn't get better from there Seriously though, I was always overweight, always the FAT kid in class. Part of that was due to diet, all we ate at my house growing up was Mac&Cheese, Pasta, and burgers and Pizza. I lost some weight when I was in my junior year of high school, but then gained it all back and then some by the time I went to college. Then I gained the freshman 20, and kept gaining from there until I was at my heaviest weight 2 years ago at 250lbs. I was actually very active in both high school and college ( I played sports all the time), but I think I out ate my exercise by far lol. I've lost 93lbs so far, and I've kept it off for 2 years now. I still have a bit to go, but I don't think I'll ever go back to where I was before.

sullus

It's a simple story. After High School, I wasn't good enough to play college level sports, discovered beer, had a 24-hour pizza delivery that charged $8 for a half sheet sicilian pizza, and the sat night canteen truck made the best bacon, egg, and cheese (with mayo) subs at 2:00am

You've heard of the freshman 15? I did the freshman 50 and never looked back.

Jennisin1

I had my weight under control (PCOS) until I got pregnant and gained 100lbs... back to back pregnancies left me 40lbs overweight.

turkeyhunter60

marriage, kids, job behind a desk. Am working to gain back what I had 25 years ago.

bluefrog_2001

I was always first one at the trough.

Seriously, I started eating for comfort at an early age, and that with a genuine love for food, made me overweight. I was always 20-30 over "ideal" weight, but after I had kids I really packed it on.

dayr1993

I am a yoyo'er when it comes to weight, i put on LOADS when my dad left; big comfort eater then i got into college and lost about 3 stone due to depression and not eating, then i put it all back on when i went to uni and was homesick, now i have made some amazing friends at uni and we are all on the journey together, this time im loosing weight the right way not the wrong way adn hopefully i can commit to it forever meaning i will have the body i want and can work towards just maintaining the weight

HaleyxErin

When I was a little kid I was a really picky eater and I ate a lot of chicken nuggets from McD's and BK. When I was in third grade my teacher told my mom about Weight Watchers and I started doing that lost a lot of weight (I was playing softball as well so I was exercising regularly) then my Dr. took me off because I was about to hit puberty and I would have a growth spurt and all that fun stuff, so I quit and gained it all back and I've been trying to lose it ever since and I've done WW again, I've done Medifast and now I'm trying this.