Share the REAL reasons why you're fat (or too thin)

ThePinkPenguin

I actually started to gain weight in college, and was embarrassed when one of my coworkers called me out for being heavy. I got motivated, started cutting back on the junk and going to the gym at my college. I think I lost 10-15 pounds from that.

But after I graduated, it didn't last. I worked office jobs, so the vending machines had so much crap in them that I was exposed to. Yes, I know, I could've chosen not to eat it, but I have always loved junk food, so I did. After a two-year period of struggling with trying to get a steady job and falling self-confidence, I put on enough to be a size 20.

The real wake-up call, though, was getting on my Wii Fit not long ago and seeing that I'd gained a pound and a half from the last time I was on it. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but that's when I realized I wasn't putting in enough effort at the gym and with my diet. I decided to come back here after not logging for several months. I'm down almost three pounds so far, and I still love my junk food, but now I know to try to eat it in moderation and am following Eat This, Not That to help me when I go out to eat and make a grocery list. Everyone here has been so supportive, so I could see myself sticking with this for a long time!

iWILLbeFit062012

I love food! That is all.

jennifer_417

Because I was trying to self-medicate with food. It worked, in a sort of half-baked-not-really kind of way. Then I realized I was killing myself and I would end up like my grandparents (dead) or like my mom (who had her first heart attack at 45, has heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes and is on dialysis, awaiting an kidney transplant.) Plus, I realized I might want to get a date and not feel like I had to settle for a jerk because I couldn't get a good guy because I was fat.

rainghirl

I love eating, always have. It's never been a problem before, when I was young I could eat as much as I liked and stayed at the right size for my height for years. I've always exercised too. Then I got a new job where meals were on expenses, so I ate up to my limit. Yes greed, pure and simple helped along with a dose of sprained ankle meaning no exercise.

I have learned the error of my ways, lost the weight I put on, got physio for the ankle, and am much more sensible in my choices - most of the time anyway! Special occasions I might still have a good meal out, but I make sure that I balance that with exercise and less food on other days of the week.

umer76

Bread (Nan bread)
White rice
Ice cream

Above are my main reasons.

Ramberta

I've been addicted to sugary things pretty much my whole life. No, I'm not blaming it on anyone, but the fact was just thinking about sugary things did (and still does sometimes) make me salivate, I wanted it that badly. I wouldn't just eat one cookie, I'd eat a dozen. Then go back for chocolates, mints, whipped cream straight from the can, hell, I even drank maple syrup straight once or twice. It's disgusting, but I just HAD to have that sugar fix as a constant part of my day.

Unfortunately, my mother had horrible eating habits too, and when she started to get very sick with cancer she was more concerned with her own eating than ours, so my eating just got more and more out of control. My fast food intake increased dramatically in college, as did my late-night eating, because I would take trips to Wal-Mart alone at 2 a.m. instead of sleeping. Then I'd stop at McDonald's on the way home, pig out all night, and sleep through my classes. My mother died my freshman year, and I finally flunked out in the fall of my junior year. I holed myself up in my room, and lost a little weight simply because I was too lazy to even eat, but when I did I still ate to excess. I ate more fast food than ever before, sometimes eating it three times a day for days on end.

Even as recently as last year, I would 'treat' myself to a pint of Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, eat the whole thing, and then snarf down some other sweets or junky foods. I had a job at a restaurant last summer as a delivery driver, and developed a habit drinking Dr. Pepper because I could have all the soda I wanted for free. I also got their horrible fried food for half off, so of course I ate way too much of that. My willpower was basically nonexistent, and my will to exercise even less than that.

I've got 25 years of sh!tty eating under my belt (literally!), but no more. I'm not going to just 'accept' being fat any more, or make excuses as to why I can't lose this weight. It's not going to come off instantly, but I'm more dedicated now than I ever have been.

rreiki

I joined My Fitness Pal because I am frustrated with my eating habits and my health and one causes the other to get worse. I feel like I am running around in circles. When I was young, my parents were concerned I was too thin. Then, if I put on some weight, they were afraid I would get fat. They were both very concerned with their weights. Even then it was like running around in circles. I eventually became a Tae Bo and water aerobics instructor and felt as if things were at a good place - I was at a healthy weight and felt great. THEN, I got a brain tumor, had it removed and ended up being disabled and unable to do alot of my old favorite things. THEN, I developed Hypothyroidism and my weight bounced up and down - mostly up. THEN, it was discovered I had Syndrome X and it was contributing to my weight issues. THEN, I was diagnosed with MS - which makes it hard to do things at times. So, I am finally fed up. It is time to get these things under control. I can't get rid of the MS but I can do things to make it more manageable and pain-free IF I can lose this weight. If I can lose the weight, then the oher 2 items of my Triple Threat will also just be things that have to be watched. I am 54 years old and I am watching my family members die and I AM NOT READY TO GO. Oh and just to be clear, I haven't figured out how to work everything on here yet. So, my ticker says 0 lbs lost but that isn't correct. By using this site and my meds and my dietician's advice, I have managed to drop 14 lbs since I started. YEA, go me!

SlimsLiftingMoreThanLipstick

Reasons I got fat and how I got thinner!

#1 I LOVE to snack! I have learned that I won't give up snacking so instead I snack on better things. Chips replaced with pistachios or celery, Candy replaced with blueberries or fruit, things like that.

#2 I knew I was putting on weight but I said I enjoyed eating whatever I wanted to so I didn't plan to stop. I had no clue what I was ACTUALLY eating. MFP was a major eye opener! I did not give up any specific thing or food group, I didn't say I would NEVER eat another cookie. I just made sure my energy out was more than energy in.

#3, while the above is true, I didn't actually realize how heavy I had gotten. It wasn't until I realized just how much weight I had gained that I decided to make changes.

#4 I always exercised so I reasoned I could eat. Problem was I ate too much, bad, and I did not exercise intense enough.

#5 I thought I hated to do certain things, until I realized I hated it because I sucked at it. The more I did them the better I got and the more I fell in love. This is especially true for running and lifting.

#6 I can blame a small part on having 4 kids, the last 2 being twins. I actually didn't gain a excess amount of weight with them but they certainly did stretch me to kingdom come. Carried them 38 weeks and they were both almost 7lbs!

Amberonamission

Food is really yum.

Amy62575

I didn't read through all 13 pages, so forgive me if my comment is a duplicate.

My answer is very simple:

I like to eat and I don't like to exercise...so I have often eaten more than I burned, hence I'm fat.

kaseysospacey

I gained most of my weight as a teen. My parents raised me on ****ty food. Breakfast (if you had it ) was sugary cereal and whole milk. Snack at school was hi-c and a little debbie's. Lunch was hot lunch or bologna and cheese on white w mayo and chips and a cookie. Dinner was hamburger helper or huge portions of pasta or hot dogs. No whole grains, no veg really, no real fruit. No real food. All in huge portions and you were hit or threatened if you didn't eat your food.

Then came bulimia and ednos and binge eating as a result of abuse. On top of this, any effort to work out was mockd by my own mother. I wanted to weight lift badly (my school had a program) and I wasn't allowed. "You're just a fat girl, if you life youll just get bulkier and look even fatter."

When I tried to get help from the abuse, my own mother got a pediatrician (not a therapist) to prescibe a variety of anti psychotic meds, claiming I was threatening her and bi polar. I was never questioned or sent to a therapist. The meds made my eyes water constantly and I gained a lot of weight in a very short time.

Eventually I tried to kill myself, at 14. The meds made me very sick and the only reason I was on them was to discredit me. In the hospital, I was finally able to talk to a real counselor. I was taken off of the meds and officially announced to be free of bipolar disorder. The dr prescribing them stopped working for the hospital but I dont know what happened, I was young. The cause of the abuse eventually went away.

Then came a miserable time of healing and hating my mother for what she'd done to me. I lost and gained. Pregnancy worsened it. I had postpartum thyroid problems that stayed, but got worse with each pregnancy. I went from 250 to 355 in less than 6 months, eating the same food as the people around me.

I got help and I currently have meds but do not lose weight at a normal calorie level.
Edited to add: now I'm 23 and already have had my gallbladder out and have fatty liver disease. If I don't lose weight, I'll be dead much, much sooner than I'd like to be.

nerdehgirl

I was a binge eater for many, many years. I remember even as a child (8 years old) I would binge eat. Sneak food out of the pantry when my parents slept, hid food under my bed/drawers/closet, and was sneaky in getting the garbage out of my room. That lasted for a few years, but instead of losing weight, I gained weight. I was always 'the fat girl'. I even remember my own grandmother, after going shopping for coats, she suggested that I become anorexic. Ugh. Little did we all know, that I actually had Borderline Personality Disorder, and binge eating is linked to it.

After having 2 kids, I weighed 248. I decided I needed a change. I ate less and less, and became utterly disgusted by the smell of food, the way it looked. I got down to about 205, in the most unhealthy way. I even started to lose my hair. Seriously. Wtf was I thinking?!! I've yo-yoed between 191 - 205 for the past few years due to binge eating and not eating... again! I decided in December it was time for a change. I'm getting therapy, and living a life style where I am seeing positive changes. I'm eating, AND losing weight... and staying full! Not to mention after changing my ways, I actually met a guy who I'm dating who is active. I've never felt better.

Piscesgrl227

I like going out to eat and alcohol and I wasn't really big into exercising. I saw myself getting bigger and decided to make some changes. I'm down about 10 pounds, but still have more to go to be considered "healthy".

ksrek

I am fat because I am an emotional eating. I eat too much food and do not use portion control. I am not happy with my life right now and I eat to try and make myself happy. I think I have been an emotional eating since I was a child. I know this is wrong, but do not know how to fix it. I see a therapist for this, but so far no luck. I keep trying though.

Getyourshineon

The sexiest thing a woman can wear is a smile!
[/quote]

This... I love!!!!!!!!!

cicisiam

Bad lifestyle choice, middle age and being laid off of work. Everything in life is a choice. Sometimes we get stuck ,even when we know better. Turning 40 should of been my wake up call, but I woke up at 47 instead. Moving forward no time for regret. Thankfully facing reality before 50, making and searching for the correct choices is leading me to the kind of life I want to live till I die.

Blossom59

#1--I always blamed my mother....she would tell me as a child to clean my plate. We had to clean the plate no matter how full we were. She would also would tell me "you be good and you can have a cookie" "you be good and you can have ice cream" ....to this day I carry that mentallity with me.....I always want to reward myself with food. I lose a pound then I deserve something good! The habit to clean my plate was a hard habit to break.

#2--- In my younger days I over endulged in drinking and partying. After those days were over .... I replaced the alcohol with food...I just did not have the dancing and moving replaced.....so I kept getting bigger and bigger

#3 I just like food! I love to cook....anytime my family, my church, my office ...etc.....gets together .... it is always centered around food. I just have a really hard time turning it down.

joleenl

I eat when I'm lonely or depressed. My only child is an adult and my my spouse is a workaholic....So when I'm alone I eat.... Or Used too! It was also food choices... junk food and fast food. I also think I'm a sugar addict so I'm having great success with cleaner eating.

SkinnyBeth4Life

I was raised on cheap food because I grew up poor. I was never hungry, but I was also never healthy. Eating mac and cheese and drinking kool aid for lunch five days a week isn't exactly good for you. Preconditioned to love sweet and salty foods, my entire lifestyle has been centered around eating. I also wasn't raised to be athletic or to enjoy sports (my parents didn't play outside with me), so I was conditioned to make and accept poor diet choices before I knew what "lifestyle" meant.

This. In a nutshell. Also, my single parent mother had a hard time planning meals. So, when I got out on my own I would do silly things like bring a can of corn to work for lunch. Then I tried SlimFast to get the weight off...it worked for a time but then I gained some of it back and now here I am working my way down again.

CCusedtodance

#1--I have been fat since I was born. My baby pictures show some heavy duty legs plus cheeks and I have kept those legs throughout the years (even during my skinny time in my twenties).

#2--My father would use my weight against me as a preteen and teen. I was trying to be involved in sports and band; however he would make me weigh each morning prior to attending an event. If I didn't weigh what number he had set (which a females body can fluctuate a LOT), I didn't get to go. He once grounded me for sneaking an apple to eat because I was so hungry! All of this put me on a whirlwind of hate, resentment and rebellion with food-- plus him. I have now realized I can no longer allow him to control me, by keeping those bad habits.

#3--I LOVE the taste and smell of food. I do not eat because I am bored or emotional, I eat because I LOVE it. However, just like some others have mentioned, I am now older and my body is telling me the weight has got to go.

#4--I have never liked "exercise", but I used to love to dance. I would dance, dance and dance in my twenties. I would so love to dance again and that is one of my goals.

FindingMonica

So many reasons...
I was an emotional eater, a bored eater. In love with junk food. Beng tired (lazy) after my long day at work<

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MY best excuse

otterish

I was a chunky baby, a tubby toddler and when I was eight years old my mom (taking black beauties at the time) and her doctor put me on a reducing diet. I have been "dieting" in one form or another ever since.
As an adult, I stuff my face when I am unhappy in the long term.

3nchantress

I'm to a point where any reasons I'm overweight seem irrelevant to me, because I'm determined to live in the present and only look forward, never back.

Well said.

RiverMelSong

Too many snacks (stress/boredom eater) and not enough exercise.

thelaurameister

Big combo of a bunch of things. I've always been overweight, I weighed 180lbs in 7th grade, but it really got out of control for me in 8th grade when I switched schools and didn't have many friends at my new school. I turned to food to comfort my depression of being separated from my friends and hating the school I went to. It became a habit, I started eating out of boredom, and just got bigger from there. I think in 10th grade I weighed 270lbs. Then I transferred back to the high school where all my friends were in 10th grade and joined marching band. I managed to lose 30 pounds (240lbs). Then I went to college and gained weight and my freshman/sophomore year I stayed around 270-280lbs. I met a boy who loved me for me and I used that as an excuse to eat like crap and got up to an eye popping 292. I would always use boys as motivation to at least attempt weight loss, but now that I had a guy that loved me the way I was, I lost that motivation.

ehorn625

lazy, stress eater, lack of willpower, like to eat, don' like to deny myself
Maybe I need a shrink, not a diet! :laugh:

monilove78

I could list a number of reasons, but primarily it's because I'm an emotional eater and over the years I have lacked the stamina to maintain any weightloss. Add to that the sheer fatigue of gaining and losing. i got sick of trying. <shrugs>

Now I'm trying to retrain my thoughts and beliefs about it all.

meredith1123

Because i like food, preferrably Cheetos sandwiches.

AprilNew1

Quit Smoking and picked up extra weight and just not taking care of myself like I should have.

mhogg4

I'm not here because I'm too fat. I'm here because I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I eat when I'm bored/stressed/upset and whenever there is food within sight, I eat it. Then I gain a few pounds and feel guilty about it because I'm not comfortable with my new weight (even thought I'm not "overweight"). By writing things down in this supportive group, it makes me accountable for what I eat, and I can recognize the reasons behind my eating. For example, if i notice that on a particular day I ate a lot of sweets/ice cream/chips etc, I can think "oh yah, that was right before a big exam, and I was stressed". Then I can recognize my triggers and hopefully prevent it from happening again.
So that's my story. I've been an emotional eater for years with my weight going up and down within a 15 pound range, and I want to stop it!