Why are we fat?!

sugarlips1980
sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been a yo yo dieter throughout my 20s, a common story for so many on here. In my third week now and lost 10 Ibs and got a long way to go but feeling really motivated to see it through thanks to MFP. But I'm determined for this to not be another fad diet so I'm trying to understand why I'm overweight. I know I went on near starvation diets in the past that we're unsustainable and led me to binges, piling the weight I'd lost back on and more. It was all or nothing, very low cal or pigging out. I can't tell you how many stones I've lost and regained over the last decade! Now I'll never allow myself to feel starving.

I think back to when I was my slimmest as an adult, about 10 stone 7 Ibs when I was 18 or 19 years old. I felt hideously overweight then and felt I should be about 8 stone (I'm 5 foot 8). Jeez, I wish I could shake my teenage self! All I needed to do was lose maybe 7-14 pounds, slowly, but most importantly tone up. Now I AM overweight for real...I'm over 4 stone heavier than my 18 year old self! I think I am changing my outlook now that I've turned 30... It's as much about health as looks now and I don't think I'll compare myself to other people like I did back in school. I think, the fat aside of course, I've got a decent figure (hips, boobs etc). And with every 7 Ibs lost I'm going to appreciate the changes. When I get down to my ideal (9st 7Ibs - 10 st 7 Ibs) I will make sure I love and appreciate my body and feel sexy! I don't know why I never did, I'd kill to be 10 st 7 Ibs now!!! I may even get some professional near naked photos done of me, ha ha!

Can anyone else relate to this?

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    cliffs?
  • negin96
    negin96 Posts: 1
    Omg, I feel the same all the time, by time passing by I find out how thiner I was like last month and I had to be happy about my look but I haven't. And now I just look back at my old pics and feel sorry about myself, I don't even know why I gain weight so easy. I losed about 8lbs last month and I gained that again this month, it's so sick and I'm so sick...
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
    cliffs?

    Huh?
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    I'm fat because I never worked out and I ate whatever I wanted. My mom and I would eat at Olive Garden, Red Robin, etc. a few nights a week. My grocery list was filled with junk, and my portions were horrendous. Not to mention the copius amounts of fast food and pizza and chocolate and icecream I ate. It's no one's fault but my own. I treated my body like a garbage can. I totally own up to my situation. It is my fault and changing it is within my control. I now luv working out and I'm doing great on my diet with results at a good pace. I've lost 37 lbs in 3 months. I work out 6 days a week and my life is so much more balanced. Even when I have a treat it doesn't derail me because my plan is sustainable for the long haul. I have a huge goal ahead of me, to lose over half my body weight from my starting hw of 330. By the end of this month I will be at 25% of my goal completed. And once I reach goal I will ease up on the diet just a bit (from strict calorie counting to weight watchers) and continue working out at least 4-5 days a week. Maintenence is a key piece of the puzzle.
    Admitting how you got here is the first step. If you blame everything else and don't plan on making lifelong changes you will just gain it all back if you do manage to lose the weight. This is pick-ourselves-up-by-the-bootstraps time. I found that I never knew how strong I was until I had to be.
  • SuzinSullivan
    SuzinSullivan Posts: 11
    I think most of us share your feelings on this subject! I've been to goal so many times and then let it creep back on. So frustrating, but it's true we have noone to blame but ourselves. We'll have to stick to MFP for the maintenance phase as well this time :)
    How many lbs are in a stone, btw?
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    How many lbs are in a stone, btw?

    14 lbs in a stone.

    The Original Poster wrote -
    "I think back to when I was my slimmest as an adult, about 10 stone 7 Ibs when I was 18 or 19 years old." - she was 147 lbs.
    "felt I should be about 8 stone (I'm 5 foot 8)" = about 112 lbs
    "When I get down to my ideal (9st 7Ibs - 10 st 7 Ibs) " she thinks her ideal weight = 133 - 147lbs

    Good luck with the weight loss, OP! You're in the right place. :flowerforyou:

    What does "no carbs before marbs" mean? Marbs?
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
    Chubbygirl - congrats on the weight loss, sounds like you've got the right attitude!

    Suzin - yes you're right maintainance is so important. Never want to undo this hard work again. I want to log on MFP forever, it's quick and easy to use. We'll get there and stay there!

    Beattie - thanks for the American translation! (I'm English, yes 14 Ibs in a stone). 'No carbs before marbs' is a saying from an awful reality tv show in England called The Only Way Is Essex. My friend photographed this diary and sent it to me because I've booked a holiday to Marbella!

    Negin - stick at it, make small, lifelong changes!
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
    Well, cuz of my thyroid and because I like food.
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
    :grumble: Because food is SO good and we live sedentary lifes
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
    Well, cuz of my thyroid and because I like food.

    I am hypothyroid and I can not blame my fat. It is the FOOD we choose!
  • ribena1958
    ribena1958 Posts: 152
    cus I ate all the wrong things in BIG PORTIONS LOL
  • neon7girl
    neon7girl Posts: 230 Member
    I did enjoy this because I have felt this way. I was 135 in my late teens and early twenty's and my friend and I would bemoan how 'fat' we were. Little did we know that 75+ lbs were headed our way. Now I would give my remaining eye teeth to get back to that number.

    I'm on my way, but think, "what an idiot I was".
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
    I know lots of people are saying coz they ate too much, moved too little - of course that's true - what I'm getting at is that feeling fat as a young adult/teen and feeling disgusted with your body can trigger a weight issue.

    Neon - I would give my eye teeth too, but we can't turn back the clock! I'm hoping to have a better relationship with my body now i.e. feel beautiful which is harder to do when you really are overweight, but surely it has to start now?
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    Thanks for the info "Marbs" = Marbella. Not only do we not watch the "Essex" prog, we don't have a TV. It was a choice we made over a year ago cos of the terrible programmes & number of repeats. We hardly ever miss it.

    I'm fat because I love food - almost all food! I was never slim - a fat baby became a fat child, fat teenager, fat woman/wife/mother. I'm 7 lbs or so from my "mountain climbing" weight of 40 years ago now, rushing up the local hills again :-) Feels like my feet have wings! Another couple of stones & I think I may start the C25K program.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I'm fat because I never worked out and I ate whatever I wanted. ...

    ^^^ THIS

    A little bit of apathy and ignoring mirrors can also help put on the pounds!
  • 4manda76
    4manda76 Posts: 47 Member
    Can totally relate to this, at 18yrs old and 6mth pregnant I weighed 9st 7lbs but still thought I was fat, I'm now in my 30's and think how wrong was I? I've been to target and know the biggest battle is psychological! How I got to the weight I am is because I became a 1 big meal a day person, only use to eat an evening meal, not exactly a healthy balanced diet! So I totally get how not eating enough can make you gain just as much as eating too much.

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