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

I am a closet eater. I eat extremely healthy at work. When I get home from a stressful day I reach for comfort food.

Because when I was in high school, everyone called me pudge. I was 130 pounds while my friends were 120-125. So I went on my first diet and lost 10 pounds THE WRONG WAY! Gained back 20, lost 20 gained back 40 etc. Eventually I was 299 pounds. Now down to almost 190 (grr, 2 weeks of sabotaging myself and staying the same!)

I think a lot of it is genetics. My parents were both on the heavier side, as are both of my brothers and my sister. So, it's been a battle for a lotta years.

Having said that, laziness a small part, while my love for pizza, wings, chips, cookies and other unhealthy things play a HUGE part.

There's also the lack of discipline. When I'm motivated, I eat right and exercise like a mad man, and the weight pours right off of me. But maintaining isn't easy for me. I'm an all-or-nothing kinda guy, so I'm either being very good or very bad...usually very bad.

Yes - thank you! I'm not a moderation type person at all! It's either I'm being very good with both food/exercise or I "fall off the wagon." I also agree that genetics plays a HUGE part. My brother got the great metabolism where he can eat whatever he wants and I have to watch what I eat or i gain.

Main two reasons why I "fall off the wagon" and binge are: boredom and stress.

I treat food as a reward (holidays, after an active day.. etc)
I treat food as a "skill" (Learning how to make something that tastes great and people tell me how good it tastes)
I treat food as a friend (boredom, being alone)
I treat food as revenge (angry with husband)

Being overweight isn't like smoking. I can live without smoking. I can't live without eating. I love food that tastes good, but I don't like many vegetables and despise chicken. I'm not fat due to quantity......I'm fat due to quality.

I eat too many fats, carbs, sugars. I've been on MFP for a long time and so that's how I analyze the bad foods I consume.

I have always been an emotional eater. Over the past 15 years I have learned recognize exactly what sets me off, so I give myself the option of overeating to comfort myself to a certain extent.

I have managed to keep within 5-7 lbs of my goal that way - keeping 70 lbs off for 25 years.

Since mood affects my eating so much I know that exercise is key to keeping me happy. I have had several major surgeries, (spinal fusion, several knee operations, etc). I can't do all of the exercise I used to do but I always try to walk several miles/ several times a week.

I think we just need to be nicer to ourselves - it makes the whole weight issue easier.

I really like having this community - being able to share food issues helps quite a bit.

Thyroid mostly.

Well for me I think it was being raised in the South. You know if it's not creamed, fried or dripping with butter, it's not good food. LOL And I love to cook and eat. So now I'm cooking healthier stuff and still loving eating and by the way I love the South!

I was sexually abused by my mother's boyfriend from the ages of 7-11. When I was 9, I got my period early, and gained about 50 pounds in a year (obviously something was hormonally whacked, but my family just said "wow, you're so fat!" and put me on every diet known, including sending me to Weight Watcher's camp when I was 13, and shaming me for every bite I put into my mouth). When I was 11, my mother's boyfriend told me I was so fat he didn't even want to touch me anymore. That's when the abuse stopped, but my mind has been so warped that I thought his abuse was love, and that me being fat and him stopping meant he no longer loved me, and that I was not worthy of love. But at the same time, I knew what he did was wrong, so I figured if my weight stopped him, it might stop other people from treating me badly, too. Cue years of eating myself into an emotional coma, trying to become invisible, and being treated like crap by everyone around me, because that's all I knew, and that's what I thought I deserved. I still struggle with all of this on a daily basis and don't know if I will ever feel worthy of love, even from myself, and it doesn't seem to get any easier, but I'm still here, so that's all I have.

I probably eat because of emotions sometimes, or just boredom. But then there are times if I'm upset I can't eat anything. I do exercise, which I enjoy. I used to have very high metabolism and could eat everything in sight. At about 18 that stopped, and I started gaining weight. Ever since I've been learning how to eat healthy. I am on birth control, which does have a side effect of weight gain. All the hard work I do seems to just maintain my weight, not lose any. I think will power is an issue also. If I'm physically or even mentally drained, I'll just grab the first thing I see and eat it, instead of preparing my healthy food that I buy.

I would say for me, it’s making food that tastes so good I can’t stop. I’m aware of fat content and make every effort to slim down the fat consumption by making the food from scratch. The lack of discipline is a my form of laziness in holding to this system of tracking consumption. I keep saying to my wife, if you track what goes in, you may not be as willing (or at least, severely cut back) to open that bag of chips, eat those nuts, have that extra helping. Does this make sense to you?