How did you gain the weight?

We'll my problem is that I like the bad stuff..pizzas currys chips big roast dinners n lager you name it i like it!!
my portion sizes are huge!! I'm trying to cut down but it's hard..I'm 6ft and I've just hit 15st and I'm mortified...I seem to bloat up and down in my clothes and I've had enough,my shape that I had has gone!!
My job is not a physical one so I've got to do something drastic my friends and wife say that I carry it we'll, and don't look over weight but I carnt carry on putting weight on like this..so here I am ! any help off anyone will be greatly appreciated .

Cheers big sie

Two things:
1. I hurt my knee so had to stop excercising, but mainly
2. I was stress eating through writing up my PhD, eating loads of chocolate!

The rest of my diet was probably farily balanced, but maybe the portion sizes were too large.

My past gains have been due to one or more of these factors: pregnancies, birth control, being comfortable in a relationship, and stress.

Too much food!

I blame swimming and college. I went from swimming every day, 1-3 miles, and stuffing my face with carbs... to a summer internship desk job after high school and then to college. My eating habits never changed (though probably increased and got worse over time), but my exercise went down to nothing.

Now I've changed my eating to match my activity level... and I'm probably eating half of what I used to... and eating about 100 times better quality than what I used to. It's funny. I will still go to McD's and Wendy's fairly often. I used to get a jr. bacon double at wendy's, large sized (with unsweetened tea). Now I get a salad, half dressing, and an unsweetened tea... it's a world of difference.

Combination of having a child, quitting smoking and going on the pill injection.

Had kids and just kept eating way too much.

Was abused as a kid and bullied, starved myself and lost the weight but was still called fat so I ate food to burry my emotions and just wanted to be invincible but still got noticed and asked when is the baby due when I was not pregnant and was still being told by store clerks that they did not sell things in my size when I did not even ask them in the first place lol and went up to 220lbs at my heaviest. Bought the doctor Phil book on weight loss and the other doc Phil book on counting calories, dealt with my emotional issues and forgave the people that bullied me and abused me and that weight came off and has stayed off for about 9 or 10 years. Now I am just working on building some muscle and tightening things up a bit.

I got way too lazy and ate way too much!

Short answer: eating too much, doing virtually no exercise, little clue about healthy lifestyle!

Long answer:

I've be overweight since about age 9. Looking back I realise I never really knew until recently how to put together a good balanced diet. I put on a weight as a kid through having unhealthy snacks like crisps and cake and always having a second portion at dinner. I don't blame them at all, but my parents never made any attempt to control my weight so although I knew I was overweight I did not think it was a big deal and never tried to control my diet. (I was still reasonably fit I think). Once I left home I put on a load of weight at University partly because I had to eat at the cafeteria and I had a load of snacks (like cookies) as a substitute for meals when I didn't like the options. When I didn't eat at my halls I was eating out and drinking too much alcohol.

By the time I started my masters course I was obese and during that year I decided to take control. But unfortunately I still did not really know what I should do to get healthy. I thought going to the gym was only for vain people and refused to go to the free uni gym (idiot!). I started cycling to my classes but my only change to my diet was replacing my evening meal with something lighter (e.g. soup). I lost a load of weight over one term at a rate of almost 2kg (4lbs) per week. I thought at the time I was doing great but now know this quick weight loss isn't really healthy Once I started work I couldn't cycle my commute, which stopped me doing any exercise. I also started making excuses to eat more as well, e.g. "I didn't have any breakfast so it's OK to have a sandwich and muffin for lunch" "75g of pasta is a tiny portion, I need more than that". Back then, I basically had no proper plan on how to maintain a healthy weight and just thought it would magically stay off without any effort from me. Unsurprisingly the weight gradually came back on plus another 8kg or so.

This time round I actually did some research and know 0.5kg per week is a healthy rate of weight loss, not 2kg per week. I faced up to the fact that exercise is good for you and it is not vain to work out at the gym and do strength training. I also finally realised that controlling your weight is about health not just appearance. I want to be able to be active and free from chronic disease for a long time to come, and that was not going to happen unless I make changes and stick with them Here's hoping I've got it cracked this time!

Alcohol and quite a lot of it.

I finished college and I was no longer so busy that all I had time to do was study and sleep. I started working and was happy and allowed my self to become the nurse who eats when she is bored as well as fall victim to the easy greasy food you can get from either the cafeteria or takeout. I also keep telling myself when I get on the scale "thats not bad. I can loose that quick" I was in denial. I am trying to break that mentality. I work as an oncology nurse and see sad cases all the time. I want to live a long happy healthy life for myself and my family. I can not preach health If I am not healthy myself.

I ate too much.

Depression, stress, and overeating post graduation

I have a trifecta of reasons:

1. I got married and went from a situation where I walked everywhere I went (miles and miles a day) to being in the suburbs and driving everywhere. I always had a tendency to gain, but the walking kept me in the normal range.

2. Baby. I had gained 30 or so pounds before I got pregnant and then gained another 30 while I was pregnant.

3. Depression/emotional issues. I gained the last 35 or so pounds when I stayed home for a year after my son was born. I was frustrated and bored and ate and ate and ate. I stopped gaining when I went back to work.

Then I had about 20 years of inertia before realizing that I'm middle aged and if I want to see grandchildren I need to be healthier.

I ate a surplus of 30-50 calories every day over the course of about 18 years and gained about 3 pounds per year.