Whats YOUR reason for gaining weight???

sara_qayoom
sara_qayoom Posts: 29
in Food and Nutrition
Hey so its just a little question that im very curious to know. I mean like 90% of the time theres a reason for gaining weight. So i guess if im asking you guys for your stories, it would only be fair for me to tell you my background and story...
Ive always been a chubby girl (thanks mom) but i can remember my weight gain began around when i was 5. my sister (i have two and im the youngest plus two other brothers) was my best friend. She taught me EVERYTHING... How to use the bathroom, she washed me, she put me to sleep etc... But she passed away when i was 5 and ever since then ive been gaining weight and i never got the confidence to make any friends... I remember being jealous of other people who had friends, thus my depression became worse and worse. (i have friends now though, i finally got them when i was 14 though :( . I always gained weight acording to my age so when i was 8 years old i was 8 stone, 9 years old 9 stone, 10 yrs old 10st, 11 yrs 11 stone... It went on for like that until i was 13. And you can imagine a 13 year old at 180+ pounds... So i decided to loose weight which i did but gained back again. 10 years later ive decided to make a change AGAIN but im going to stick to it. Ive had a rough past, i was even suicidal at my teen years for like 3 years (thank god i lived) but ive learnt from my past and im going to change this person i am physically and mentally. So today i stand at 165 pounds (IVE LOST 25 POUNDS!!!!2 stone) and im going to continue my journey... So if you wanna share your stories please fo and if you wanna be friends then im happy to be your friend. I think its great if we all motivate each other ^___^
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Replies

  • lil_lizt
    lil_lizt Posts: 275 Member
    My dad became ill with cancer and passed away 2yrs ago so I gained through comfort eating. And drinking too much trying to blot it out
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    Awww im sorry to hear that, and i can relate with the comfort eating.. Trying to eat until you fill that empty void in your heart... It never got filled with food but when i started eaing right and exercising i realised that was the thing missing and ive flipped over my life and started a brand new me! So remember my friend change is possible and what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger!!!!
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    I am on the road more or less constantly for work. (Since September, I've been to Detroit, Chicago, Palm Beach (twice!), Gainesville, three cities in China, New Orleans, Minneapolis... and I have some upcoming trips too.)

    You get tired of ordering chicken caesar salads in airport bars. Also, I like beer.

    It adds up :X
  • sanderdejonge
    sanderdejonge Posts: 415 Member
    To swim faster (sprinting), oh and look good lol.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I was severely depressed, almost totally immobilized due to a combination of physical and economic factors, and too quick to take the HAES principles and turn them into "I can have whatever I want in whatever amount I want whenever I want." Food was literally the only pleasure in my life for years, and I abused it to help me ignore how crappy everything else was. Compounding that was extremely low self-esteem; I simply didn't believe I could make better choices or stick with anything, so I didn't even try. Finally, my metabolism is just about ruined from decades of anorexia with secondary bulimic tendencies.

    It was a perfect storm of crap, basically, and I didn't take any initiative or responsibility for getting it under control.
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    Thanks for sharing that, i hope everythings all right now and your in a better place but anythings possible, so change is possible :) no matter whats happening in anyones lives
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    Haha i can relate ;) but health comes first so those malteasers and prinles gotta gooooo :D
  • justicekenny
    justicekenny Posts: 80
    stopped the smokeless tobacco, dipped since my army days .. added more than a "C-Note" .. (Over 100 lbs) .. Plus I quit during the nfl season, so that didn't help .. So far lost over 120lbs .. keep on trucking !
  • jomama519
    jomama519 Posts: 21 Member
    i started gaining in my mid-20's after i had my first kid. i didn't change my eating habits (overeating, emotional eating, eating fast food) or incorporate any exercise, so having a sedentary job and eating without any restraint led me to where i am today, approximately 30 lbs. overweight, with most of it being abdominal fat...
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    I like food. I actually love food. But I love it more when it feels like my life isn't going as I planned. I was always fat - because I like to eat. And because we show each other love through food very often in my family. I always just enjoyed the love more than everyone else. I got home from school and would be alone and would eat half a pan of brownies and some hot dogs.... mmmm...

    After I had my daughter with a not-so-pleasant man and dealt with all that crap I just decided, apparently, to eat even more and not be active at all. I told myself that it was OK since I just gave birth that people wouldn't expect me to be skinny. I never was before, so why not?

    Now I'm still overweight, even after losing 100 pounds a few years ago, as I fail to find balance between fitness, food, social life, and my own personal issues. I work out religiously but my diet is the problem... or was... hopefully... until now.
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was 21 causing me incredible amounts of pain and swelling in my joints. There were days I couldn't even put shoes on because my feet and ankles were too swollen and days I couldn't button or zip my own clothing because my fingers were basically immobile sausages. It took about 2 years to get my condition under control and in that time I was barely able to walk up a flight of stairs because of pain so exercise was out of the question.

    I felt like a prisoner in my own body and this led to depression, which led to even more lethargy and eating.

    All of that being said, I could have watched my diet more closely and started pushing my body sooner to find its limits. I had no idea though that just going out for a walk or swimming or anything really would lessen my depression and loosen my joints making it easier to move more freely.
  • jayrudq
    jayrudq Posts: 475 Member
    Love food, love to eat, love to cook, really, really, good cook, love to eat the food I cook. Oh, and I love to drink and eat. And I love to drink and eat with friends. Love to celebrate with food, love to drown my sorrows with food, love to share food with friends. Unlike other people who have claimed they are a thin person in a fat body...I am a really fat person in a much smaller body. Always wanting to get out.

    Edit: And I am LAZY.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    You really mean what is your EXCUSE. Very few have a real reason.

    rea·son
    /ˈrēzən/
    noun
    noun: reason; plural noun: reasons1. a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
    "the minister resigned for personal reasons"
    synonyms: cause, ground(s), basis, rationale

    "Excuse" implies people aren't taking responsibility. Yet here they are, on MFP, publicly reflecting on why they gained weight so they can make changes. It's actually important for people to figure out why and pinpoint what they can and can not change. It's empowering. I don't think your snarky reply was necessary.

    The reason I gain weight is that I eat and drink too much.
  • Rockstar_JILL
    Rockstar_JILL Posts: 514 Member
    My life was in chaos....I was with an *kitten* husband who I finally left and it took awhile before I wasn't so full of anxiety and finally got my self esteem back. Once I got my head in the game, and found a new wonderful man to share my life with, I finally got back on track and looked after myself. I still struggle now and then, but overall I am not going to let all that weight sneak back up on me.
  • SkinnyNSweet822
    SkinnyNSweet822 Posts: 41 Member
    BUMP! I would really like to join in on this conversation, but first I have to get through exams :-/ but great thread :flowerforyou:
  • tristaj90
    tristaj90 Posts: 330 Member
    I always was a couch potato.. HATED exercise.. Gym class SUCKED...I loved mindless eating in front of the TV from the time I got home from school until my parents pestered me enough to do my homework.(I was a very smart girl in school so homework didn't take much for me.. i slacked but still had a 3.879 GPA)...
    When I was 19 I started dating a guy who was probably about 280-300 pounds. That's when I got REALLY BIG (like 190s).. We'd eat out ALLLL the time.
    After him and I broke up I lost a bit but I was back at home and did a work, school, video games routine. Then I met my husband through Video Games and he moved here and within a month of hm moving here (a month before my 21st birthday) we got pregnant.. After having a c-section (Nov 2011) with my son (i was 228 just days before delivery), I didn't want to move much. I ate a lot of frozen pizzas cuz they were easy. Ended up at 234 pounds (March 2012) so I started losing. As of today I'm at 140.5 pounds...
  • pauldix
    pauldix Posts: 35 Member
    You don't need a dramatic reason to gain weight.

    Most people, given access to western lifestyle options, will get heavier.

    Incidentally, I think introducing the word 'excuse' (rather than 'reason') is an unhelpful value judgement.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    You really mean what is your EXCUSE. Very few have a real reason.

    Eh. We all have our stories, we all have our circumstances, and we're all here to better our health & ourselves.

    Calling it a reason vs an excuse doesn't negate the usefulness of taking a long hard look at our lives and what led us to where we are now, and what we can do to get back on track (or stay on track).
  • HappyVeganKitty
    HappyVeganKitty Posts: 17 Member
    I became an alcoholic after a late miscarrage. Was up to nearly 200 just 3 years ago. Now Trying to get back to my thin weight before my personal problems got out of control as I am getting married In 10 months. I weigh 119 now (but I am ultra petite) So trying to get to 108 which was my steady weight in High school before things got crazy.
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    I hope everything still goes well
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    I became an alcoholic after a late miscarrage. Was up to nearly 200 just 3 years ago. Now Trying to get back to my thin weight before my personal problems got out of control as I am getting married In 10 months. I weigh 119 now (but I am ultra petite) So trying to get to 108 which was my steady weight in High school before things got crazy.

    My deepest condolences for your loss.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Great topic! Interesting, thoughtful replies, too. Thanks for posting.

    Losing loved ones at any age does indeed affect your life views on yourself, the world and your family. I lost a sister and father before I was a teen, so I can see how that affected my outlook.
    My whole family has always worked hard to keep their weight down, so some of it must be genetic for me. Part of it is we're not a very athletic family; it's just not something for which we gathered as a family. Instead, we'd gathered for food. So food is comfort and family to me. The rest is that I love to eat and I like feeling full, not hungry. Add that together and I get to struggle to keep my weight down.
    The good news is I am now about 10 stubborn pounds from goal weight and thrilled to have finally found an eating style that makes me feel great, look great and stay healthy.
  • AnabolicKyle
    AnabolicKyle Posts: 489 Member
    Food
  • Lifelink
    Lifelink Posts: 193 Member
    I gained weight through loss of motivation after getting out of the service and not being able to find work. This caused a really bad depression.

    3 years of that, and I decided to work on getting into shape so I can go back in.
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    Im glad youve had a turn around to your life and i hope everything goes well for you, not just weight loss- wise
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Calling it a reason vs an excuse doesn't negate the usefulness of taking a long hard look at our lives and what led us to where we are now, and what we can do to get back on track (or stay on track).
    Well said. While sometimes painful, a long hard look at our lives now and then is a good thing.
  • MacMomma2013
    MacMomma2013 Posts: 128 Member
    Lazyness. I just got lazy and didn't bother to take proper care of myself. NO exercise and eating whataver I wanted to, whenever I wanted to, made me fat.
  • SemperAnticus1643
    SemperAnticus1643 Posts: 703 Member
    1. Babies, or baby - I didn't lose the baby weight after having #2
    2. Desk job - After my first child, I was working as a waitress and always on the go. With my second, I was a staff accountant and sat down all day.
    3. Inactivity - That goes back to #2
    4- Ordering in - tax seasons get pretty crazy and consist of late nights. So ordering in from wherever became a habit.
  • ninjacakegirl
    ninjacakegirl Posts: 26 Member
    While I will be the first to admit I'm not the healthiest eater in the world, I still ate what I wanted. Soda, candy, Dairy Queen (ice cream's my major weakness). But my favorite foods are things like meat, some veggies, and rice/pasta/mac-n-cheese.

    In 2009, I found out some genetic conditions were showing up younger and younger in my family, so I started reducing the bad stuff. Still ate it, but it wasn't as much as before. I found and lost weight with MFP, but as soon as I stopped because of life (had to move, among many other things), the 40lbs I'd lost came back in a flash. TWO YEARS, to be precise. My brain wasn't with me (forgetful, groggy) and my body hated me.

    I decided enough was enough and went to the doctor this past March.

    The doctor was concerned that I'd gained all that weight back in two years. Said that despite going back to some old habits, it shouldn't have come back like that. So then I became a lab rat of sorts - blood taken, tests run, etc.

    It turns out I have really bad hypothyroidism. On a scale of 1-10 for your pituitary gland trying to compensate for your thyroid, with 10 being one of the highest (and worst) levels, I was at a 9.95. Once you hit 10, that means your thyroid might as well not be there, and you'll start to experience failures, if you're not already. One of the first things to go at higher levels is your metabolism, because your thyroid controls it. My body pretty much knew no such thing as a "metabolism."

    This is the reason for everything - my rapid regain, my brain pooping out on me, my utter lack of caring - everything.

    But now I'm at a dosage of medication where I feel better than I have in years, mentally (which is a feat considering my life stress and anxiety issues) and physically. I've lost 14lbs in 6 weeks (thanks in part to my medication), and I even bought myself a manual treadmill so I can keep my brain busy by watching things while exercising (I get bored easily).

    I have a follow-up doctor appointment today - I can't wait to show off my progress!
  • sara_qayoom
    sara_qayoom Posts: 29
    Thank you CJMQ, theres a difference between excuse and reason... Its easy to say there was an excuse, but weight gain has so much more meaning behind it. Its more about the phycologocal (cant spell it! >_<) than the physical aspect why we gain weight. Calling it an excuse is really rude ya know ~_~

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