anyone found the root cause of why you gain weight?

My root cause was eating without paying attention to calories and macro nutrients. I grew up eating whatever I wanted and I would never gain weight, I was very skinny. When I hit my early 20's that started to change and I became overweight. Now I can still eat whatever I want but I do it in a controlled manor. I've lost 15 lbs and now i'm where I want to be with my weight. The key really is to develop a lifestyle so you keep the weight off. Mine is tracking my food each day and exercising 6 days a week. I can do that the rest of my life. People jump on these exercise programs or whatever the new fad diet is then they lose weight then when they quit the program they gain it all back which is why I say developing a lifestyle change is how to maintain it.

For me, it seems like my root cause was laziness, denial and excuses.

Too lazy to cook. Too lazy to exercise. In denial about how many calories I ate. In denial about the harm I was doing to myself. Making excuses that "my whole family is fat, it's just destiny." Making excuses that "I don't have time" "I don't have the willpower" "I don't have a treadmill"

When really what it took me was deciding it was important, not making excuses, and being honest with myself about what I was putting into my body.

Food!

I tend to munch without thinking. Logging is the best thing in the world for me. I would make a healthy lunch and then snack while making olates and still make a full plate for myself. If the kids snacked, I did too...

I just ate without thinking of what it was or why or when. I was often eating like my kids and well, I am not a growing kid, a teenage boy or nearly as active!

Food. that's it. Period.........

Eating to much and exercising to little

I'm a sugar addict when I'm stressed, and since having my daughter, I'm always stressed. If she's not having a bad day, there are money issues, or family things, or my health. And when I'm stressed, I go right for the sugary foods because they give me a little boost of energy you can't get from a carrot.

Now of course I've found ways for quick energy that don't involve as much sugar, but it's still hard when I hit a bump in the road.

I just like food. Slightly emotional eater, but mostly, I just really like good food.

Large portions, too many snacks.

Yeah...I used to be very active and involved in all kinds of sports and other activities. When i wasn't actually playing sports I was out on my bike, going for hikes, playing two hand touch in the park, playing frisbee golf with my buddies, shooting hoops, etc. I ate big and played big.

Then when I hit 30 I started a "real job" that had me sitting at a desk for 8-12 hours per day...I also traded in my bike for a car to get to and from work as it seemed more "professional". When I'd get off work I'd go home and plop my *kitten* down in front of the t.v. for a little more *kitten* sitting time. I didn't have time for sport and all of my friends were going in different directions with careers and families...no more Saturday afternoons playing frisbee golf for hours with the boys...I had household chores to take care of and a budding family. I often gave the excuse that I just didn't have time to get to the gym to workout...so I didn't. Basically I stopped moving...but I continued to consume food like I was training for the Olympics or something.

Basically, my activity level substantially decreased but my intake stayed the same.

thank you for this thread! i think its an area that people dont talk about enough! what is the real reason you are overweight? and its not b/c you love food so much.
for me this has taken years (and still working on it) to find that missing link of what causes me to make poor food choices for myself. with the help of a therapist im able to really manage this. and sometimes not, and thats ok too. i just keep working on it.

for me its when i get overwhelmed or anxious or hurt feelings, or some type of emotional need is not met. sometimes its not a matter of me finding something other than food to solve my problem, sometimes its just me recognizing the fact that im going through "something" in the first place and thats enough to deter me from making poor food choices.

if youve struggled with significant weight issues for many years i highly recommend a therapist. personally i believe when your are *in* it its hard to see it all a therapist can help.

Feeling full made me happy.

Eating too many calories.

Portion sizes more than a single serving, and foods with high caloric content.

And being lazy.

Once I fixed all of that, I started losing weight.

Someone on another thread had the opinion that obesity is a symptom of some other problem. That seems spot on to me, so I think the OP is wise to consider this question.

For me it was binge eating in the middle of the night. It may have been boredom or distress from knowing I would have to face the day with not enough sleep. Now, eating from boredom or distress is a problem of its own and I don't have an anwer for it. I would like to think I'm enough of a grown up to distinguish between needs and wants, but I guess not.

But why was I up in the middle of the night in the first place? Insomnia is really bad for you for many reasons besides the obvious. Tackling that has helped a great deal. I take melatonin an hour or so before bedtime and most nights it works. The nights that it doesn't, I'm still vulnerable to a binge.

Justin Bieber made me do it.

Doesn't wash. Not even Justin Bieber is allowed to use that excuse.

Desk jobs, video games and depression, oh, and being lazy. And eating more than an average family of 4.

I agree. Once I stopped being depressed, I stopped eating 12 krispy kremes a day.