anyone found the root cause of why you gain weight?
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Going from high school where I played sports and ran every minute of my spare time, to engineering at university where the little spare time I had consisted of drinking, socializing and eating. Lost all the weight post university, but then met someone who didn't need to watch what he ate, and I didn't want to be that woman who asks "I'll just have a salad"... Took a year of living together for me to finally give in and realize I will be cooking two versions of meals for the rest of my life, or I will be overweight for the rest of my life.0
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Depression and subsequent emotional eating was what made me so big.0
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very good replies, I am probably lazy even though I didn't look at this. I think for me I really did not know the best way to manage my weight. I hate to admit my ignorance but with the people on here giving me support and ideas and telling me how much to eat and giving me some good advice I have managed to get my weight under control.
We are lucky these days to have so much help like MFP. It is too hard to do this alone. I had skinny parents, they did not understand. Ya do, I needed people like me who have walked the walk and don't mind answering my questions and best yet sharing what has worked, it has been amazing, so glad a guy at the gym told me about MFP.0 -
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.
i definitely believe that (it might have even been me who said it on another post since i've stated it more than a few times on MFP)
For me the physical process of weight gain/weight loss is easy : calories in calories out but it's really the underlying emotional reasons that were the true cause of my weight. to make a long story short, i always wanted to be BIGGER.
the first part of my adulthood i was much smaller and my body shape was getting me too much unwanted attention which lead to me not feeling safe. the final straw came when i was living in france and in the span of 2 days i was was followed by 3 different men and a 4th physically picked me up and took me into a dark alley where he tried to rape me. i fought him off and got away but it was pretty much then that i was like "screw this. it's harder to pick up a fat girl"
i'm a former athlete and my family was big on living close to the land so it's not a matter of not knowing what to eat, not understanding how calories work, etc. i knew exactly what i was doing and why when i'd go to the chinese restaurant, order a pizza, geta bucket of chicken and call that tuesday night dinner
extra weight became a security blanket and it served a purpose. being overweight gave me the safety to not be afraid to express my personality, something that i found hard to do when i was smaller because i was already getting more than enough attention from my looks and i didnt want to exacerbate the situation with also having an outgoing personality.
fast forward 2 decades and i think i feel safe enough to finally release the weight. i've taken self defense classes and feel relatively safe. just recently i dressed up and looked pretty damn hot and handled the attention without freaking out like i used to, so yeah i think it's time to let the weight go :happy:0 -
I gain weight when I stop paying attention to what I eat.0
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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.
This0 -
more calories in than out and being lazy are symptoms of a problem they are not the root cause
just my little two cents.
That is the case for some...not the case for all. I have no food issues...I've never had a binge...I'm not an emotional eater or whatever. I do enjoy food very much and I'm a total foodie...I used to eat a ton of food, most of which was very good for me because I was an athlete growing up and proper nutrition is paramount to performance. Also, being a foodie I'm not too into junk food...I like good, wholesome food.
When I ceased my training and "normal" life took over, I continued to eat like I did when I was training. For me, it's pretty straight forward. Not everyone has food issues or other underlying emotional issues as a root cause. I've figured out how much energy I need now for my current activity level and I'm totally fine...
For me, it was just a matter of matching my intake to my output and having a better understanding of that relationship, not some deep seeded issue.0 -
-achieve your dreams by allowing yourself to be that awesome!! (feel free to quote me!)
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For me it has been in part, Salicylate Sensitivity, with bells an whistles, though more recently there may be overtones of untreated thyroid issues. 5/6 may be 7 years ago I worked hard to get my breathing back by avoiding maize starch which is in so many foods to be told the only treatment I could have was thyroxine with maize starch as the binder because I do not have the standard reaction to maize which would denote a true allergy . I took them for a while and lost my regained breathing depth and strength. When I was told to take the pills and use something else to improve my lung function I threw the pills out. I knew what was right for me. I totally lost trust in the medical profession. I tried iodine supplement but they also had salisylate side effects.
I am awaiting blood tests results from our local teaching hospital because I now have chemical sensitivity, if I smell the wrong laundry products, perfume or personal hygiene products etc. I can sleep for a gold medal, be so wide awake I can't sleep, to this is add eating the wrong things when I can swell up and all the above . All this and more can be underwritten by low thyroid issues and I have read there is a relationship between salicylate sensitivity and thyroid problems because the salicylate undermines the thyroid in some though we all have a limit on the amount of salicylate our bodies will accept. The fortunate ones eat less than they can tolerate.
I remember hearing NICE, I'm in the UK, announced many years ago that they would only sanction cheaper pills with maize starch binders. Maize is moderate in Salicylate content but one pill was enough to put me over what my body could take. I now have my fingers and toes crossed in the hope I will be able to have some medication which will suit me. This will not be all the answer but it will help.
Some people are fortunate they have the perfectly functioning body in the first place.0 -
more calories in than out and being lazy are symptoms of a problem they are not the root cause
just my little two cents.
That is the case for some...not the case for all. I have no food issues...I've never had a binge...I'm not an emotional eater or whatever. I do enjoy food very much and I'm a total foodie...I used to eat a ton of food, most of which was very good for me because I was an athlete growing up and proper nutrition is paramount to performance. Also, being a foodie I'm not too into junk food...I like good, wholesome food.
When I ceased my training and "normal" life took over, I continued to eat like I did when I was training. For me, it's pretty straight forward. Not everyone has food issues or other underlying emotional issues as a root cause. I've figured out how much energy I need now for my current activity level and I'm totally fine...
For me, it was just a matter of matching my intake to my output and having a better understanding of that relationship, not some deep seeded issue.
100% agree there is no magic answer one size fits all.
but id put my money that for *most* emotionally eating are the core issues.0 -
Beer, Fast food, and extreme laziness0
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Somehow I realized I had to take care of myself. I have had a few people in my life, parents,xhusband, work stuff that made me feel worthless. Hey, they were not right! Also other people just say oh you will just gain it back, they are not right either! Hey, I think I am beginning to find my root causes.
Why I turn to food, I don't know, I was little until I was about 17 years old, but life is not fair and these are the cards dealt me so I want to know how to deal. MFP is definitely supportive. Yep, developing a life style to keep the weight off is the answer. We are not helpless.0 -
Somehow I realized I had to take care of myself. I have had a few people in my life, parents,xhusband, work stuff that made me feel worthless...We are not helpless.
So, I listed the root cause. Now I'm gonna list why I don't gain it back:
self love, inspiring others, being a role model, seeing the results of me making the world a better place every single day0 -
Funny I just wrote a blog post about this exact topic. My answer is going to be a bit different and not focus on why I gained weight personally but moreover what the root cause is of weight gain.
Inflammation is at the core of weight gain. Hidden allergens, infections, environmental toxins, an inflammatory diet, and stress are the real causes of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. Autoimmune diseases, specifically, now affect 24 million people and cost $120 billion a year to treat representing nearly twice the economic health care burden of cancer (about $ 70 billion a year).
All of these autoimmune conditions, at their root, are connected by one central biochemical process: An out of control immune response that results in your body attacking its own tissues. While fighting an infection, a toxin, an allergen, a food or the stress response, it redirects the attack on your joints, brain, thyroid, gut, skin or your whole body.
By asking yourself and your doctor the questions about what is causing the problem you can uncover a more clear solution. Look for toxins, allergens, and infections to find the real causes of inflammation. You can heal your immune system by supporting it with nutrients like fish oil, zinc, vitamin D, herbs and probiotics and being put on a clean diet which is allergen-free and anti-inflammatory.0 -
I gained weight for the following reasons:
- got a running injury and had to stop running for 8 months
- took a job where I had a 4 hour commute each day
- stopped working out for the most part because of lack of time
- was stressed out and ate more because of it
- was using food to feel good.....which really doesn't work, in the end (this was the biggest culprit)
Once I realized that food wasn't meeting my emotional needs, it was easier to stop. I also belong to a women's eating disorder support group. We have bingers, anorexics, and overeaters.....different sides of the same coin. That group has taught me so much about self-compassion and that perfectionistic thinking causes lots of problems in life, eating issues included.0 -
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100% agree there is no magic answer one size fits all.
but id put my money that for *most* emotionally eating are the core issues.
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AGREED.....0 -
Oreo's
^Exactly! (Now they make MEGA stuffed oreos!!!!!
) 0 -
My weight gain started my senior year of high school and was due to a combination of many things:
1) I could buy whatever I wanted for lunch including pizza, cookies, chips, etc. Mom was kind of restrictive with what we could eat so when it was up to me, I went with the junky indulgence stuff
2) my brother was home from Desert Storm and like many of us, turned to food for comfort, and I was his eating buddy
3) I was also the eating buddy for a few of my school friends
4) I was emotional eating for my own reasons - stressed out about all the life changes coming after graduation and a major falling out with some friends
And honestly, I think once I gained the weight, I kind of liked having that barrier between me and the rest of the world. I could be tough and funny and not have to worry about guys giving me tons of attention like I had all thrugh high school (I still had boyfriends but they were fewer and farther between in my early 20's before meeting Hubster).
Even once I met Hubster, I guess I just didn't love myself enough to make the changes I needed to. I said I wanted to lose weight and tried several diets, etc but never found one that stuck. And Hubby didn't care that I was "fluffy", that just meant there was more of me to love.
Thankfully I finally figured out that I could lose weight without starving myself or taking pills or any of that extreme stuff. I did use WW for the first 6 months but I've been on my own since and have been making slow and steady progress over the last 4 years. I'm thrilled to have gotten this far and not regained or given up (no more than a slight gain anyway before I get back on track).
OP, I'm glad you're working on figuring out your root causes and how you can fight them! It's not easy but it's well worth it in the long run!!0 -
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.
Oh my, this is me exactly!!! I never had to do anything else really because I was naturally on the thinner side and ate whatever I wanted. Then came my kiddo and I gained weight and started doing all of this: the excuses, denying that I was getting bigger, denying the fact that I can't eat whatever I want and stay the same, all of it. I feel like I am a lazy person all the time because I am so tired I just don't want to do anything, but I am working on that.
Edited to fix a horrible run on sentence!
I'm not great a grammar, but it even annoyed me!!! Lol!:laugh: 0 -
Depression.
I've struggled with it all my life.
I've used both binge eating and binge drinking as crutches at different times in my life. I've completely managed to stop the binge drinking, but still working on the binge eating.
Thankfully, as I've learned to manage my depression better, managing my weight has gotten a lot easier.0 -
For me it was too much food and too little action....0
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Two things. Emotional eating..eating when I'm bored or angry or sad. Second cause, portions out of whack. I would eat the same portions as my taller normal weight husband. I have a better handle on both things now.0
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i like food and i like to eat a lot of it. and generally speaking i'm lazy.
basically it.0 -
3 reasons:
1. You eat too much food and dont exercise
2. You have some sort of health issue
3. You're getting old and thats just kinda what happens...0 -
I blame my mother.
I blame your mother, as well.0 -
chocolate and cheetos.
And working a stressful nonprofit job with crazy hours.0 -
Inserting food into word hole.0
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Addicted to the taste of high calorie food. That combined with periods of not eating enough then eating way too much. This site gives me a cut off point and tells me when I haven't eaten enough.0
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Too many calories pass through my lips.0
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I ate too much0
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