When did you start gaining weight?

I imagine it was shortly after birth and just kept going

I was a really active and skinny kid, but then after about 12 or 13 when I started high school, not so much. Progressively got bigger until I started having some health problems at 22, including periods stopping and starting, hair in weird places, randomly severe acne which I'd never had much of before, moodiness, trouble breathing, weird lump on my leg I was concerned about (which embarrassingly was revealed in an ultrasound to just be a lump of fat lol) and that all lead to the doctors appointment that revealed I had PCOS and insanely high cholesterol, and that scared me into doing something. And not giving up until I reach that goal weight the specialist told me to get down to.

I've always been chubby, except for the 10 years I managed to maintain a weight of 122 pounds. My biggest gain came when depression hit. I went from 122 to 154 in just a few months. My weight has steadily increased over the years. I'm at my heaviest weight ever and I hate it. I just don't feel good most of the time.

When I was unemployed for 6 months,I was bored & was constantly eating.Gained about two stone and it went down hill after that.

In my teens when I moved to Stuttgart, Germany. German food is ridiculously delicious!!

Ever since I was a kid... 8 or 9, I would say. I've been a "normal" weight twice since then - once when I was in college and had to walk everywhere, and then when I was breastfeeding a gluttonous baby and walking every day while my hubby was deployed (wanted to have a "wow" moment when he got home). Otherwise, I always drift back to a really unhealthy weight that I will call a "set point"... I don't think it is unbeatable, but I do know how much work it takes to overcome it, and without that amount of work on a continuous basis, I always get back to the exact same place.

I was about 17. Was having a rough time with my parents and had quit high school sports to focus on athletics. Went through a BAD round of depression and the weight started accumulating. Like 10-15 pounds a year to an all time high of 232 (at 5'3").

I was super skinny my entire childhood, so much so that I was bullied mercilessly by the other kids (and my own family!). I started gaining weight my second year of university, but I was average sized. It wasn't until a couple years ago when I went on mental illness meds that my weight really ballooned. I think my eating habits from when I was a skinny kid also contributed to the weight gain.

I was small as a kid, it wasn't until high school I noticed the pounds creeping on but at that point I accepted it. About 2 years ago I woke up and realized that since then I'd put on 50+ pounds, I had to do something.

when I descovered my love for Peanut Butter...:)

In 2010, I was in the hospital for Asthma & Bronchitis - pretty severe. They had me on steroids for a week, and I had to taper off of them when I got out for another 1-2 weeks. I was always starving and I ate everything I could to try to make the hunger go away. After that, I slowly started gaining steadily. After many, many stressful events involving a horrible breakup and the death of 3 close family members, I kept gaining, but I had no health insurance. Finally I had my thyroid tested and found out I was hypothyroid, and after being treated for that but still not losing any weight, I was tested and started being treated for PCOS. It's been a long journey and I'm trying to stay positive and change my eating habits. My current living situation is also very stressful but I am working on ways to cope.

Thank you everyone for your replies as well and thank you for this post. It was very interesting to read everyone else's story.

I was always 'chubby' and overweight growing up- I guess just bad eating habits from the start. I never ate balanced/well planned meals it was mostly snacking on and off all day paired with a LOT of soda. Sundays was the only day where we had any family meal since both parents worked late growing up. I did lose a lot of weight at puberty but went back to being chubbier by end of high school. When I went to college it just kinda took off even more with eating out all the time and convenience of things like pizza/subs.. Then when I had to take an abrupt break from school since my father was in the hospital for over a year to help my mom paired with being in a ****ty relationship; I kinda got depressed and before I knew it 4 yrs went by and I was a 100lbs+ heavier.

What an interesting and thought provoking question. It's something I've been pondering now for several days. I was lucky as a kid...I was so active and athletic I couldn't put on an ounce, literally. In my late 20's I'd taken up sailing and noticed at the end of summer I'd put on a couple of pounds....of course as soon as winter hit....it was gone. From 20 to 30 I gained about 5 pounds. It wasn't anything to worry about so I didn't. In fact, the extra couple pounds actually made me look better.

From 30 to 40 I was running my own company so wasn't getting as much exercise, more desk-bound and with the increase in income came a love affair with fine dining. While there's nothing inherently wrong with fine dining....there is when it's 4 or 5 nights a week and you're not running marathons on the weekends. By 40 I'd probably added another 10 pounds. Still not an appearance burden though....in fact, was probably about right for my 5-11 broad shouldered frame.

From 40 to 50 it was pretty much the same. I did get on a couple of different exercise kicks that lasted about a week a piece. BUT, at 55 I had a heart attack. It was minor, no damage done to speak of which I used as an excuse to not make changes in my lifestyle. I walked out of the hospital, got in my car and immediately lit up a cigarette. Everything remained pretty much the same.

A year and a half ago...I had another heart attack. This time though it was different....my heart arrested (stopped), I died. I was lucky....I got to visit the other side for about a minute and a half before being brought back. This time when I walked out of the hospital, I didn't light up another cigarette, and never will again.

During the last year and a half since...beyond quitting smoking I didn't make many other changes until a couple of months ago. It took some soul searching and baby steps, but I learned a lot. I know I have heart disease....the doctors confirmed that but that isn't/wasn't my real problem....my disease ISN'T heart-disease....IT'S MYSELF. I'M the disease. MY lifestyle and attitudes, not just about food, but I've always been an adrenalin junkie....with pretty much a fear of nothing. It was that lack of fear that let me think I was immortal and gave me license to abuse myself....it was the walk on the other side taught me, I'm not.

Someplace in there, there was an epiphany of sorts. Unconsciously I began taking my medications, when I was supposed too, then without really too much though began adding in walking, and now I'm actually watching my eating. All of it is going to be a process. I'm not going to go from dining out 4 or 5 nights a week to vegan smoothies....that simply ain't going to happen. But I will keep experimenting with food in an effort to winnow it down to those that are both better for me and I can like.

With my disease being myself, it should make it easier to find a cure so to speak....
Good luck to us all on our journey's to health.

I am 47, had gall bladder removal surgery August of 2012. I used to weigh about 155 lbs before the surgery. Since then I have taken Cholacol (Bile Extract) every day but only 1 capsule. (The directions read to take 1 capsule before every meal). I do not eat a lot- small meals or snacks during the day, with occasional fast food in there. I work at call center 40 + hours a week till midnight - so I do sit a lot, but I also have an Arabian mare, whom I go to and work out frequently either in the round pen, or riding her. I do gardening, house work, stay busy and exercise moderately on my WII fitness board. I currently weigh 188 lbs and have to wear size xlarge, and 12 in shorts- this is frightening to me because I used to be able to wear a size 7! I plan on increasing the Capsules to the 1 at every meal as directed, and exercising a bit more frequently every week, and I might start taking an enzyme and probiotic (like my mare does) to see if this benefits me in losing any weight. Note: I do not drink enough water - I am a very big coffee lover and have at least 2 cups in the morning, and one in the evening to stay awake on my long night shifts and drive home. I probably only drink 1 bottle of water a day- I just don't like water very much. I do not drink soda at all, and liquor is a big no-no when you have had your gall bladder removed but I do occasionally drink white wine. I have no idea if this has anything to do with weight gain. I feel fine except for the weight, which I don't like it at all!

This is very interesting, because I also had my gallbladder removed, and that's about when my weight started to gradually go up. I was thin my whole life before that. hmmmm....Why is alcohol a no-no after your gall bladder is removed?

I started gaining when I started teaching full time, plus working side jobs to supplement my income. I never had the time or energy to work out, and stress eating was a persistent problem! I'm trying to get better at prioritizing my health!!