Your Story

sk1nnyf0rm3
sk1nnyf0rm3 Posts: 110 Member
in Getting Started
Hi to all!

I was wondering what your story is? How did you get to your higher weights (or lower ones) and what was the point where you decided to be healthy? If you wanna include stats, that's fine, but you don't have to :) This is a judgement free zone, please

Here's a condensed version of mine:
I went to boarding school in 10th grade and my roommate made a comment (out of jealousy) about my eating habits. They were horrible with my main survival being off snack foods and protein bars. I started tracking calories the end of that school year with the intention to make sure I got enough. I gradually turned it into a competition with myself and (despite always being very thin...I was 5'4 and 106 at the age of 15 and that was my highest) lost some weight in the process. I've now turned things around more or less. I'm still underweight, but I've figured out how to track food and be healthy. I've also figured out that my weight naturally wants to be lower and maintaining is easily an issue. I'm trying to figure out how to expand my diet now because I figured that (despite what I tricked myself into thinking at times) I cannot live, ride horses, and study, and be <95 lbs if I wanna do all that at my best.

So there's my story. What's yours?

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I ate too much and didn't move enough

    Sure I had lots and lots of 'reasons', some would pull on your heartstrings, but in the end they were all just excuses.

    I stopped making them. I'm now the healthiest, fittest and strongest I've ever been (I'm not the lightest but that doesn't matter because I love the body I'm in)
  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
    Ate too much. Moved too little. Ended up at 332 lbs and wanted to change that before I turned 40. Worked hard and lost 110 lbs! You can add me for support.
  • smd305
    smd305 Posts: 5 Member
    Typical story here. Yo-yo dieting since age 17. Up & down my whole life. At age 55 I am at my highest weight now & I feel like crap & I'm nervous because my legs hurt now when I take a walk.
  • Altagracia220
    Altagracia220 Posts: 876 Member
    23 years old. 5'9 SW:218 CW: 177 GW: 160-165.


    I was always at a healthy weight up until I turned 19 and found my own job and was able to afford fast food and junk food. That was when I really fell in love with food. I began to eat more and more and I never exercised. I ordered take out almost on a daily basis. 2 years later, I turned 21, now add alcohol to that equation. I was drinking 3-4 times a week. Lots and lots of sugary alcoholic drinks. I worked at restaurants and had tons of foods and alcohol there. My portions were huge ones, and it was never just one portion, never just one drink. I ate whatever I wanted. I never felt insecure or bad about myself. In fact, I always thought I was just a few pounds overweight or chubby. Nothing serious. But then at the end of last December, my boyfriend took a photo of me by the Christmas tree and when I took a look at it, I had come to realize how big I really was and how I really needed to make serious changes. Currently, I've lost 40 pounds. I am no longer obese but truly chubby lol.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    When I stopped working at my active job and started working in an office, I kept my old eating habits. I wasn't burning as much as I had before and I gained weight. Now it's much harder to keep it off.
  • relaxed91859
    relaxed91859 Posts: 24 Member
    I have been 25 to 35 bls over weight for most of my life. I am now just about 60 which will be less than a month. I want my next third of my life to be healthy so I can do things with my grandkids.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    SW: 232.3
    CW: 156.8
    GW: 140-149

    I don't really think I have a "story". I got pregnant and just never lost the weight (laziness and eating/drinking too much). I went to the doctor last March and he told me that I was insulin resistant and needed to lose weight. So I did. And I've reversed my insulin resistance and am continuing to lose weight and be fit because I love it, and I'm good at it.
  • jlmdc29
    jlmdc29 Posts: 26 Member
    I wanted to look younger but couldn't afford surgery (haha). Was looking at before and after pictures and realized I could take a few years off if I lost a few (50) pounds. I did it! But....it took a few years and while I may look slimmer I don't look younger. C'est la vie :)
  • hncary
    hncary Posts: 176 Member
    I've had an eating disorder most of my life. My parents divorced and we moved a decent amount. Add in step parents and siblings and I used eating as a way of control. It all started around the time I was 9 years old and really got out of control when I was about 13. I would sometimes go 5 days without eating and would excessively exercise. Bulimia was added in when I was about 15 or so. I had finally started to turn everything around and not be so scared of every little thing that went into my mouth when I was around 18. Then I got pregnant at 19 and flipped to the opposite eating problem. Probably a mix of stress, quitting smoking, pregnant cravings, and laziness. I gained about 70 pounds during my pregnancy and about 30 more a few months after the baby came. She is 2 now and I'm still trying to lose that weight. I am 22 and still trying to learn how to eat without starving myself or binging. But it seems to be going well so far and I'll be happy when I can be healthy and feel like food isn't a negative part of my life anymore.
  • Childfree1991
    Childfree1991 Posts: 145 Member
    Starting Weight - 187 lb
    Current Weight - 123-124 lb
    Goal Weight - reached
    My story was basically blaming. You can read my story on my profile if you'd like as it gives a better explanation. Long story short, over a year ago I was borderline obese. I blamed my birth control (even though the side effect was increased hunger, not "magic" weight gain). I blamed my depression (reached for snacks instead of meditating or listening to music. I blamed my thyroid (even though I was never diagnosed with a thyroid problem). I blamed my med side effects for "making" me too tired to exercise (when in reality, extra hydration was a natural remedy). I eventually blamed my tubal ligation (PTLS is a myth; Plus I still have my ovaries). The list goes on and I eventually realized the more excuses I made, the more weight I gained. So I thought deep (got a bit of therapy for my depression I'll admit) and began to put more effort into my weight loss goal. Over a year later (now) I am over 60 lb lighter and lost nearly half my body fat (according Dexa scans). I never counted a single calorie. Just healthy eating, exercise, portion control, lots of water, motivation, and no excuses.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,557 Member
    edited April 2015
    I've been underweight or at the low end of the normal range most of my life.
    I have also been quite active ... sometimes very active.

    Then in 2009, I developed DVT on a flight between LA and Melbourne. My activity level dropped right off, and I began to gain weight. I did make some diet adjustments, but not quite enough.

    In 2011, my activity level increased again, I made further dietary adjustments and lost the weight I gained.

    And then in 2012 my activity level dropped again for various reasons, and my eating increased ... one reason was that my husband and I spent 8 months travelling around the world. Too much good food out there! Gradually, slowly over the past 4 years, I put on 15 kg.

    In a way I'm encouraged by that ... I had tried to adjust my diet to match my activity level, and obviously had it pretty good. But it wasn't quite right.

    So now I'm correcting that 15 kg ... I'm down 8 kg now. I am also increasing my activity level again ... starting to get back into long distance cycling again. :)
  • Anastazia36
    Anastazia36 Posts: 27 Member
    Hi all,
    I was always overweight - since I was a child...

    I followed countless diets, pills, dieticians, formulas etc. Because of all this bad habits and ups and downs, I ended up with Insulin resistance. This is making it even more difficult to lose the weight. However I do not want to make excuses. It can be done and I have to do it.

    Never managed to lose the weight and keep it away. This is not my first time in MFP. However this time I want to do it! I am 38 years old and 220lbs - the highest I have ever been!!! I need to come down to 155lbs.

    I need motivation and support. Please add me if you think you can help!!!
    Hopefully I will do it this time.
  • ladywanderlust
    ladywanderlust Posts: 7 Member
    edited April 2015
    SW: 167
    CW: 156
    GW: 140
    (Height: 5'7)

    My story is more one of self-doubt and overcoming that. When I was a kid, I was involved in pretty much every physical activity you could imagine. Gymnastics, ice skating, dance, swimming, etc. I was a very fit little kid. But I was never GOOD at any of these sports. I never seemed to improve. While my classmates moved up to higher levels, I would be held back because there were basic skills I just couldn't seem to master. (I repeated the same level in swimming class for 4 years in a row because I couldn't dive; I was in the same gymnastics class as 7 year olds when I was 12 because I couldn't figure out how to do backflips, etc.) By 13, I decided I'd had enough of this and quit EVERYTHING. In my eyes, there were clearly athletically-inclined people, and I was NOT one of them! From then on, I held a very self-defeatist view of all exercise. I nearly failed gym class multiple times in high school, even while getting straight A's in everything else. I just refused to try, assuming that I'd be bad at it. I didn't want to humiliate myself anymore. I thought that because I couldn't run a mile as fast as the other kids, couldn't shoot a single basket, and got beat in tennis by kindergarteners, I was doomed to a life of being a couch potato.

    Then one day not so long ago, I decided to bite the bullet and join the gym on campus. The first day there was absolutely terrifying! I felt like a fish out of water-- everyone around me was ridiculously fit and seemed to know exactly what they were doing. (I learned later that this was a flawed perception!) But then I talked to a trainer in the weight room, who showed me how to use some of the equipment. He was so nice to me, as was everyone else I met there. I began going to group fitness classes, where the instructors were all so supportive and patient. So now I do Pilates, Spinning, BodyPump, BodyCombat, and BarreFit. And you know what? I still suck at all of them. But now I realize it doesn't matter. Most of the other people in my classes are in the same position as me, just trying their best. I'm not ever going to be an Olympic athlete, but you don't NEED to be. I'm keeping active, having fun, building muscle, and getting stronger every day. That's the important thing! As long as people don't judge me, I won't judge them.
  • VanillaGorillaUK
    VanillaGorillaUK Posts: 342 Member
    It started when I was teenager.

    Despite being involved in martial arts, weight lifting and other sports I was always slightly chubby. My family had awful eating habits, sugar sandwiches, takeaway food, sweets and crisps. My sweet tooth was born.

    Having role models in boxing and reading fitness magazines as a teen, you wouldn't see me without a t-shirt on. I wasn't fat, but as I said, a little chubby. As crazy as it sounds I was embarrassed about not being "ripped" at that age.

    As I grew into my late teens and started working I spent money on eating junk food. Why? I never learned to cook, I didn't know anything about it. The world of real food and cooking was on another planet. I didn't have many friends, nore was I interested in having them. I had no direction in life and went from one boring job to another.

    Eventually I started a business and was successful for a while, and the additional money further facilitated my fat gain. At 26 years old I was completed disgusted with myself, I wouldn't go outside without a jacket covering me. At the most, I would wear an oversized black t-shirt. I couldn't jog for 2 minutes without gasping for air.

    Being so embarrassed with my fat I didn't want to socialise with anyone. I would avoid parties like the plague.

    I was 250lbs at 5 foot 7, 40% bodyfat.

    That was last June, I'm now 200lbs, 25% bodyfat. I can run for 30 minutes straight and deadlift 400lbs.

    Bring on 15% bodyfat :)



  • Sweet_Heresy
    Sweet_Heresy Posts: 411 Member
    I was real active as a kid but was always kinda chubby...I turned 15 and dropped 40 lbs. Over the summer just by playing Dance Dance Revolution and not eating garbage. Went from about 200 to 160.

    Kept that off for a while but slowly gained it back when I moved out at 18, having no cooking skills, a now-ex boyfriend with horrible eating habits (he gained about 100lbs) who would get pissed at me every time I tried to lose weight. Ended up back at 190.

    Did a round of P90x a couple years back and dropped back down to 174, and felt great...but anxiety and depression did me in, and after a particularly rough patch, hit rock bottom. Was drinking very heavily, eating junk, and went up to an all time high of 210, which only fueled my depression. it seemed impossible to be consistent with eating right and working out when most days it felt like too much effort to even keep breathing.

    Ended up in the hospital and realized I needed to put my big girl pants on and start getting a handle on this. Medication/therapy has been helping immensely. started working out again, and went down 15 lbs in 8 weeks so far. I feel better than I have in a very long time.
  • LittleMissYoYo
    LittleMissYoYo Posts: 88 Member
    edited April 2015
    SW: 220lbs
    CW: 174lbs
    GW: Happy and Healthy!

    I had three miscarriages in a row and the last one I saw my babies heart beating at 8 weeks, a week later we were told it stopped, I had depression before this happened but this triggered me to comfort eat, sleep and sit on my *kitten* all day and night, go on the computer for up to 9 hours a day! eating up to 3,000kcal.

    My journey started in January 2014. Don't ask me what caused me to start but something clicked in my head. I guess you can put it down to going up 14 steps to the bedroom and being out of breath! Oh and not to mention the roll of fat around my neck that was suffocating me as I laid on my back!

    I've gone form couch potato, to doing just 20 minutes 2 times a week, now I'm doing up to 60-90 minutes 4 times a week walking the mountains here. x
  • melduf
    melduf Posts: 468 Member
    I started gaining after starting the pill at 17 and just kept putting on weight. Emotional eating and just enjoying food no hold barred. Pregnancy was surprisingly easy weight wise. I was back to my before weight in 3 weeks and lost 5 lbs in 3 months. But then depression settled in (read here lots of emotional eating!). We were trying to do a 2 generation house with my in-laws and my MIL was very mean to me. Moving out was the best decision I made! I got better fast after that and I started running. When the weather got bad in November, I started working out in my living room. Yoga, pilates, HIIT and Wii fit. I just got back to running after a winter break and it feels great! I still struggle with the food though. Especially chocolate!!!

    My highest weight was 198 lbs in July 2014 (I'm 5'1''). I'm now at 168 lbs. My goal is 135 lbs or slightly higher but with 25% BF.

    Feel free to add! I log everyday :)

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