How fast did you gain your weight? (And why I'll be logging forever)
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I have been overweight since I was a child. I've also until recently never been one to step on the scale. I remember weighing myself once in high school. I was 180lbs (5ft7in). A couple years ago, I went to the doctor and weighed 238, so I gained 50 odd pounds over 18-20 years. I've had two brief periods of weight loss in that time, which probably helped me to not go higher.
After college, I spent 5 months in Australia, where walking was my primary means of transportation, and where I ate a lot less than usual because I plan poorly and had very little money saved for the trip. As I said, I was not a scale person, but I went from a US pants size 16-18 to a 10-12. Then, I came home back to my car, and got a desk job and didn't exercise. Also, I took up drinking regularly.
Two and a half years ago, my friend introduced me to MFP, and I started to actively try to lose weight while training for a 10k. I lost about 20lbs but once the 10k was over, I lost my will to run regularly and my motivation to keep calorie counting. I took a "break" that was supposed to last a month, but stretched into 2 years. In that time, I have increased my running, but regained 15lbs because I was not watching at all what I was eating, and, probably more importantly, what I was drinking: way too much craft beer.
I think I am overweight for many reasons, but mainly, I never cared enough to do anything about the weight gain. Being ugly and fat was just what I did. Not fitting in my clothes just meant buying pretty new clothes. I watched my mom diet my entire life. I watched her drop a ton of weight after gastric bypass surgery, and then watched her gain much of it back over the past 10+ years. I am relatively healthy, so what was the point of denying myself tasty food and beer?
I've been back at MFP since October and have lost 25lbs so far. I care now because I want to be a faster runner and all this extra weight does not help with that. And, I'm tired of being the Fat Girl in our group running photos. I hope not to log forever, but we'll see. I hope more to never have to do this again.
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It took me about 6 years to gain 115 pounds, which is not quite 20 pounds a year. But I don't think it breaks down to a small average daily calorie surplus. I was dieting and losing weight and yo-yoing a lot in that span so there were ups and downs and times I was eating pretty healthily and times when I was eating terribly. Over the course of each of those 6 years I was probably pretty close to the 20 pound yearly average, but it probably came in spurts during certain times of the year.0
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This is interesting!
I started gaining weight slowly during my senior year of high school when I moved out of my parent's house in 2000. I would say I weighed about 125 back then. The scale creep continued through undergrad, my first desk job, into law school, and then while I got my masters. I probably weighed about 170 by the time I finished school in 2011. So that's about 45 pounds in 11 years (so just under 40 calories over maintenance per day).
Then things got worse! Between 2011 and 2015, I went from 170 to 210. That's another 40 pounds in just shy of 4 years (which equates to just under 96 calories over maintenance per day).
So eating about 40 extra calories a day led to a 45-pound gain in 11 years, while 96 extra calories per day gained me 40 pounds in 4 years. Math is amazing!
BTW- I've lost 40 of those pounds in the last 6 months!!0 -
Well, I gained my weight rather quickly. A long time ago I decided to keep a food journal for a few days. After looking up the calories, I realized I was eating 3500 to 5000 calories most days. I gained 30 lbs in two months once. That's about a lb every two days. Since my issue is binge eating, I just dont keep calorie dense foods around me. Decreasing access to these foods helped/is helping me with my weight goals.0
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I put on 50 lbs in 4 months. How? I stopped breast feeding but kept eating. I was losing an average of 5-8 lbs a month after my youngest was born, but when I stopped breast feeding her, my weight exploded.
Then my previous marriage was miserable and I was binge eating. After I left him, I lost 20 lbs in less than 2 months just from quitting the constant eating and being miserable.
I plan on keeping it off by watching more what I eat. I eat junk. I make healthy meals, then ruin it by snacking on junk food. I'm on a sugar detox for the next month to see if I can get over craving it.0 -
It took me a year to gain 12 pounds because I'd become less active. I lost it in 6 months. Then it took me just over a month to gain four pounds over the holidays, which I intend to lose in the next month or two.0
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It took me about 8 months to gain back the 15 lbs I lost last year. I seem to always slip up in the summer, and then slowly gain until around December. This year is was compounded with a foot injury that had me off the running.
I think I'm going to have to log for life or I'll constantly be dealing with the 20lb "6 month sneak attack." A good way to think about it that I read elsewhere was the metaphor of glasses or contact lenses. When you put them on and your vision is "fixed" that doesn't mean you can stop wearing the glasses, or that you're somehow inferior to someone that doesn't need glasses, it's just an element of your physiology that some people need to compensate for.0 -
It didn't happen in a nice straight line.
Before college I weighed 98-100 lbs. After college I weighed 120-125 lbs which was much better. Got pregnant, had baby. I was 145 lbs after birth. I didn't worry about losing it for awhile. The weight crept up as my lifestyle was more sedentary and I pretty much ate the same amount. Got by on 4 hours of sleep for several years and compensated with even more food sometimes.
Over the course of 15 years- Gained weight. Lost weight. Gained it back. Lost weight. Maintained for awhile. Gained more. Maintained. Gained. Got to my heighest weight of 180 lbs by 2014.
Lost 25 lbs and am at my lowest weight in 5 years now by eating the right number of calories for my activity level.
I may log when I reach my goal for quite awhile but maybe not for life. I will monitor my weight regularly for life and if I gain will log again.0 -
CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I think when I did the maths it ended up being 120cal surplus a day for 13 years.
Such a small amount.
This sounds small but I think the figure is deceiving. Wouldn't you have to continue to increase the number of calories you eat as your TDEE increased with your weight and/or as your body adapted to your intake to continue to gain weight? I think. Maybe.
Yeah. But as my tdee went up and my intake went up the surplus would remain the same. Right?
Or does an obese person gain fat at a different rate than a thin person or does both take 3500 calories?0 -
i gained 150 in a little over two years0
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salembambi wrote: »i gained 150 in a little over two years
That awkward moment when I meet someone I follow on tumblr here! Hey there.
I gained 63 lbs in two years. I stopped doing my daily exercise and watching my calories. My boyfriend, now husband, kept feeding me junk food to make me happy. I definitely cannot blame pregnancy for eating like a beast. I was so happy and loved unconditionally that I didn't care about my looks. About my health - well, maybe, but obviously not enough. I think most days I would eat about 3000 calories but this is just a guess.
Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone.0 -
I'm not sure. Probably because I didn't give enough *kitten* to step on the scale. I wonder if my doctor has records0
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CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I think when I did the maths it ended up being 120cal surplus a day for 13 years.
Such a small amount.
This sounds small but I think the figure is deceiving. Wouldn't you have to continue to increase the number of calories you eat as your TDEE increased with your weight and/or as your body adapted to your intake to continue to gain weight? I think. Maybe.
Yeah. But as my tdee went up and my intake went up the surplus would remain the same. Right?
Or does an obese person gain fat at a different rate than a thin person or does both take 3500 calories?
Same rate. The wording and the way it's being broken down is misleading. It makes it seem scarier to go 120 calories over than it really is. It's like if this were money and you said "All I did was save an extra 120 dollars a week" when what you really did was save 120 the first week, 240 the next, 360 the next, etc.0 -
CalorieCountChocula wrote: »CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I think when I did the maths it ended up being 120cal surplus a day for 13 years.
Such a small amount.
This sounds small but I think the figure is deceiving. Wouldn't you have to continue to increase the number of calories you eat as your TDEE increased with your weight and/or as your body adapted to your intake to continue to gain weight? I think. Maybe.
Yeah. But as my tdee went up and my intake went up the surplus would remain the same. Right?
Or does an obese person gain fat at a different rate than a thin person or does both take 3500 calories?
Same rate. The wording and the way it's being broken down is misleading. It makes it seem scarier to go 120 calories over than it really is. It's like if this were money and you said "All I did was save an extra 120 dollars a week" when what you really did was save 120 the first week, 240 the next, 360 the next, etc.
Ok I guess.
Seems like your nitpicking something fairly minor.
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CalorieCountChocula wrote: »CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I think when I did the maths it ended up being 120cal surplus a day for 13 years.
Such a small amount.
This sounds small but I think the figure is deceiving. Wouldn't you have to continue to increase the number of calories you eat as your TDEE increased with your weight and/or as your body adapted to your intake to continue to gain weight? I think. Maybe.
Yeah. But as my tdee went up and my intake went up the surplus would remain the same. Right?
Or does an obese person gain fat at a different rate than a thin person or does both take 3500 calories?
Same rate. The wording and the way it's being broken down is misleading. It makes it seem scarier to go 120 calories over than it really is. It's like if this were money and you said "All I did was save an extra 120 dollars a week" when what you really did was save 120 the first week, 240 the next, 360 the next, etc.
I can see your point, but no, it isn't scary to eat 120 calories over for a day. To eat them on a daily basis, for years and years, yes, that actually is scary. And if it was easy to imperceptibly add 120 calories to your intake at one stage, it will be also easy to imperceptibly add them again at a later stage (to reach the 240 level compared to what you ate at the very first).
Really, when I eat my dinner now it brings back memories of when my portions were last this big as a matter of course. They really were, that's what I ate at a single meal as a matter of habit then, wow! I do not remember the little increments that led to my ever-increasing portions until I started losing. I don't recall a point wher a particular habit changed drastically. It all happened slowly.
It is interesting for me to see that, for some people or at some times, one can increase their intake by a lot and gain a lot of weight in a small amount of time. But one can also gain it slowly over longer periods as well. Especially if they don't weigh themselves and count on clothes sizes - the bigger you are, the more weight you have to gain to go up a size. That can also sneak up on you.
Look at it another way: it is quite possible to lose weight by smaller changes in intake or exercise - when we take on a more active job, are forced to walk more in a different country may be, etc. So conversely it is quite possible to gain by small changes too.0 -
I went from 185 to 340 in about 2-3 years.0
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This is my theory based on my own experience and observing friends over a period of decades. With dieting, there is fat and muscle loss, and until relatively recently the idea of muscle preservation with added protein and weight training wasn't really on the general radar for women. Once off the "diet" and now in a slow-gain mode, for many people, there is more of that additional weight represented in fat than muscle (which is why you notice a decade later you may be at the "same" weight but your body is bigger - fat takes up more room, pound for pound, than muscle). Over time with repeated cycles, the fat to muscle ratio increases, fewer calories are needed to maintain, much less increase weight, and if the person gets more and more restrictive during the "diet" cycles, more and more muscle mass is lost.
very interesting post. also as we get older, sarcopenia progresses without any strength training, so that contributes to the increased fat/muscle ratio. never thought of this angle.0 -
Let's see.....In 2010 I gained 20 lbs with a failed pregnancy and never lost that. Had a son in 2012 where I gained 30 lbs. started WW(on my own)and a regular workout routine in Jan 2013 and lost 20lbs by April. Then we sold our flipped house and moved. Things changed so much because of it, with certain details, that since that move I gained 30lbs. It didn't help that I absolutely could not get daily exercise in because my son found his legs and turned into Bart Simpson!! Thank god for paw patrol right now because that gives me an hour to get a video in!
Anyway, this site is working great for me so far and is love to use it forever.0 -
I went from 185 to 340 in about 2-3 years.
Same for me. I've been overweight as long as I can remember, but I also was extremely active. I was active enough to not be obese on an average of 3000 calories a day. Then I stopped being active and my food habits remained the same, so I ballooned pretty quickly into the morbidly obese category. I tend to gain weight really quickly if I don't watch it. After my initial loss of nearly 100 pounds here, I quit smoking and regained 30 back in a matter of 2 months when I decided to give myself a break from watching my food to give myself the best chance at quitting and thought how bad could it be? On holidays and such I have "planned gain" instead of "diet breaks" where I plan to gain 2-5 pounds within than month. If I totally let go I would be looking at a 10-15 gain.0 -
I've been big since I was a child. I can't remember being a normal size. I was never even able to miss it. You can see it in my pictures as a child. I never understood since my family was all so small/slender and I was even a very active child. I just thought I was simply different and my body worked differently. Well, everyone's body is different, but I was just eating a little more than I needed. I was 5'3'' and 192 lbs when I was 13 years old. I rarely got on the scale in my teen years. I bounced back and forth between 220-250 for a long time. It was the worst a year after having my baby, I got up to almost 300 lbs at the age of 26.
I'm 29 now. I will most likely log the rest of my life. Although after losing 120 lbs and being on MFP for a streak of 925 days, I'm pretty good at doing the math on most things. I still weigh my food and even liquids at home and I probably always will.0 -
I was an average sized kid, but my mother who has an eating disorder basically told me I was the fattest girl on the planet. She heavily restricted my food so that I wouldn't get even fatter. When I moved out of her house I went crazy eating everything I was never allowed to eat. That's what made me gain the weight. It took from when I was 16 until my mid 20s for me to reach my highest weight of 235.0
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I gained mine really really fast after an illness and injury. I was put on a combination of drugs that completely changed how I ate - I know that's not a popular thought here and it was up to me whether to eat or not. If there are meds that can suppress your appetite then obviously there are some that stimulate it and I was on 3 that are known to cause weight gain. (I won't get into any discussions/arguments with anyone over this) I put on 30 lbs first month although I'm sure some was water because of one drug. I kept going from there and honestly didn't know how big I was really getting for awhile. I HAD to wear loose clothing and so nothing was getting tight and I was unable to stand on a scale.
Examples would be going from hating chips and hating all mayo and mayo based items to not being able to stop thinking about really high fat items non stop and I gave in and ate them. I still have to have chips refrigerated to eat them and actually rarely bother because they just aren't good.
I also went from being athletic and very active to bedridden for weeks at a time. I still have issues with it and someday I'll either be using a walker or wheelchair - not at old age either. I could use a cane now. Not excuses. Just my journey. Im a walking miracle actually. I wasn't supposed to be walking unassisted at this point.
Depression and health fear anxiety played a role as well.
I recently came back after choosing to go into maintenance for several months for severe issues. Successfully. I remained aware of my intake and logged occasionally and only put a small amount back on of which most is already going away - water. I still have a lot to lose and am back at it now.
Once I reach my goal I'll always at least log part time just to check myself. More if my activity level decreases again.0 -
9 months of pregnancy = 50lbs of weight
I was fairly active before I got pregnant with my little girl and I had a pregnancy before her during which I tried to maintain my gym and eating regime and I unfortunately miscarried. I was convinced that it was because I had done too much or not eaten enough so I pretty much lay still and ate what I wanted to 9 months whilst I carried her 
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It took me 31 years to gain 125lbs. . . 2 kids, a divorce, and a bad relationship. I ate my way up the scale knowing I was getting fatter and fatter. I figured I was depressed, but didn't do anything about it. I eventually ended that terrible relationship and started working on myself. I've lost 50lbs over the past 5 years. I know it is slow, but I am a work in progress. I recently put 5lbs back on since the holidays. Now I am working on logging my food and exercising 2 to 3 days a week. I try to be realistic about what I can achieve and I try to not put pressure on myself for fast weight loss. My goals are small achievable goals, so I do not get discouraged. For me slow and steady is working when I log my food daily. I definitely get off track when I skip logging. For me, there will always be many battles with weight loss and I have accepted this, but all that really matters is winning the war year after year. Good Luck everyone. Happy New Year 2016.0
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9 months, twice. I went from 114 to 179 between two pregnancies. I was fit all through my 20s until my early 30s with pregnancy. It's been brutal to peel back the weight.0
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25 pounds within half a year, another 15ish within 9 months to a year. If I wanted to be accurate, I've actually been in the same weight range since March 2015. Doesn't bother me, I'm okay with being overweight. As long as I'm not in the obese range because that's when the real trouble starts (and hence why I'm trying to implement this lifestyle change).0
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CalorieCountChocula wrote: »CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I think when I did the maths it ended up being 120cal surplus a day for 13 years.
Such a small amount.
This sounds small but I think the figure is deceiving. Wouldn't you have to continue to increase the number of calories you eat as your TDEE increased with your weight and/or as your body adapted to your intake to continue to gain weight? I think. Maybe.
Yeah. But as my tdee went up and my intake went up the surplus would remain the same. Right?
Or does an obese person gain fat at a different rate than a thin person or does both take 3500 calories?
Same rate. The wording and the way it's being broken down is misleading. It makes it seem scarier to go 120 calories over than it really is. It's like if this were money and you said "All I did was save an extra 120 dollars a week" when what you really did was save 120 the first week, 240 the next, 360 the next, etc.
I ran my current numbers through a BMR calculator, and then added 100 pounds and did it again. By the end of my "bulk", I would have to be eating roughly 720 calories more a day to maintain the same caloric surplus.
So I agree, it is a little misleading. Eating an extra 120 calories seems pretty insignificant, but adding another big meal seems like it would be tough to hide.0 -
Torn muscle after during a marathon, was unable to run for a year. (poor excuse tubby, I should have watched my food intake and done alternate exercise) keep the calorie intake up without the training. Estimate 20 pounds in 4 months then a 5-10 pound per year increase.....ballooning up to 100+ pounds over weight 13 years total, 185 to 3000
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Yes it is kind of crazy when you think about how weight gain gradually comes on over the years. Eating an extra meal or losing sight of portion control can have significant effects over time. When I figured my total gain over a 31 year time period ...it was roughly 4lbs a year that I gained and that seems insignificant until one day you wake up 125lbs heavier.0
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