gaining a LOT of weight after bereavement
itontae
Posts: 138 Member
I gained a lot of weight very quickly when my lovely mum died last year. It seems not everyone stops eating when stressed/sad. I coped by drinking a lot of wine and eating a ton of unhealthy stuff.
I am now on a mission to lose it.
I consider it to be "sad fat" so am twice as keen to get rid of it because it represents all the pain and sadness I felt about watching mum die. I feel the fat is almost suffocating me.
Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
I am now on a mission to lose it.
I consider it to be "sad fat" so am twice as keen to get rid of it because it represents all the pain and sadness I felt about watching mum die. I feel the fat is almost suffocating me.
Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
1
Replies
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I can tell you that I've been dealing with some grief and family stress lately and it has been much harder to watch what I eat. So, I don't have any advice for you but good luck! I know you can do it. Just set new habits and take care of yourself, like I'm sure your mum would want.1
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My dad died almost four years ago. I know exactly how you felt and how you feel now. It stills feels like yesterday that he died. I miss him every single day. It feels just like yesterday because I never gave myself a chance to grieve. I instead, smoked marijuana a lot and munched on everything.
It's true that I gained a lot of weight when I had my first child but it was my dad dying that made it impossible for me to change. It felt impossible to me anyways.
Now I am doing this because it's what he would have wanted for me.
Feel free to add me if you like. You can do this!!!0 -
Yeah, i gained a lot of weight after my friend died in May and my mom in December of 2009. But now I have lost 24 pounds! It can be done! Feel free to add me if you would like!2
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I feel like that too. My Dad died in June and I'm still coming to terms with it. I gained half a stone over the summer, on an already very heavy frame. Add me if you would like some support0
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This past March my husband and I held a beautiful full-term baby girl for 20 minutes before she slipped into heaven.. We knew for 5 months of pregnancy that if she survived to term, she would not live long after birth. But we chose to give her all the life we could. And now I am trying to loose the baby weight that I carry; that is a daily reminder of the sweet angel waiting for me in Heaven. It is a bitter sweet reminder of the amazing 20 mnutes and the empty arms I now have... Not eating my emotions is a struggle that pounds at me daily, and I take each day as it comes and celebrate the victories no matter how small they may seem.1
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I'm tearing up for you, so sorry for your loss. I too am here losing my "sad fat." I had two miscarriages within one year and comforted myself with pizza and vodka. I stopped doing anything that resembled exercise and grieved. Not sure what clicked this year, but I have finally been dropping those pounds, less than 20 more to go to my pre-loss weight.. And as I improve my physical health I am more comfortable talking about my losses and am in a better mental state. It is almost like I am finding myself again. I wish you the best. There will probably be times it is physically and mentally difficult, but remember you are worth the battle.0
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I did the same thing. I never had trouble with my weight until after...0
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I'm tearing up for you, so sorry for your loss. I too am here losing my "sad fat." I had two miscarriages within one year and comforted myself with pizza and vodka. I stopped doing anything that resembled exercise and grieved. Not sure what clicked this year, but I have finally been dropping those pounds, less than 20 more to go to my pre-loss weight.. And as I improve my physical health I am more comfortable talking about my losses and am in a better mental state. It is almost like I am finding myself again. I wish you the best. There will probably be times it is physically and mentally difficult, but remember you are worth the battle.
Hungrymum the bit about finding myself really rings true0 -
I did the same thing. I never had trouble with my weight until after...
after what, jg?0 -
I did the same thing. I never had trouble with my weight until after...
after what, jg?0 -
I did the same thing. I never had trouble with my weight until after...
after what, jg?
[/quote
so sorry. That will be "very sad fat " indeed0 -
I did the same thing. I never had trouble with my weight until after...
after what, jg?
[/quote
so sorry. That will be "very sad fat " indeed
It was my choice to deal with it the way I did, so now I have to fix myself and I've got a lot of work to do.0 -
My mom died last week. I've been having a hard time controlling things already. I at least forced myself to log it the last few days.0
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My mom died last week. I've been having a hard time controlling things already. I at least forced myself to log it the last few days.
My dad passed away last week also. It is definitely hard to control the eating. Right now it's just hard to not eat the bad stuff.0 -
I gained a lot of weight very quickly when my lovely mum died last year. It seems not everyone stops eating when stressed/sad. I coped by drinking a lot of wine and eating a ton of unhealthy stuff.
I am now on a mission to lose it.
I consider it to be "sad fat" so am twice as keen to get rid of it because it represents all the pain and sadness I felt about watching mum die. I feel the fat is almost suffocating me.
Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
sounds like me my dad passed last november and i gained 30 pounds he had congested heart failure in 07 then recovered and then went into the hospital last year with pancrentitis from a gall bladder stone getting stuck in a duct he recovered (which for a healthy person is rare) but they found a 9cm aneurism in his aorta and while waiting to recover from the sickness he had it burst and he passed, I did not get to say goodbye and it kills me everyday he is gone he was my best friend. I right now am crying writing this and feel like this feeling will never get easier if u need any help or support i know how you feel feel free to add me0 -
I went through a tough time after my grandmother died Sept. 2010 and after a close friend was killed in a car accident earlier this year.0
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I also added 25 lbs to being overweight to begin with when my younger sister died at 34 yrs old from breast cancer after fighting it for 3 years. Last week I found out that my older sister (60 yrs)also has breast cancer but doesn't want to do anything about it. I also lost my mom and my dad to cancer. I noticed that in my work outs now, I seem to be doing them with lots of anger. If I'm "punching" with my arms for example, it's really punching and my face looks like I'm really angry. My husband is the one that noticed it. I do seem to be taking this better than I did with my other family members, hopefully it's coming out in my exercising.0
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My dad died when I was 14, exactly 12 years ago tomorrow. I STILL know that I will be in a rough emotional place tomorrow and will probably do some emotional eating - even now, 12 years later. I think it's just something you have to accept and not be angry at yourself for, because when you're angry at yourself, that leads to more destructive behaviors (like wine and emotional eating - or, for me, working out until I passed out combined with emotional eating). For me, that was the hardest part - once I forgave myself and accepted myself, even in the middle of a binge, then it was much easier to work out and eat healthfully. Because the only sustainable reason to work out and eat healthfully is because you VALUE yourself. (And remembering how much your loved one valued you is a good way to help get you back on track.)
But the strength I found in myself while living through my grief, while rebuilding my life without the support and love and guidance of my father - that makes the strength I need to make myself workout when I don't feel like it look like a walk in the park.
You'll get there, and you'll be stronger and healthier because of all you've come through.0 -
My lovely mum died 3 months ago and usually I lose lots of weight when stressed, however, I cannot seem to stop picking and seem to need at least one or two drinks every night and I still feel empty. I also watched her die after 2 massive strokes and now work full time with a disabled father to cope with! I just feel fat, frumpy and invisible.....0
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Yes. My brother (only sibling) passed in a car accident in 2004. I initially lost 20 pounds, only to gain over 40+ within 6 months.0
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I was dating an I just met one of my girlfriends and we were both super skinny. a week later my best friend died. this happened about 6 years ago and had the funeral a few days after. we both had minimum wage jobs and we would get drunk and smoke after work everyday then we started stuffing ourselves with junk food right after funeral and with in 6 months we were so fat was 310 and my gf was 360. I gained 210lbs and my gf gained 290.we tried to diet but we just got bigger and now I weigh 360 and she weighs 3980
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I'm so sorry all of you went through this.
I can relate. My mom died last year and I gained 21 pounds within a few months.
The last year with her was pretty grueling, because as the cancer spread, she abused and belittled me.
But now I'm back on track. I've lost 10 pounds so far.
Another 12 to go.
Would love to hear from others, who've gone weight gain after loss.1 -
Perfect storm: I am just recently at the weight I was (still overweight, lol)back in 2007 when the following happened: the company I worked at tanked and we all lost our jobs (May); my beloved dog had to be euthanized due to sudden/severe Lyme disease (August); I finally got the job I wanted (yay!) closer to my family and relocated back to the NE (September) from the SE; my mom passed away 6 weeks later (October) :sad: ... And THEENNNN realizing that my long-term relationship was NOT going to work out, I needed to end that bc he wasn't going to relocate/no ring in sight! :brokenheart:
And then- the eating got seriously out of control and I gained 45 pounds over the next 5 years. Also, exercise was more of a social event than a mindful practice during those years.
Usually my life is stable, uneventful and/or just sorta boring! I like that MUCH better than the uber drama of 20070 -
Oh my goodness, my heart goes out to you. I hope you emerge a strong person from this. Your first step is a good one, reaching out like this and finding out you are not alone and are worthy of being heard and cared for,0
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It sucks doesn't it? I lost my mom in May of 2013 so I have an understanding of the sort of things you dealt with. I too put on weight near the end and right after. I had lost 36lbs and gained back 18 of them. It wasn't so much turning to comfort food for me. It was the depression and not having the energy to cook or work out. So I was depending on frozen meals or fast food so that I would eat. Because honestly, there were days I just would not eat because I did not care.
Let me tell you and anyone else who is having to deal with this. If you feel like you might need professional help, do not put it off. There is nothing to be ashamed of! Getting your mental health under control will only help your physical health.
Good luck to you.1 -
Just sending hugs to you all. My sweet dad died 2 1/2 weeks after my first child was born, totally without warning. I have no answers, but Ihope you will all take the best care of yourself that you can.
I know that if someone has loved you they would want you to be good to yourself when they pass on.0 -
Yes it happened to me. My beautiful mom passed away Jan 23rd of this year. I gained weight rapidly after only one month. I really didnt realize it until a mutual friend of my girlfriend said he asked "is she okay....she looks different...". In my book..looking different is a secret code for.."she gained weight". Admittedly Iooked in the mirror while walking by and I didnt recognize myself. This was prior to the comment. My face swelled...complexion changed...even a coworker said i had sad eyes. The impact of moms death broke my heart to the point that it showed not only in weight gain but showed on my face!. Theres a saying that says we are responsible for the wrinkles on our face after 40...or something like that. Now ive lived long enough to experience it. Right now im on a personal journey. Im back in the gym full time again. Ive always been active and i love exercise. Now my mom is my motivation when I feel like quitting. I miss her dearly but i know she'd want me to never thrown in the towel and to keep God first.0
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Been there and done that. We all deal with grieving differently. One thing is for sure, eating, drinking, or any other physical thing we do to ease our pain never works. Seek God in your time of pain and heartache and He will bring you through in a way you never thought possible. Only He can take something ugly and make it beautiful!0
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I am so sorry for your loss, and the loss of all the loved ones in this whole thread, it is heartbreaking that we all deal with so much pain. I was 38 weeks pregnant when my daughter unexpectedly passed away, no real cause was ever found for her death and I delivered her that same day. She was so, so beautiful.
I stayed active and didn't gain a lot during pregnancy (18lbs) and so I didn't have anything to lose when I left the hospital. But I put on 15lbs, making me 215lbs, which is where I am still at, two and a half years and another pregnancy later. I was never skinny but losing her and the anxiety of another pregnancy really made me not trust my body at all, and I am only just starting to learn to like it again.
Now I have my son I feel so much more motivated to stay active. I want him to have an active healthy childhood, and he is almost 1 so now is my chance to make it happen.0 -
I gained a lot of weight very quickly when my lovely mum died last year. It seems not everyone stops eating when stressed/sad. I coped by drinking a lot of wine and eating a ton of unhealthy stuff.
I am now on a mission to lose it.
I consider it to be "sad fat" so am twice as keen to get rid of it because it represents all the pain and sadness I felt about watching mum die. I feel the fat is almost suffocating me.
Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
My Golden Retriver died suddenly in 2011. Others might not think that especially traumatic, but it affected me deeply (still does even writing this). I went on a eating binge for months afterwards. I knew exactly what I was doing and, quite frankly I didn't care. In fact, I almost consciously wanted to "hurt" myself in an attempt to try to mute the emotional pain of the loss. Injuries and dramatic work schedule changes helped keep the weight on until just recently. Overall, I slowly got back control of my life and recommitted at the beginning of this year. Happy to say that I am now back to my lowest weight before.
You are not alone, nor have you done anything "wrong". Everyone has to move forward at their own pace. It sounds as though you are ready. I think you will find that your commitment and the physical effects of working out will greatly improve your sense of well-being. Good luck!
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