I think there were probably two key "moments" that defined my weight increases over the years.

First was simply going away to college. I was a pretty skinny kid growing up and when I got to college there were a number of factors that coalesced to give me the classic "freshman 15." One big thing was portion sizes: they were no longer controlled by what my family ate, but instead was more managed by what my friends ate. Related to this was late-night eating, which really amounted to a second dinner (we ordered a lot of late-night pizzas to the dorms). Finally, there was the ready access to alcohol. I guess I should be thankful that it was only 15 or 20 pounds I put on during that time!

After that, over the years, I was pretty stable at that higher weight, although there was a slow drift upwards.

The second moment was when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The treatment for that includes steroids...lots of steroids. I put on a lot of weight during my multiple steroid courses. I'd gain weight with each course, and then lose weight after the course was over. But...I'd never lose as much weight as I put on! As such, over a couple of years there was an overall increase in my weight. When my disease was finally under control, I figured that I was now stuck at the higher weight. To be honest, though, I didn't realize that I had become officially "obese!"

Each of those time-periods could have probably been managed better, but I hadn't really been concerned with my weight at the time, so I just let it happen, so to speak.

Looking back, are there defining moments or events where your weight struggles began?
Or, has your weight always been an issue, even back before you really realized it? If you went back and talked to THAT you, what would you encourage them to do to mitigate those moments/events?

I was the so-called "black sheep" in a pretty large family. I have no idea really how I made the link from feeling different to getting some comfort from food, but it happened young and went through my high school years. Like @gadgetgirlIL , I developed an early sweet tooth and I too figured out ways to sneak those treats. However, I certainly didn't limit my reliance on food to sweets--there was plenty of other stuff too.

Once out on my own, I became more active and for a while, stopped eating so much. As I moved into a career that entailed a lot of field work, I slimmed down even more--was pretty much height:weight proportional.

However, as responsibilities increased, I turned back to food, added drink and socialized enough to imbibe in both--often. This was also a time when my Mom's health was failing and that seemed to bring a lot of turmoil to me and my siblings (to varying degrees). Eating and drinking were once again the crutches I leaned on most heavily. As I got bigger, the little nagging voice just couldn't outdo the louder 'have another' voice, despite my growing dislike for what I was becoming. This continued on until I joined WW in 2014.

It really wasn't until a year or more into WW that I began to connect the dots and recognize how I turned to food and drink as a crutch (that really didn't work) to deal with unpleasant emotions. I think at each of the pivotal times in my life, if I'd grasped that food and drink really didn't change the stresses or unpleasant emotions I was dealing with, I might have avoided part of this journey.

Thanks for asking the question, @misterhub --it made me think.