How did we get here?

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Lylora
Lylora Posts: 21
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep wondering to myself how I got to be the way I am now. I used to work in a doctor's office and so many of the nurses were very large, and I'd look at them and shake my head and think "wow, how did they ever let themselves get like that? Were they not thinking?" I'm 30lbs over where I want to be, and looking back it's just so hard to see how it happened. I think for me it was a combination of stress and lack of sleep--or, more accurately, the slice of pizza here and ice cream sandwich there that were the result of being stressed and not sleeping enough. But does anyone else out there have the feeling that this just kind of crept up on them...that at first it was just a couple of pounds, and you knew you were going to lose it when you had time, and then suddenly it was more than that? Or can you tell every step of how you ended up here?
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Replies

  • tuffytuffy1
    tuffytuffy1 Posts: 920 Member
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    I know how I got here. Most of the weight I gained was between January and June of this year; I gained 20 pounds after I quit smoking on January 2nd. And unfortunately, while it only took me 6 months to gain that 20 pounds, it is taking WAY longer to lose it. I am about 8 pounds down since June. Granted, I am working with a personal trainer now, and I know my body shape is changing, but losing the rest of that 20 pounds (plus another 20) is going to take me probably over another year.
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
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    I agree that, for me, it was a gradual thing. I also know that a bad marriage and depression accounted for some of it....I just didn't care!

    But now that I'm here, I'm finding it very refreshing, and actually EASY, to make these positive changes.........I feel good, I'm losing weight, I'm trying to move and exercise more.....and it's working! Very encouraging. I can now envision myself as a thin person again - and for about a decade, I just wasn't there.
  • bmmarti3
    bmmarti3 Posts: 53 Member
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    Desk Job + kids + no motivation = no time and excuses


    Slowly but surely the weight starts adding up. Just have to make a conscious decision to make a life style change and not just "go on a diet". A diet implies that at the end you go back to the same bad habits that got you in the mess in the first place. A life style change means you're not going back.
  • 2dogmom
    2dogmom Posts: 14 Member
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    I know what you mean. I remember looking at other women in my family and saying "I'm never going to get that big". Over 11 or so years . . . . here I am, just as big as the other women in my family. It was frightening when I could "borrow" my mom's clothes. Staying on track is very hard and I have weeks/months where I fall off the wagon. But I weigh myself religously and take immediate action if I see the weight coming back. I've lost 30 and need to lose another 30 at least. I'm taking my time and try not to be too hard on myself when I lapse back into old habits - as long as I recognize it and change the behavior.
  • Alacey88
    Alacey88 Posts: 487 Member
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    I do know where and how I got here.... it started right after high school with the freshmen 15 then lost 30 pounds due to a physical job then transferred to a desk job and going to college..... so mainly stress, lack of sleep, and not enought exercising.....
  • sryan8408
    sryan8408 Posts: 244
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    Spraining my knee and ham string, and a stress fracture in my thigh. I went from being a very active individual serving at a local restaurant until one day I decided to take a spill on tile. Worst time of my life recovering from that, going from physical therapy to stupid doctors who didn't listen to me or know what they were talking about. An injury that shouldve kept me out of the restaurant for a max of 3 weeks, kept me out for almost 3 months. From there I couldn't do as much as I could before. After a few hours of work I would be in tears and unfortunately it took too long to figure out why I was still hurting. (I was experiencing the side effects from the medication they had me on, which included extreme joint pain). So I had quit my job and become a nanny. It went all down hill from there.
  • dsak
    dsak Posts: 367 Member
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    Desk Job + kids + no motivation = no time and excuses


    This!!! Sometimes it's just so hard to take care of yourself when there are so many other things needing your attention. It just slowly crept up on me too. But I'm getting there.... with my "lifestyle change"!!!
  • MrsCurtisinTX
    MrsCurtisinTX Posts: 88 Member
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    I believe, for me at least, that it was a gradual thing as a root cause of being miserable and being raised eating fried everything. I have learned to make better eating habits but it has taken time. I wish I did it before I gained over 100lbs though. At least I have found a great site with great information and encouragement!
  • karen90631
    karen90631 Posts: 10
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    It's always a gradual thing for me. But the main cause of my weight gain IMO is always denial.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    For me it was a *happy* marriage, not a bad one that got me here. DH and I eat out a lot because neither of us like to cook. Between that, nachos & beer during football games, cookies from the gas station for breakfast (!! but they're so GOOD!)...yeah. I'm surprised, frankly, not to have gained MORE weight than I did.
  • AliMatt27
    AliMatt27 Posts: 13
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    I definitely don't use the word diet and feel it's a lifestyle change. It was a gradual weight gain, I weighted 127 when I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter many moons ago. I weigh a little over 160, my goal is to lose 20 - 25 pounds. I've added running/speedwalking, at least 4 to 5 times a week. That has made a huge difference. Prior to adding this consistance I did Pilates, Yoga and cardio, I also cut back on the empty carbs. Since I'm logging everything in here I am accountable for what I'm putting in my mouth, this has been a wonderful tool to use. I still have an occassional snack but within reason. I won't deny myself anything just implementing portion control. The shocker for me was when I walked pass a mirror at a store and couldn't believe how my body has changes. I am so inspired by everything that is shared on this site, I am seeing a noticeable change in my body already so I know I'm on the right track. Have a great day.
  • Lylora
    Lylora Posts: 21
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    It's always a gradual thing for me. But the main cause of my weight gain IMO is always denial.

    Yes! That is so true. I was always told "Denial is not a river in Egypt" and it's so true. You keep saying eh, it's only a couple of pounds or, well, I just washed my jeans of course they're a little tighter. Only way around it is realism and accountability--and this is a great reminder of that.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    I wish I could say it was craft beers, gourmet food and artisinal cheeses, but it was mainly the office vending machine, second bowls of cereal, crumby food cart cheese steaks and cheap whiskey.
  • Tegan74
    Tegan74 Posts: 202
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    It was gradual for me. I was waiting tables and lost a bunch of weight, then when I stopped over the last 10 yrs my weight went up slowly. I went from a size 10, almost an 8, to between a 16 and 18. When the 16s were getting tight I got upset. I'm back to a size 12 now, and plan to drop more (clothing sizes have changed in 10 yrs. I know cause I have jeans from 10yrs ago haha) Its a life style change for me as well. This is not a diet, I dont plan on going back to no exercise again. If my 88yr old grandparents can exercise daily I figure I should be able to as well for the rest of my life :)
  • MissMarthaGrace
    MissMarthaGrace Posts: 227 Member
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    It surely wasn't an overnight thing for me - I love to eat and I got lazy - plain and simple. I'd look in the mirror and at pictures & think, "I know what I need to do, and if I could just drop a few pounds, I'd be good" - but then those few pounds turned to 30.

    I dropped 10 pounds on my own the summer before my 40th birthday and then stalled. That's when I decided to buck up and join WW ~ was the best thing I could have done. With the help of a GREAT leader and a supportive group of people, in 8 months I dropped the final 20 pounds and felt fantastic! I could see AND feel the difference! It wasn't until after the 30 pounds was gone and an old family friend sent me a couple pictures of myself from a couple years prior, that I realized how heavy I had become. I now keep those pictures on my cupboard door as a reminder. Though I gained back 10 due to a back injury a couple years ago (and pure laziness) ~ I joined MFP a few months ago and am in the process of losing those 10 pounds once again, once and for all!

    Best of luck to you!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I know how I got here. I stopped exercising ... again. That's always what does it for me. Sometimes it just gets so hard to fit regular exercise into a schedule that includes work, home, family, etc. I'll stick with it for a year or more, then gradually begin exercising less and less often and then suddenly realize I've gain 10, 20 and this time 30 (!) pounds. I know to some 30 doesn't seem like a lot, but it's the most overweight I've ever been.

    So, I began exercising regularly (in Jan 2011) and have lost most of it. Still working on the last couple and thinking I may lose even more. If I can just stay motivated and stick with it. I can already feel it get harder now that I'm not "fat" anymore but so far I'm hanging in there.
  • Ketotaz
    Ketotaz Posts: 14 Member
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    I got here because of the choices I made. I can see it now that I don't use any excuses. Yes I have been obese since I was a child. I guess I could blame my parents for letting me spend all my allowance on candy! heck I could blame it on many things. My thyroid, my bad knee, my herniated disks, my pcos, my parent's divorce and other family tragedies, my pregnancies.... etc, but the fact is I chose to eat that box of cookies, I chose to not take care of ME. I chose to keep putting it off. I chose that 2nd slice of pie! I chose the fried chicken over the grilled! .....I could go on and on. Yes; as a kid I guess my parents were at fault, but as a teen and adult I have no one to blame but myself. I chose NOT to love myself and take care of myself. I chose to forget that this is the only body I have and oh man, I have hurt it over the years!!
    Now I know that it took 31 years to get here, and I will not lose this weight overnight, but this time I will not quit. I have to set an example for my kids. I love myself now. I guess that makes a difference :)
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I very gradually gained 50 pounds over 14 years since I got married. In short, I started eating like my husband. My weight gain averaged just under a third of a pound a month, which is not much at all... until you add it up over 14 years!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
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    Relationship weight + 2 children in 3 years + not giving a *kitten* about appearance + desk job. Gained steady for about 5 years, taken 3 years to lose it and I'm still not done.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I got the way I am now by tracking calorie and macronutrient intake, and lifting heavy for one year while consuming adequate amounts of protein and fat. I had a 3 month period of "half-assing it" with poor diet within that year, but it was when my son was born so I have no regrets.

    Prior to that, I was skinny-fat, and I got that way by not doing the above.

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