Why did you get fat and what triggered the change?

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ukgirly01
ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering what you consider the reasons are that you got fat and what triggered the change to get healthy?
For me I got comfortable in my relationship as well as starting a new job with longer hours, I know I was gaining weight but buried my head in the sand telling myself I was happy and had a good body image.
The trigger point for changing was when my uk size 20s stopped fitting I know at that point Id gone too far and there was no quick fix just hard work and determination. I'm now over 40lbs and 3 dress sizes down and realise I was never happy that big.
What about you?
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,397 MFP Moderator
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    It was college for me and I change due to tired of being over weight. And then I became friends with a lot of fit people so it enforced it more.
  • catherine1979
    catherine1979 Posts: 704 Member
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    I got fat because I ate terrible food and didn't get enough exercise. Weighing 301 pounds the day after I gave birth to my son was what triggered the change for me.
  • AmandaJoi25
    AmandaJoi25 Posts: 50
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    I went to rehab for alcohol and thats what started it. I also began overeating pretty badly. I have only gained about 15lbs. because I made sure to get things in check before they got really out of control.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I just plain didn't have healthy eating habits. I was very athletic in my teens and twenties and could eat literally anything I wanted. Then I started a sedentary job and kept eating like I was used to eating. I got it mostly under control and then quit smoking and gained 35 lbs.

    I dressed like a slob and never wore any makeup. Now I love to dress nicely and wear makeup all the time. I am much more confident about myself now.
  • pinkib
    pinkib Posts: 2
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    For me it was a crazy work schedule and eventually working from home took away the little activity I had. Plus, I got married so felt like I had nothing to work for. But now am hit with health complications and before it gets worse I would like to get it under control. How did you lose so much weight? How long did it take you to lose that much weight? What motivated you?
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Menopause. You think it's hard when you're young. Just wait.
    I was always thin. When I started with menopause I gained 30 lbs doing the same thing I always did. Now I have to watch everything! Lost it all though. :drinker:
  • Jacquelyn913
    Jacquelyn913 Posts: 300 Member
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    I was chubby as a child, shy, very reserved, and constantly picked on by my brothers at home for being fat. They thought by telling me I should do some sit ups ( I was 10) that they were somehow helping me. It wasn't. I ended up having a huge complex and being extremely depressed all throughout my teen years, and now I am 22 and finally realizing I want to be happy. No one can love you, if you don't love yourself. I want more than anything to be comfortable in my own skin, and the only person who can change that is me.
  • duncanryan
    duncanryan Posts: 122 Member
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    I got fat from being sedentary and eating bad food. Pretty simple. A couple things triggered my drive to change my lifestyle. First, getting married and realizing that I want to live a happy, healthy life with my beautiful wife was the biggest reason. Secondly, being back in school finishing my docotorate in physical therapy and learning all about the terrible effects of obesity on every body system and mood was a real eye opener.
  • Regmama
    Regmama Posts: 399 Member
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    I gained with the past two pregnancies and due to exhaustion didn't feel motivated to do anything in regards to losing weight. It took pictures from this past summer and the tight squeeze on a roller coaster to kick me into gear.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I started gaining weight after I gave birth to my twins, when I got their diagnosis (Cystic Fibrosis). I was severely depressed and I started eating for comfort. I didn't exercise because having to exercise was foreign to me ( was blessed before kids ) and didn't have a whole lot of spare time to do it anyways (with newborn twins & their disease to care for).

    I knew I had gained weight, but I covered it up with baggy sweaters & loose pants. I always wore hoodies, or oversized t-shirts. My turning point was my wedding day. I didn't feel beautiful ....... I felt fat, and disgusting & unworthy. I looked at my wedding pictures & I vowed to change.

    I've lost 40lbs since and I feel wonderful :)
  • katisabanana
    katisabanana Posts: 185 Member
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    i got fat in highschool, because my stepmom always told me i was fat. (i weighed 150/160)
    so she took away all the food i liked, even milk and cheese,
    so whenever i'd get any money, i'd binge on junk food!
    now i'm actually fat,
    and her and my dad are divorced.
    she was good for nothing!
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    These are the major things that contributed to be gaining weight.

    1- I had a complete tear of my ACL.
    2- Then I got married and adopted my fat husbands eating habits.
    3- I had a complete tear of the ACL of my other knee.
    4- Seditary life style. TV and eating were entertainment.
    5- Had 4 babies in 6 years.

    Bottom line is I ate too many calories for my lifestyle.

    Reason for change?
    1- I want to change that now that I am feeling it in my knees (doc says extra weight is no good for them)
    2- Flirting with High Blood Pressure, it runs on my mom's side.
    3- And I want to look hot again while I am still young enough to.
    4- And to have more energy.

    Thanks for asking. It really cleared things up for me to actually think about it.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    Struggled my whole life. Was not an athletic child - lol
  • ninjapixie87
    ninjapixie87 Posts: 124 Member
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    The first time I got fat: I hit puberty, quit ballet, and sat around eating crap like nachos all day. (I was also really short. My brother told me "eat more and you'll grow!" Well, I did...it was just the wrong direction.) Then I saw a picture of me on my 16th birthday and cried. It was awful. So I went on a diet (along with my parents) and dropped down to a better weight and kept it off for a few years.

    The second time I got fat: College. It started around my sophomore/junior year. I was under a lot of stress, eating junk, drinking, and started taking birth control. Then graduation, being less active, etc...all caused my weight to go up gradually over a few years.

    I felt fat and icky, and it was kind of depressing, and I kept saying I needed to do something, but all I did was stop the weight gain. Then a few months ago, my employer had us do biometric screenings for health insurance, and I discovered that I had officially crept up into the "overweight" category, and my blood pressure was a little high. That was my wake-up call to get off my butt and do something about my weight.
  • OkieinMinny
    OkieinMinny Posts: 834 Member
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    I thought I was fat in HS, I was on the drill team and we had to weigh each week and I almost got benched for weighing 130 (Im 5'5"!) I see pics now and SKINNY....That is what started a LONG battle up/down with weight...met my now husband went out to eat alot (hes a big dude and I tried to keep up!) Then got skinny for my wedding, then got even skinnier using WW THEN got pregnant..2 kids within 2 years nursing, eating when I could whatever was close, went on DepoPrevara and gained 20lbs in a month :0!! I was in PURE denial and then the scale hit the 200lb mark and I went into a tailspin...I have always exercised so I didnt think that would happen!

    NOW I want to eat healthier, be healthier and Im 41 so its MUCH harder, but hopefully I do it slow and controlled and it stays off, I am trying to teach my boys to do something everyday and choose snacks smartly..one does the other doesnt, but I know me being an example should help!
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
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    Menopause. You think it's hard when you're young. Just wait.
    I was always thin. When I started with menopause I gained 30 lbs doing the same thing I always did. Now I have to watch everything! Lost it all though. :drinker:
    Well done to be at target must feel great
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
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    For me it was a crazy work schedule and eventually working from home took away the little activity I had. Plus, I got married so felt like I had nothing to work for. But now am hit with health complications and before it gets worse I would like to get it under control. How did you lose so much weight? How long did it take you to lose that much weight? What motivated you?
    It's taken me a year so far and the simple answer to how was hard work, planning meals ahead, exercising at least 4 times a week. And keeping motivated is just knowing where I want to be
  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
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    I've always been fat but it never showed because of loose clothing and having a small frame.

    Then one day I stepped on the scale and saw 200. Changed my diet that day.
  • miss_kisha
    miss_kisha Posts: 74 Member
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    This is a nice topic, like another poster stated, makes us actually think about it and get it all out in type. I started gaining weight when I got married 7 years ago, but only in the last two years have I actually gotten 'fat'. So it started with the marriage and being comfortable, then I cut my work back to part time and took up baking as a hobby. Then my work slowed down so much that I would just sit at a desk all day. I didn't get a lunch break and I was bored so I would just snack all day. I got used to getting up late and only traveling 10 minutes to work. Now I work full time and work farther away so it's hard to get up early and exercise, or to make sure I have a healthy lunch packed. I'm full of excuses!!!

    I would seriously like to stop the excuses and get in shape because I am now heavier then I was when I gave birth 1 week over due!
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    I was always really skinny until I met my boyfriend. I then steadily put on weight over two and a half years and kept lying to myself that I still looked good. :/
    I just said one day that enough was enough... I was so sad and unhappy with how I looked (I refused to buy UK size16 jeans, my lowest size was UK6) I started dieting using MFP. Haven't looked back since then! :D

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