How did you gain your weight?

My husband and I went through two years of fertility treatments. During that time I got very dperessed, ate too much, drank wine too often to make myself feel better, and shot myself full of hormones on a regular basis. Turns out that is a recipe for total disaster when it comes to your weight. I still worked out on a regular basis, but other than that I was killing myself slowly. During those two years I actually got pregnant 3 times, and lost two of them, which also packed on the pounds. The end result was that I was 179lbs the day my daughter was born. She is now 14 months old and I am down to 142 with only 12lbs left to go to get to my goal weight!

I just really like to eat. I especially like to eat my emotions.

my husband and i tried for almost 7 years to get pregnant. with fertility treatments and 3 failed pregnancies, i gained some weight. i also got pregnant (finally!) and gained enough to put me close to 200 lbs. all the while i was pregnant, i didn't care about my weight b/c i wanted the baby so bad, all i concentrated on was keeping her safe and growing (bedrest was prescribed for a portion of my pregnancy, too, so very little exercise.) after giving birth, i naturally lost about 34 lbs, but i have since lost 26 lbs by hard work and exercise!

The first time, I gained because I was used to eating whatever because I swam four hours a day until college. Stopped swimming, didn't stop eating. Gained 100 pounds in four years. YIKES! This past time, it was a combination of things - pregnancies which triggered hormones that led to MASSIVE weight gain (I was working with a nutritionist and follower her meal plan to a T and gaining 10 pounds a month), those weight gains led to PCOS and insulin resistance and me generally feeling bad and laying around and my attempts at losing weight failing, so I kinda gave up for a while and ate to feel better. Now that I know I have PCOS and I know how to eat for my issue, I am committed to making it happen for me in 2012

Hurt my back really bad then got pregnant then ended up at a desk job ( before that I always worked outside and was constantly busy). I ate a lot at my boring job lol need to get back into shape to keep up with my two cute boys!!

Twinkies, late night sandwiches, beer, Beer munchies, white castle, Burger King double whooper with cheese, stress, stress with a strawberry milkshake, and finishing food even though im full

skipping all meals until dinner and then stuffing my face on fatty foods, and eating chocolate in secret in bed

In short, I've just been sliding along eating too many calories and not getting enough exercise on top of it...but here's the long version:

When I met my husband a little over 8 years ago, I weighed around 155 and looked okay, but could stand to lose a few. I briefly lost about 10 pounds following a low carb eating plan, and looked pretty good but really thought I could stand to lose another 10. At any rate, I never lost it. I gained the 10 back followed by another 10. When he proposed just before our 2 year dating anniversary, I weighed 165. During the 6 months between then and the wedding I gained another 5 pounds stress eating. I gained 10 pounds (!!!!!!) during our honeymoon at an all inclusive resort. Then I gained another 9 between the wedding and the time I became pregnant with our daughter. During that pregnancy I bounced up to 235, but after she was born I lost at least some of the baby weight and generally hovered around 205. Then I got pregnant with my son and gained up to 230 during the pregnancy, and lost down to about 215 which is where I've mostly hovered (if you're trying to keep track of timeframe, my daughter is now 4 and my son is 2). A few months ago I quit my high stress, high travel job and we uprooted our family from Texas to Oklahoma. Between the stress - stress is definitely one of my eating triggers - of adjusting to being a temporary stay at home mom and trying to find a job in a difficult market, I managed to put on another 7 pounds. And that brings me to NOW.

Whew! Some recents tests indicated my thyroid is underproducing. I don't have any idea how much that may be contributing to my weight issues, if at all, but my physician wants to have some follow up tests. At any rate, I'm down 2 pounds and have 85 to goal. It took me quite a few years to get here, so I imagine I'll have to be patient while it comes back off!

For me it was a combination of things….

When I was in college I was actually really healthy and in great shape. I was doing my own shopping on a budget and I actually was buying great healthy quick meals (chicken/pork/brown rice/whole grain pasta/tuna…etc.), and I was running daily. I used to play soccer and run cross-country (believe it or not there was a time in my life where running 5mi/day wasn’t abnormal).
I graduated college, didn’t get a job in my field (surprise surprise), was in a long-term (read comfortable) relationship, moved back in with Mom and Dad, and ended up with a desk/computer job.
So my lifestyle became way more sedentary. And I work later in the day, so I got in the habit of sleeping in, and then getting home at 8pm and just relaxing on the couch ‘til bedtime.
Then my relationship sort of ended…just ran its course. I wasn’t very motivated until then to get back into shape. I would eat when I was bored instead of hungry and I also just love food….I’m a ‘foodie’ and lots of food that is great and exciting isn’t so great for the waistline. Also am a beer girl too! =D So that doesn’t help much either. And I have a sweet toothe...candy/cake...all of it really...I had waaay too much sugar in my diet.
Last year my New Year’s Resolution was to read more, and it’s the first resolution I actually kept and have done really well with, so that got me excited about taking on the fabled “get back into shape” resolution…and I’m planning to stick to it because I’m single, trying to get into grad school, and generally turning over a ‘new leaf’ so to speak. I spent a lot of time thinking about the lifestyle I really want to be living (active, adventurous, healthy) and I wasn’t doing that so I got up off the couch and started (baby steps! =D ) trying to become the woman I see myself as, instead of the woman I was.

I gained it while pregnant and never managed to lose it again after (through extended breastfeeding = stupidly big boobs, lack of time, and not focusing on myself, which is of course totally normal after having a baby). I had a caesarean with my first which meant I couldn't do a lot for the first 4 months, and got out of the habit of exercise, then I had bad PND for most of the first year. Then I got pregnant again when he was 17 months, just as I was starting to lose the weight, then my second was born with kidney problems, so I spent the first year in and out of hospital and worrying about him and not thinking about me. Then our house flooded so we were living out of suitcases travelling around for most of the following year. So I didn't start thinking about losing weight until he was 2. Then it just took a bit of time! Am back to normal now.