How did you become overweight?

[ariannasmom]

I thought this would be an interesting thread to start to see how we all got overweight?!

I gained my weight whie pregnant with my daughter, I had never been overweight in my life. While pregnant with my daughter i gained 60+ pounds and just ate anything in site. Thinking that once i had my daughter i would lose it all! (she would have had to been the size of a 4th grader for that to happen) Of course that didnt happen, I lost about 12 pounds after having her, and the rest is still hanging with me.


Whats your story....was it sudden....gradually?

[FAT2PHAT]

Well, I got married in December 03...married my highschool sweetheart who had joined the Air Force..I have never been "skinny minnie" but was happy in my size 10's and 150 some pounds (built like an athlete even though im far from an athlete)..so to continue with the story I was 19 yrs old and moving across the country to be with my husband at his duty station in Washington. So once reality hit and honeymoon phase was over I realized I was alone in a new state with no friends no family. That's when I turned to food for comfort..I have always been an emotional eater but when i was home i was able to go to a friends instead of sitting home and stuffing my face when i felt bad. Fast forward to August 05..husband had been home from his first deployment to iraq for 3 months and wouldnt ya know it i got pregnant. SO on top of the 40 lbs i gained feeling sorry for myself i put on an additional 37 from having a baby. I lost 30 after she was born..but from when i officially started (may 24th 200 i had 50 to lose. That is my story I am fighting to find myself again...I have become the thing i have always said i would never be..a fat frumpy housewife..walking around in sweatpants wishing i was that girl or this girl. But now im making it happen so glad i have finally said ENOUGH and got my head in the game! And thats my long boring story...happy reading

[ariannasmom]

FAT2PHAT: I loved your story, At some points in your story it was as if i was reading my own life story. You have a great attitude and you WILL succeed!

[gman]

I stopped exercising regularly when the kids came along, and I recall eating a lot of junk like ice cream at night. Plus, I think I was up to two packs a day...of Twizzlers. So, 70+ lbs lighter here I am working toward my proper weight again.

[Trisha001]

I'm a huge stress/emotional eater...and I had two babies and used them as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted.....
T~

[damato300x7]

I was always big as long as I can remember. Always wore the husky clothes as a kid. But I was always athletic in high school. I played football and baseball all through High School, when I graduated I weighed 260 lbs but I was in decent shape lifting weights and exercising all the time.

When I got out of High School there was nothing there to motivate me to do anything. So I quit exercising and working out and soon blew up to 290 lbs. So I went on diet and went down to 210 lbs. Everything was great but I steadily put the weight back on. Each time I would diet I would always put the weight back on within a year or two plus a few extra.

Then I got a job which requires a lot of travel and every night we are at a restaurant or fast food, and before I knew it I woke up and I was ~350 but again I was not in bad health(blood pressure was good, cholesterol was good). I just hated the way I looked so now I am here and doing well with my new way of life.

I still have to travel but I can see it to be much easier to make decisions at restaurants now that I have the tools I need to succeed at this.

Dan

[caramella]

I've been overweight most of my life. A lot of my eating was emotional, dealing my parents' divorce, losing my grandmother, not fitting in with my family, and other personal issues. At my largest, I was 252lbs, which was in 2001. Ever since, I've struggled and yo-yo'd my way to lose weight. Now, I'm making a true effort to not only lose weight, but to learn a new way of eating...and living.

[OzLover]

So many emotional reasons why I'm overweight. Many years in an abusive relationship were I ate to stuff my feelings. If I spoke those feelings~~mostly anger~~there was always the threat of getting the crap beaten out of me. The fat was also a protective layer from the hurt & humiliation & also kept any compliments or attention from other men at bay. Years of being told what a worthless human being I was etc...

Thus for me this is not just a journey to lose weight but to also heal the mental & spiritual pain that has been such a huge part of my life. Making progress 1# & 1" at a time!!

[MoreStylish]

Well, I have always been a big kid; ever since about 2nd grade anyway. Once I hit 7th grade, I began to lose a lot of that extra weight because I joined the JV basketball team. However, after the off-season and 8th-9th grade I gained all of it back and more.

I entered 10th grade (new high school) at 325 pounds (give or take a few pounds). There I met a girl I really fell for, so I decided to try and lose the weight. I started Atkins around January or so (I can't quite remember). By the end of the school year I was around 290-300 pounds and by the time the summer was over (going into 11th grade) I was around 270 pounds. I continued Atkins throughout football and by prom in May, I was about 258 pounds.

I am 6 feet and have a decent amount of muscle on me (I worked out quite a bit for football, and therefore 258 pounds wasn't too bad and I looked pretty darn good (not to boast or anything). With the new looks, I got some more attention and partied and hung out quite a bit more during the summer (going into 12th grade - senior year) and gained some weight back. Probably to about 275-280. Senior year was tough; girls, heart-ache, musicals ... etc all contributed and by graduation I was back up to 320 pounds or so.

After high school, it all went down hill. The next 2 years I gained about 50-60 pounds while in college. I re-started Atkins 2/3 of the way through my sophomore year of college and went from 380 pounds to 338 pounds. A trip to see my best buddie, multiple pieces of cheesecake, and final exams later, I gained 30 pounds back. (I know, I'm really embarassed to say that I gained 30 pounds in only 5 months ) So mid-way through my summer (going into my junior year of college) - RIGHT NOW! - I decided to go back to Atkins and lose this weight. I started at 367 pounds and am determined to get to 220 pounds!

Note: All of the weights are best guesstimates! They could be a tad off - memory is not perfect.

[MoreStylish]

Originally Posted by OzLover

So many emotional reasons why I'm overweight. Many years in an abusive relationship were I ate to stuff my feelings. If I spoke those feelings~~mostly anger~~there was always the threat of getting the crap beaten out of me. The fat was also a protective layer from the hurt & humiliation & also kept any compliments or attention from other men at bay. Years of being told what a worthless human being I was etc...

Thus for me this is not just a journey to lose weight but to also heal the mental & spiritual pain that has been such a huge part of my life. Making progress 1# & 1" at a time!!

You're going to do it! Good job so far!