[ennay]

I dont think it is DUH the same for everyone. I ate too much, but I didnt exercise too little, I have always exercised.

I got fat because no matter how often or what I eat, I am hungry all the time. PLUS I am an emotional binge eater. I exercised a lot in the hopes that would combat the food.

[remydey]

For me, i think it was an odd sense of denial and stubborness... when i was in my mid 250's weight wise, and mid 20's age wise, i remember thinking to myself... i am me no matter what i weight, and if people dont like me because im fat... they can kiss my patoot... (mature huh? lol)... but the main reasons i acted and felt that way( as i look back) is i didnt want to have to give up my soda.. i love soda.. i didnt want to have to give up my fast food.. and the really odd part, is i never lacked for male attention no matter what my weight.. so i figured i could eat, drink what i wanted... still be attractive to men.. i had it made... so i thought.........

now im 43.. 297 lbs.. have trouble walking.. i worry about my health... i am married to a wonderful supportive man that now i worry about leaving due to early death from weight issues... i sure wish i could meet my 25 year old self and kick her right in her... well, you get the point... this would have been Soooo much easier to do while younger.... to sum it up i guess STUPIDITY was my downfall lol

[vixjean]

WOW! I am really REALLY happy how this thread turned out!!!

I am sorry if I was crabby last night though.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading all the posts and some of them brought a tear to my eyes.

kaplods-Thanks for coming back and explaining to me more what you were saying. I can understand your view more now. I totally agree about the magazines and the mixed messages, and the portrayals of women and weight. I was reading a fitness magazine the otherday and BAM all of a sudden was a cake add that said, 'everyone needs a cheat day!' ---what is that???
Also, about the 'gradual change,'--I was in denial about how much work it took to lose 1 damn lb! Now that I have lost almost 10, (in 4 months), my that was a lot of work! I just thought I could lose 10 lbs a month or something---reality check! ANYWAY---CONGRATS for real on your awsome weight loss!!!

KforKitty I hear you about the JUGGLING!! I recently was overlooked for a promotion as well, in November, and I am VERY bitter about it. It is totally a painful sore spot for me. 'They' say that when someone dies, they don't wish the worked more!!

Glory87 I know what you mean, I really DON't want to know the calories of some foods. I am doing better now. Congrats to you for doing so well!

[NightengaleShane]

vixjean, I think this is a great thread. I, too, am a very analytical person and I like to know the "hows" and "whys" of everything. Here go my answers, supposed excuses and all!

1. How did I get there?
I dropped one eating disorder and began another. I decided I was done with starvation, compulsive exercise, and the other tactics I took on to stay "skinny" and therefore started eating the entire world because I "could". My weight remained low when I first started these habits, though once I became stressed out (money problems, bad job, relationship issues), I blew up like a hot air baloon. I only consciously exercised a few times a week and usually for 30 minutes or less. I already messed up my metabolism with all my eating disorder BS and I gained 50 pounds in about 6 months.

2. How did it seem to happen so slowly, but it happened really fast?
It happened SO fast for me. I felt like one day, I was thin, then the next day, I was unable to fit most of my clothes!

3. How did we LET these lbs creep on?
I didn't realize the pounds were creeping on until it was too late.

4. Why did we ignore it?
Because I was too depressed to take the initiative to change. There were too many stressful events in my life for me to dedicate the time to lose weight and get healthier. I felt my weight was the least of my concerns.

5. Who were we kidding?
Myself, because everyone around me really thought I was overweight

6. Where did we go wrong?
Everywhere Seriously, I had so many common weight loss misconceptions, like: "As long as I exercise, I will not need to eat healthily."
"As long as I don't eat after 8, I won't get fat."
"One serving means one plateful."

7. What were we thinking?
"MMMMM! This tastes REALLY GOOD!"

[need2loseinGA]

1. But how in the heck did we get here?
Well for me it was not because I over ate I rarely did that. For me it was because I did not eat enough. And I did not move around near enough.
2. How did it seem to happen so slowly, but it happened really fast?
It was slowly it took about 4 years or so for me to add the weight on.
3. How did we LET these lbs creep on?
For me it was avoiding the scale. I only stood on a scale once a year. Each time I saw another 10lbs adding on.
4. Why did we ignore it?
Did not always ignore it. A few times I tried to lose it but did not have the motivation to really lose it until now. For the longest time I had said I would not allow myself to hit a certain weight. One day I woke up and saw that weight right around the corner and knew I had to do something. And I did something and lost weight.
5. Who were we kidding?
No one but myself.
6. Where did we go wrong?
I don't have answer for this one.
7. What were we thinking?
Or this one either.

[Tharmony]

1. But how in the heck did we get here?

I feel like a freak because I got to be a hundred pounds overweight without over eating or binging. However, I did have horrible nutrition. I gained weight by eating one large meal a day. Now as I look back I estimate that I was only eating 800 - 1000 calories of actual food a day. Horrible habit #1 must have slowed my metabolism something awful, but that wasn't my worst habit.

I drank my way to obesity. No, not booze. That would have been a little more interesting. I drank sugary coffee and soda all day long, every day of my life until I was around 25.

2. How did it seem to happen so slowly, but it happened really fast?

I did gain weight slowly during periods with a lot of activity (while I was keeping busy with school, work, friends, etc.) However, I went through a few periods of depression when I was inactive. A couple of times in my life I felt like I woke up after a few months of feeling blue only to find that my clothes didn't fit any more.

3. How did we LET these lbs creep on?

I grew up on the high side of normal weight in California and always believed that I was fat. I had a completely warped sense of body image so I almost always wore baggy clothes. When I was a size 12 (as a six foot tall sixteen year old) I hated my body so much that I bought size sixteen. Eventually I grew into that size and started shopping larger.

I had to gain a lot of weight in order to gain a realistic body image. I didn't start wearing clothes that fit until I filled out a 24 and couldn't endure the thought of going shopping for an even bigger size.

4. Why did we ignore it?

I was in denial to begin with, so that made it easier to ignore. Another factor for me was that, even at my high, I was the skinny one in my family.

5. Who were we kidding?

I wasn't kidding anyone. I was the unjolliest fat girl ever.

6. Where did we go wrong?

I was completely ignorant and powerless.

7. What were we thinking?

I wasn't thinking about my own health at all because I didn't feel like I deserved that consideration. To begin getting healthy I had to over think every detail of my way of life in order to reshape it. As I began reshaping my life, reshaping my body came naturally.

[jillybean720]

I'm one of those that has been overweight pretty much my whole life. I can't tell you (or myself) why I was obese by the age of 10, why I was over 200 pounds before high school, etc. I was an active kid--I took 5 years of tap dance, played softball from age 6 to 14 (and then off and on in late high school), was a member of my high school drama club (which involved many many long dance rehearsals for our annual spring musicals)...

I like to blame my taste buds My parents always had healthy foods available, but even as a child, I didn't like them. Most vegetables (and until very recently, most meats) literally make me gag. I remember my mother telling me I had to eat everything on my dinner plate, and she would give me maybe 4-5 little cut up pieces of, say, pork chop. I would put the pork chop pieces in my mouth, chew them slightly, and then excuse myself, go to the bathroom, and spit it all out. I think that's well beyond a typical child's aversion to broccoli or whatever

[journey2happiness]

1. But how in the heck did we get here?
Emotional eating and not loving myself enough. No matter how badly people treat you it's imortant you take care of yourself. For a long time I haven't so now I've started and I'm going to let the past stay in the past.

2. How did it seem to happen so slowly, but it happened really fast?
For me it happene really fast and I mean really fast!! Within 2-3 months I went from 120 to 150 lbs!!

3. How did we LET these lbs creep on?
I'd stuff myself with cookies and anything that was rich and comforting

4. Why did we ignore it?
I honestly believed for a while I did not deserve to lose weight so I continued eating to punish myself.

5. Who were we kidding?
me

6. Where did we go wrong?
The fact that I let myself gain that much weight in a short amount of time was just wrong itself. It shows just how much I did not care about my own well being. That was a wake up call!!

7. What were we thinking?
Something has to change. I have to lose the weight for myself if I'm not happy. I shouldn't care what others have to say. I want to do this for me and I will!

[denialisnthappiness]

1. But how in the heck did we get here?
I don't know how exactly. I have memories - of being 11 years old and stealing (I know) money so I could sneak out to the shop and buying sweets. I remember being younger than that and getting caught coming out of the shop by my mum with masses of food - can't remember if I got told off but it wasn't long after that I was 'encouraged' to go on bike rides daily with my dad and had restricted access to food etc. I've come to the realisation after many hours of reading etc that I am a binge eater. Currently I'm not and I hope to control it in the future also but certainly in the past (and even during my relapse a month or so ago) I excessively binge.

2. How did it seem to happen so slowly, but it happened really fast?
Not a clue... depends how you define fast. My mum says it happened when I was six and went to stay with an aunt who gave me sugar etc all summer long and apparently my parents had never given it to me before then. Also the matter that my mother is morbidly obese and my family like to buy into the genetics theory... oh that and the 'oh go on treat yourself you've done this well/x/y/z eat'

3. How did we LET these lbs creep on?
Food is a great friend. No talking back. No effort. Can do it anytime/anywhere.

4. Why did we ignore it?
Why not? I have no social life (working on it) and had to fill my hours somehow! I still struggle with this issue now - I have to hunt down things to do or I'll gravitate towards the kitchen. I seem to have filled my time with an obsession of reading material on weight loss - books/forums/blogs - you name it I'll read it. Immersing myself (at least right now) is the only way.

5. Who were we kidding?
Everyone - I thought. No one - in actuality.

6. Where did we go wrong?
I guess that I've been aware of the NEED to do something for the past few years - going wrong was waiting until now to do something about it.

7. What were we thinking?
I wasn't. Food is the greatest sedative - it makes me happy (no not in the true sense of happy) but it gives you that high (albeit temporarily)