Contributing factors to my being fat was first shiftwork w/rotating shifts which by the way is just agonous, then later life pregnancies, then grief, all over a period of some years. I think I overate a lot out of boredom/sleeplessness. I also ate a lot of convenience/fast foods because I was too tired to cook, and then I engaged in plain old comfort eating because I was saddened about losing close family members within a short period of time. In the back of my mind, I told myself I'd just "lose it later." I was completely ignorant about portion control and even calories, so I remained in a constant state of annoyance about getting more obese, but I still did nothing about it. After my weight gain got way out of hand, I just figured that I would never ever lose it, and that morbid obesity was now my life, so why bother with trying to lose weight.
Honestly, the veil of grief starting to lift was a big catalyst in my deciding to try to lose weight for the first time ever. As I metaphorically "decided to live" after being so sad for so long, I saw how obesity was hampering my life. I finally decided to do the work that taking care of oneself requires, such as consciously eating more healthily, educating oneself about calories and portions, and exhibiting some will power.
I see many people in this thread saying I am overweight because I overeat. I am not saying that isn't true. Obviously that is a huge reason for most.
But not nearly as many people overeat 30, 40, 50, 100 years ago. I personally feel that there is value in not always seeing yourself as the entire nexus of overeating.
The food environment has radically changed the last 50 years. Major food companies have enlisted phalanx of scientists and advertisers to addict you to your food and create more addictive food than there ever was.
That and the government telling us fat was the number one problem for heart disease not sugar/carbs. This was heavily influenced by food companies then and all the way up to today.
I remember being bombarded by sugary cereal commercials as a child. And if that wasn't bad enough they included toys inside. Should I have known better as a 5 or 6 year old?
I find it very empowering 'standing' up to this putting profits over health. Others might care less. If it doesn't help, fine. Am I blaming others? If you want to call it that, go right ahead. I think of it as being aware of the food environment I live in and being very aware that there are powerful players in society who have chosen to make their profits regardless of the impacts on my health. There are other ways for profits, but that was the path they choose.
And I am going to do everything in my power to make sure they do not succeed with my body, my health, my quality of life, and my future.
Last edited by diamondgeog; 01-22-2014 at 02:00 PM.
For me it's really a combination of factors. Nibbling when I'm bored or watching tv & not really hungry. Stopping more often than I should for fast food when I'm out and about instead of thinking ahead and packing something healthy from home. Being lazy and more sedentary than I should (like doing wii fit or something active instead of sitting on the computer burning no calories!). Not being a lover of exercise, I am also guilty of using any excuse these days to avoid it . Add to that having a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally. Unfortunately, he sweetly keeps telling me that I look beautiful to him and am not overweight - which truthfully doesn't really help me much in the motivation department, either (then again, I guess it's better than him telling me the alternative!). My brain REALLY wants to believe that he is right (despite the fact that I currently live in only yoga pants, as nothing else fits comfortably - and the dress I bought to wear to a wedding last month was a depressing size 16!!!).You can also add to that my now being over 50 and in the midst of menopause. Yes, all of those factors definitely contribute. But if I really had to break it down to one thing, I think it would be the fact that I was never a "big" person in my younger years - in fact, in my teen years I was very skinny - looked like a scarecrow actually - and because of that could eat anything, and as much of it I wanted -without any problems at all. So I never really learned to develop much will power or portion control when it came to food. That is where the ladies who have always been on the larger side actually have the advantage over someone like me. But as I got older, my wonderful metabolism started slowing down. Got married and had my kids late in life - mid 30's - and that made another dent in the old metabolism. Stopped working at a job where I was always moving and standing and stayed home to raise and homeschool the kids. That sedentary lifestyle added more weight. Then the pre menopause/menopause years kicked in. More weight added. But not with enough lifestyle changes to counterbalance it. On top of that, add some major stressful events in the past few years and this is what you get. I am now so heavy I actually weigh more now than I did when I was pregnant with my children! I DON'T want to be like this. I know that if I don't get a handle on it now, things will only get worse. Let's face it - people DON'T typically get thinner when they get older! I want to start being more active again. As much as I hate exercise, I do like the way I feel (and look!) afterwards. But right now the joints hurt, I'm always sore, etc. If I can lose at least 2 "bowling balls" worth of weight in the next month or so, then I will hopefully be more motivated to get out there and start working out again. But I do have to seriously learn and make some permanent lifestyle & eating changes. And stick with them! That's why I'm counting on the accountability factor with my Ideal Protein coach to kick me back into gear when I start to slack off if/when I reach the maintenance phase. Hopefully I can do it.
Eating even though I wasn't hungry. College definitely had an effect too. Not much running around and calorie burning. Add a surplus of alcohol and....yeeeeeah. But I've definitely cut back on drinking since graduation and am making much healthier food choices.
Using food as an emotional buffer. I hate feeling down so when I do instead of dealing with the problem or my emotions I'll stuff it down with a big serving of really anything I could get my hands on.
I've never really had a problem with specific foods (I mean, I like tasty foods, who doesn't?) but when I'm emotionally binging I will err...used to....overeat on anything...except maybe veggies haha.
Now I love my veggies...but for me the key really is to just eat when I'm hungry and STOP when I'm satisfied.
Today, every time I'm stressed or overwhelmed I learning how to let it out, cry it out, work it out, or sleep it out. No more inner wars muffled by food. I'm learning how to live a lot more honestly with myself.
Last edited by RideRunRepeat; 01-24-2014 at 06:16 AM.
I am overweight because I am a food addict (specifically sugar and carbs) and a compulsive overeater; I also love snacking. My eyes are broken as I am very bad at identifying normal quantities and my brain is muddled as I have a difficult time knowing when to stop eating! To eat normally I have to weigh and measure everything! It's a life sentence.
I am overweight because I eat too much and move to little. I have a problem with sweets and I am an emotional eater. I know this about myself and I am working on these issues. I know I can overcome them all!
I have a big appetite,
love everything about food - shopping for it, cooking it, eating it, trying new restaurants,
my appetite becomes even bigger if I eat too many carbs and too little fat and protein,
I have couch potato tendencies.
. Not being a lover of exercise, I am also guilty of using any excuse these days to avoid it . Add to that having a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally. Unfortunately, he sweetly keeps telling me that I look beautiful to him and am not overweight - which truthfully doesn't really help me much in the motivation department, either (then again, I guess it's better than him telling me the alternative 
!). My brain REALLY wants to believe that he is right (despite the fact that I currently live in only yoga pants, as nothing else fits comfortably - and the dress I bought to wear to a wedding last month was a depressing size 16
!!!).You can also add to that my now being over 50 and in the midst of menopause. Yes, all of those factors definitely contribute. But if I really had to break it down to one thing, I think it would be the fact that I was never a "big" person in my younger years - in fact, in my teen years I was very skinny - looked like a scarecrow actually - and because of that could eat anything, and as much of it I wanted -without any problems at all. So I never really learned to develop much will power or portion control when it came to food. That is where the ladies who have always been on the larger side actually have the advantage over someone like me. But as I got older, my wonderful metabolism started slowing down. Got married and had my kids late in life - mid 30's - and that made another dent in the old metabolism. Stopped working at a job where I was always moving and standing and stayed home to raise and homeschool the kids. That sedentary lifestyle added more weight. Then the pre menopause/menopause years kicked in. More weight added. But not with enough lifestyle changes to counterbalance it. On top of that, add some major stressful events in the past few years and this is what you get. I am now so heavy I actually weigh more now than I did when I was pregnant with my children! I DON'T want to be like this. I know that if I don't get a handle on it now, things will only get worse. Let's face it - people DON'T typically get thinner when they get older! I want to start being more active again. As much as I hate exercise, I do like the way I feel (and look!) afterwards. But right now the joints hurt, I'm always sore, etc. If I can lose at least 2 "bowling balls" worth of weight in the next month or so, then I will hopefully be more motivated to get out there and start working out again. But I do have to seriously learn and make some permanent lifestyle & eating changes. And stick with them! That's why I'm counting on the accountability factor with my Ideal Protein coach to kick me back into gear when I start to slack off if/when I reach the maintenance phase. Hopefully I can do it.
