One of my friends posted a picture on Facebook last night from her wedding 7 years ago. I had on the cutest little black dress! I also weighed 140 pounds. Somehow in the last 5-6 years, I have gained almost 50 pounds. How in heaven does that happen??

Contributing factors: moving from the walkable city to the drivable suburbs, dating someone who didn't love me, starting my own business and the resultant stress with that, unhappy with my life and using food as comfort. The usual suspects.

How did I just blindly go through my life thinking, OK 10 pounds fine. Oh, now you weigh 160 well that's fine you look ok. Oh, 170 maybe try to lose some weight or do something like that. Oh 180? Hmm, just kick the scale under the bed and accept your body the way it is. Your weight doesn't matter.

My little sister took some more recent pictures of me, when I wasn't looking. So disturbing. I can't wait for them to be my "before" photos.

I found the dress last night that I was wearing at that wedding. I can't even pull it up over my thighs. But I hung it inside my closet door and hopefully in October, my friend's 8th anniversary, I'll be rocking that dress again!!

Did 50 pounds just creep up on you, too?

Hi Seagirl, yes they did. The year I bought a business I prioritized it above all else and began working even more hours than I already did. I quit karate, kickboxing and working out because I no longer had the time or energy for it. I don't think I really began eating more, but I wasn't cooking much at all, and stress and alcohol increased. All of a sudden, I was 40-50 pounds heavier. Taking it off hasn't been nearly as fast.

Not 50# for me, but I did gain 20lbs in 8 or 9 MONTHS. I gained fast enough that I have stretch marks on my arms.

I know exactly what you mean!! I was going through some old photographs recently too and found one from just a few years ago where I had lost 70 lbs on ww before, I was 135 (and thinking I still needed to lose 10-15 lbs but now when I see the pics I looked amazing!) and then thinking, when did I give up? when did I just start ignoring mirrors and the scale?? It doesn't take much.. life gets to us I guess.. but I don't want to repeat all this again that is for sure. I'm ready to get the weight off for good!

117lbs crept up on me!

I think you're right when you say we look at 10lbs as if it's nothing, then soon enough we've gained ANOTHER 10lbs. In my case I would rationalize with myself and say, "You don't look THAT bad Kim!"

My husband came across a before picture of me when I was in my 270's and I seriously stood there for a good 5 minutes STARING at it because I couldn't believe I had gotten SO BIG!

Yes, and all its friends.
But I got rid of a few of them. So far I've gotten rid of 1039 cans of coke I drank. (46 lbs.) (50 lbs. = 1129 cans) I have about 1200 cans more to get rid of.

I am not sure how it happened to me. I was bigger than my class mates growing up, then in 8th grade I moved across the country to live with my dad. I played sports, and ate healthy foods compared to what I ate in NY. I was suddenly normal! I could wear size 4 clothes and felt great. I didn't look great in my eyes, I still saw a giant belly (but in pictures it isn't there). Then I went to visit my mom for the summer, and literally gained 80lbs. You wouldn't think it possible, but trust me it is. I have never been down since then. I was around 200 all through HS, then got up to 240 (a giant jump, but thats how long it took me to weight myself, and actually the doctor did). I joined WW with my grandma when I was 16, and got down to 180. Then I gained again. In college I got to 260lbs. During a weight loss contest I got down to 190lbs, received my 1000$ prize, and gained the weight back. I was 260 when I started my new journey (I am 22) and hope to be below 200 by my birthday on March 14th. So my weight crept up in leaps lmao.

When I was in High School, I was so thin. I have always been thin. Being 5'10", I used to model and wore a size 8, weighing around 150. I gained after the birth of my children and then when I quit smoking. My problem is that I still see myself as thin, until I look in a mirror and wonder who that person is looking back at me.

Sitting here, typing this, at the age of 49 and weighing almost 250, I don't feel fat... but then I look in the mirror and want to scream. I know I am fat, and that is why I am here.

I'm so glad it's not just me!

Looking forward to the weight continuing to creep off me...

me too! even though i've never been skinny i don't feel 350lbs at all...

Well...I know exactly how it happened.

I was always a few pounds overweight - 10 or 15.

I got out of school lived in a small town with nothing to do and ballooned up to 180 pounds. At one point my picture -- a full body shot -- was on the front page of the newspaper (due to work I was doing) and I was so embarassed!

Moved to big city, did lose but finally at 168 joined WW. Good news is I got to my goal of 125 and was sure I would never gain.

Went out of town for 2 weeks for work, gained 5 pounds and knew I would have to pay at a WW meeting and was too embarrassed so I said I would go back when I was back at goal. Well you can imagine how that worked out.

Got married soon after, weighing 140 or so. That is within my goal range but I felt fat.

I tried to cook and eat with my new DH. He lost 20 pounds....I gained 15.

So I was at 155. We were building a house, eating out a lot, very busy...10 more pounds. So, I was at 165. We move into new house and I vow to lose weight. But then I find out I'm pregnant.

Post-pregnancy I was back to 180. I joke that I'm still trying to lose the pregnancy weight...but that child is now 16!

Truthfully I did get back down to 155 at one point (I still felt fat, now I would love to weigh 155). I was exercising and everything...but then I got sick, slacked off on exercising and slowly inched up to 185. I sort of gave up and slowly ate my way up to 205 where I finally drew the line.

I kept thinking I would get to a point of equilibrium where I could eat to my satisfaction and neither gain nor lose. Well that never happened. The point of equilibrium keeps moving up....

Try 100 lbs. I'm not sure all 100 crept on, but I definitely invited them without too much restriction.

I wish it was as easy to lose as it was to gain.

Oh and I totally don't normally feel fat either. It's been creeping up to me though. I'm realizing that I feel unwell and uncomfortable a lot.

Yup I am right here with the rest of you. 155 when pregnant with my first son, 195 after, creeped up to 225 with second son then boom- over 250 without even noticing...it was certainly time for a change, I heart ww

I also LOVEEE ww. WW is going to allow all of us to watch that weight LOSS creep up and that is an awesome feeling. 50lbs also crept up for me too. I was actually overweight in high school at a size 11 and 142ish lbs. I am 5' 2". I looked fine, but did have a nasty girl in school tell me otherwise and one of the guys I liked pretty much insinuated that I was not skinny enough and that he remembered when I was smaller. *barf*
The weight crept up gradually over the summers out of school with poor eating habits and then when I was 17 I went on birth control and gained 15-17lbs so fast I literally woke up one day and noticed red marks near my belly and groin area. Then I didn't have a clue how to take off the weight. I was 159 then.
It just crept up from there. I am now 170 and can.not.wait. to get back to 142 before I started gaining, though my goal is 120.