To ask, why did you let yourself get so fat and how did you know you had become really fat?

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I am a lot a little bit overweight and just can't seem to get motivated.

I know I look enormous big but I still get a shock when I look at photos and realise what I actually look like.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

I've always felt fat and loathed my body especially as a teenager - yet when I look back at photos now, although I carried a bit more weight that sporty or very slim friends I had the body of a goddess! Curves in all the right places.

I became the person I thought I was in my mind. Dreadful.

Sedentary job, too much alcohol. Weight gain.

I am in exactly the same position as you. I was always a gym bunny.I went straight back to the gym 5 days after having DS1 and loved it. I loved being slim and fit. Then a couple of years ago my job changed to erratic shifts and I hit my mid forties. I put on a couple of pounds on but didn't worry because I thought it wasn't a problem. Then I put on a few more and thought that perhaps I should do something, then a few more then it became seemingly impossible. Now I am now over 3 stone.
I keep 'forgetting' I am now fat until someone ( usually my mother or someone I haven't seen for a couple of years reminds me)

Yes - 12 stone + and size 16 (usually 10st 7 And a size 12). Crept up on me this past year (menopause & stress at work). I do exercise 3 x a week but am stepping it up to 4. I've also switched to a Mediterranean diet but need to start massively reducing my portion sizes. I want to buy new clothes but not when I'm this size!

Oh gawd, where to start. I was a size 10-12 teenager, got a bit fat when I first left home but rarely more than a 14. I'm now 42 and over the last 10 years I've lost 3 stone, put it all back on, lost 2 stone, put 3 back on, lost 3 stone, put 2 back on. Smallest I've been in that time was a 14, biggest 18-20. Currently 14-16. It's a never ending circle, I loathe being this way but have failed to muster up the conviction to permanently change my lifestyle (sedentary and stressful city job, but happy in life and eating all the food for no reason other than that I like it and it makes me feel mysteriously satisfied and content).

I've trawled back through my childhood and my psyche looking for a fascinating answer. Thee isn't one really, however, my mother was an overweight and endlessly dieting/fasting compulsive and secret eater, who taught me and my brother that binge eating vast quantities of sugar in private was the way to feel better about people in your life being mean to you. I was secretly buying chocolate and sweets to scoff in the privacy of my bedroom from the moment I had pocket money and could go to the shops on my own (and deep enough pockets to hide it).

I guess I've just never found anything else in life to effectively replace that sensation of total bliss, escape from criticism and pressure and freedom from responsibility. It draws me back in time after time.

Any psychologists in the house? Failing that, pass the chocolate.

Comfort eating, having PCOS, getting a car, lack of excercise.

I hate the way I look, hate how clothes hang on me, hate DH looking at me without clothes on.

I have tried dieting, works for a bit but then something comes along and knocks me down.

I'm huge.

I moved from a very physical job to a desk job - then I moved in with now DH, then lost sight of portion control.

Then I got sick and ballooned on medication then I got pregnant.

I've been trying to lose weight at the gym - and have got fitter, and toned but not thinner. Now I've started to lose weight by sorting out my diet and I'm on a roll. (Slimming world is really working for me, other things work for others).

Food is the answer - not going to the gym. Mind you going the gym means you lose weight in a toned way - rather than saggy.

It is possible. I've only just realised that. I genuinely had given up.

I was painfully thin until around age 30. When the weight started creeping on, I really loved my new shape. It went a bit too far and I was very fat for my frame. My health started to suffer, but I'm on it now.

Yesterday I met a lady who I knew through work, but is now retired. She has lost over 3 stone in weight, but more importantly has joined a tri club and is doing several sprint triathlons a year.

She's 63.

I was 16st at my biggest - the day I went round all the shops in the Birmingham Bull Ring to find a new pair of work trousers, and the only pair I could find that fitted were a size 20 from Wallis. I lost the weight, but it's creeping on again - I had a baby four months ago and I've been comfort eating a lot . So scared of getting that big again, but all I want to eat is chocolate.

Yes, it's usually when I see a photo of myself that I get horrified and depressed. I try to avoid having my photo taken mainly but my family have sniffed this particular fear out and make a point of trying to photograph me unawares then posting it and tagging me on Facebook.

I've put on weight recently, I'm still not big (I was too small before) but I'm a size 10 and a few things feel a bit snug.

I was always skinny and could eat what I wanted but once I turned 40 I needed to watch what I ate.

I find food really interesting and others relationship to it. I think a lot of larger people really don't know what they are eating? I can lose half a stone in a week (did this after my holiday) by cutting out toast for breakfast and eating smaller portions!

Food as a crutch, working ridiculous hours in a stressful job and managing a family, developing CFS/Fibromyalgia and that making me even more knackered. I've always been up and down in my weight.

Anyway, approaching the new academic year with my health being the primary focus and trying to be active and strong. The past few months have scared me and I want to try and feel healthy. My diet has to change. I'm back at SW and have lost over a stone since January, but have been messing about. As of tomorrow, back into a routine.

I have about 4st to lose still.

It's been a combination of things for me. I'm 5'4", 14st and size 16 18

I've never been skinny. I wasn't a chunky kid but not slender either. I always had a pot belly. DD (5) is going to be the same I think.

I have PCOS which along with greed and a love/hate relationship with exercise means I've gained weight really easily in the past. I lost it when TTC and looked great for a couple of years. I lost it again after DD but then allowed a stone to creep back on, and gained a load more with DS.

I'm now at my full term pregnancy weight and have gained a stone and a half in the last year alone through depressive drinking and eating (DM is terminally ill and I hated my job with a passion). I've stopped gaining now though and need to find the willpower and self control to get it off.

Therein lies the problem for me. It's so easy to put it on and so damn hard to get it off. Major focus and effort. Every day I just end up thinking fuck it, and falling off the wagon.

Comfort eating after my dad died this year, it was a good distraction and made me feel better.. for a while.

I realised how bad it had gotten when I went on holiday and felt uncomfortable in everything! Waddling and out of breath, constantly adjusting clothes. It also felt like I literally had a tyre around my middle.. I've been big 4 times in my life and I've never had a tyre! Also on holiday we had a BBQ and I was saying how much I love food, and my friend said "Me too, no wonder we're all obese at this table!" I knew I was obese but hearing the word was a massive kick up the bum. (Size 16 5ft 7) Now 3 weeks into a plan and the weight is melting off When I'm done I will thank her!

What's annoyed me is that after I lost the weight the last time, I kept it off for years so I know how to maintain.. and vowed I wouldn't let it happen again. I also managed to not put much on during pregnancy (totally shocking for someone like me) and lost that quickly afterwards! So getting this big again has been a shock, I just haven't been aware of it happening as it's been so quick.

Also serious tiredness. My DCs are not sleepers. I can't cope with hunger and tiredness together - it makes me a narky, impatient mum. And I work FT.

My mum was overweight for years and I remember her making me read slimming magazines as a definitely not fat teenager and trying to police what I ate. If I didn't eat enough, she'd make a massive fuss over me at mealtimes and if I ate anything outside of that, she'd tell me I'd get fat.

Always slim until I learned to drive aged about 28. Probably because although I wasn't a particularly healthy eater, I got lots of exercise through walking everywhere. (Never the gym though!).

Weight crept up after DC until I was a size 16 ( I'm 5'7") finishing off their leftovers and having wine and nibbles as I cooked dinner for myself and DH.

I lost masses of weight over 18 months at Weight Watchers and got down to a size 10 again. Happy happy!! I could dash upstairs without a second thought.

But then back to work. Did a distance learning PGCE and was miserable. Cue lots more wine and nibbles and masses of toast / biscuits / cake every time I completed some work! Now I squeeze into size 16 and am puffed walking upstairs.

Problem is I'm not actually that interested in food. I like toast, hummus and breadsticks, olives etc.
but don't really want dinners. However I make and eat them as it is healthier and a better example to DC and DH expects it.

TBH I can't face making all those points-free soups that worked last time as I'm working now and have my hands full making those bloody dinners!!

I was ok weight or mildly overweight (say 10lb) until I gave up smoking for the first time at age 31. I put on 5lb. I went back to smoking after a year. I gave up again and put on 5lb. Repeat x 4. Plus two babies. Then I gave up smoking for good at age 45 swiftly followed by the menopause.

That all accounts for an extra 2.5 stone with no compulsive eating or excessive dieting/weight gain whatsoever. Just the gradual creep of a few ounces here and there. It's hateful but not nearly as hateful as having a compulsive eating disorder imo.

I was too thin as a teen. I don't think that helps either. SPD was the main problem, but when the PND kicked in I comfort ate as I was determined not to stop eating again (very difficult time from aged 11 up, I stopped eating properly and ended up a tiny 7 and a half stone before getting pg with DS1) so I'm scared to eat too little as I will become ill, and if I eat too much I become ill fat and unhealthy

Maybe now I'm on the mend I can get back to what I was pre DD

First time (hah! I thought I was fat after that. I'd love to be that weight now...): changed from heavily physical job plus being competitive athlete to sedentary job with no time for sports. I noticed my face looked "fat" in the mirror. Lost some of the weight...

Second time: new stressful job, new country and new foods. Had to go to charity shops to get new clothes. (I'm almost back down to that level of "fat"; can't quite wear the clothes I bought...)

Third time: lingering SPD removed ability to do main exercise plus mainlining blueberry muffins in order to stay mentally alert enough to do my job. Got weighed at a Dr's appt and shocked.

Fourth time: had lost most of the last weight-gain when I got the flu. Weight loss came secondary to just surviving for the 4 freaking months it lasted!! Noticed when I had to go back to last year's clothes and saw photos.

Right now, however, I've lost 2 stone over the last few months, perhaps by having some kind of health problem, as eating makes me massively ill, and I can barely get enough food in to operate. Seeing a gastro soon. Although I also can't help but feel happy at the weight loss and have a secret hope that I'll get down to a weight I like before they figure out whatever is wrong with me...

Had a few life and MH traumas in a short space of time. 2013/2014 were BAD years for me.

Realised I had been dieting in some shape or form since the age of 14. Felt this was one too many strains.

Fucked the diet off, gained a couple of stone. Not sure how much I weigh. Have grown 2 dress sizes, up to a modern day 14.

I actually don't mind being a bit overweight. The only thing I do mind about it is that it takes longer to get dressed and I look rubbish in photos.

Am doing 5:2. It's going well, as it doesn't feel like a diet regimen.

Yup :D first thought I was fat when I was a size 8, wish I was that size now. Dieted on and off for years, watched my weight, plenty of exercise so stayed slim. At 16, fell which activated cartilidge problems in knee so couldn't exercise (got it fixed last year, am now getting back into the gym etc). It kind of crept on during sixth form - we were able to go down the corner shop at break and lunch and combined with a sedentry lifestyle meant I gained a few stone. Moved to uni, no mum around to feed me and was able to exist off chips if I wanted! I knew I was fat but couldn't be arsed to do anything about it. The decision came in December - I knew I was fat, and decided 'new year, new me', vowed to join SW in the new year. Have been going for 8 months now and lost 2 stone - slow but steady. Had a bit of a blip the past fortnight but am back on it as of this evening (after eating half a tub of bloody pringes!)

I'd always been a very skinny kid. Then as a young teen ate a truly ridiculous amount of calories every day (think family pack of chocolate after school, two rounds of buttered toast before bed etc.) It was just constant eating out of boredom, combined with dropping out of a competitive sports club. Now as an older teen, I find it weirdly difficult to shift the weight. I'm not overweight, but I look big and carry fat in odd places.

Was a little plump in my teens but got down to a size 10-12 at 18 and stayed that way for 3 years until I met DH...a chef!

I can't really blame him, because I've always done most of the cooking at home and can't deny that I enjoy it, I like food, decent wine and nibbly things. I also suffer with depression and anxiety which leads to comfort eating and I largely hate exercise.

By the time DD came along 8 years later I had put on 4 stone (well 5 but I lost one whilst pg due to horrendous morning sickness), and ideally would have capitalised on that but I had severe PND and my thyroid gland bottomed out almost completely.

11 year later I've put on a further 3 stone in spite of being on the highest dose of thyroxine of anyone I've met and having it regularly checked .

I managed to lose 18lb last year but between Sept 2014 - May 2015 I had to have two abdominal surgeries so I'm now back to square one. It's my 40th in three weeks time, so apart from some damage limitation, I'm not going to worry about it until the end of the month.

I'm hoping for lots of positive changes from hereon in though, weight included fingers crossed!

I was always thin growing up, size 6/8 and never thought about it. One absolute prick of a boyfriend later (I still remember him telling me I would look better in a bikini if I 'didn't have the big stomach') combined with going on the pill gave me a massive case of the Fuckyous and I put on loads.

I'm not fussed with my weight as such, just want to be fitter. I'm gonna start doing something about it next week when DS is back at school