If you are overweight, what, in your opinion, made you that way?

[SistemaAddict]

There's been lots of threads recently about weight inspired by the government trying to crack down on obesity yet encouraging us to eat out and posters bemoaning the lockdown lard/pandemic pounds. There has been lots of discussion about the causes of obesity or being overweight due to societal and financial factors but I wanted to ask what posters think made them either overweight or obese because reasons will vary. Certain medications and conditions can cause weight gain and/or make it harder to lose weight and the peri-menopause/menopause doesn't help.

I stopped breastfeeding a year ago and my appetite didn't return to normal after stopping so I gained weight. Then my asthma was bad from October onwards and my ability to go on bike rides was limited. Then lockdown and shielding and my 5 mile school hike up and down big hills went out of the window and I ate too many biscuits and chocolate and would eat in the evening while reading or watching tv. I gained around a stone and that took me into the overweight category.

In June I decided enough was enough and started 16:8 and limited myself to around 1250 calories a day. I bought a fitbit and started using my fitness pal. Both encouraged me to go on walks with the dc and to take more trips up and down the stairs than were necessary to meet my target of 25 flights a day. I stopped eating after dinner, watched my portion sizes and cut out most of the junk I was eating. I'm now a normal weight with a BMI of 24. I'm carrying on with my healthier lifestyle and improved habits but it's hard especially in the evenings when I want chocolate. My aim is to get to a BMI of 23 as that is where I look and feel best.

I don't want this to be a judgemental thread, or for anyone to fat shame posters, I just wanted to share my own reasons for weight gain and ask others' experiences because it's a very individual thing beyond "too many calories in vs calories out" and it can be very complex.

PCOS and emotional eating. But to be honest it's really just my fault, I love all food. I go on holiday so I can try different foods (forget visiting tourist attractions I visit restaurants).

I've been doing 16:8 too managed to lose 12kg but have another 10kg to go :(

Ok, I'll bite.
No fat people in concentration camps so yes what YOU put in is responsible for what goes on your waist etc.

BUT - do we know what we are eating? 99 names for sugar. Different types of sugar. Hormones - not just our own but what is on and in the stuff we eat and drink.

Plus millenea of years of our bodies being used to expect famine or being chased by beasties who may eat us, so we are pre-programmed to eat /gorge when food is freely available.

so dont feel TOO bad about it.

1k calories is a heavy eating day for me, generally its around 800 or less. I only eat once a day because I have very little appetite and I can't stomach food until late in the day. I have done this for 9 years and I have never been below a size 20 in that time.

I've been on antipsychotic and antidepressant medication since my early 20s - side effect, weight gain.
Long term pain relief for physical disability - side effect, weight gain.
Hypothyroidism - side effect, weight gain.
Inactive due to physical disability - side effect, weight gain.
Many days I really don't care whether I live or die, let alone what I look like - side effect, not caring about weight gain.

I have a —criminally underanswered— thread linked to this.

I listened to a podcast with behavioural geneticist Robert Pomlin recently. One thing he talked about was how people hugely underestimate the influence of our genes on our behaviour and our propensity to become obese (or alcoholic, depressed, anxious etc). It’s widely accepted in the scientific community that the influence of our genes far outweighs things like “willpower”, but the wider public are stuck in blaming individual responsibility and lack of willpower.

Lots of comfort eating and lack of motivation to exercise. Vicious circle😔

There's been lots of threads recently about weight inspired by the government trying to crack down on obesity yet encouraging us to eat out...

This comment is starting to irritate me now. Yes, those two things are happening concurrently, but the government is not forcing people to eat out at McDonalds or KFC or Pizza Hut. Eating out doesn't have to mean eating unhealthily - there are plenty of places that serve salads, or lighter meals. Or you could go out for a cup of tea and a small treat and then eat your low-calorie meal later at home.

If someone is determined to eat high-calorie meals and snacks they will do so, with or without a scheme designed to help the economy. Some people are alcoholics - does that mean no-one else should be allowed to have a glass of wine? People have to take responsibility for themselves and their own health.

Laziness. Wine. Cakes. Love of cooking.

My mum never let us have anything treatwise as kids so a bit like a child/young adult who has never had their own money to budget with, l went ott as soon as a l could. Then went on the pill followed by hrt so hormones definitely play a huge part. Am very active but the calories in vs calories out theory isn't always as straightforward as that.

@UnaCorda

There's been lots of threads recently about weight inspired by the government trying to crack down on obesity yet encouraging us to eat out...

This comment is starting to irritate me now. Yes, those two things are happening concurrently, but the government is not forcing people to eat out at McDonalds or KFC or Pizza Hut. Eating out doesn't have to mean eating unhealthily - there are plenty of places that serve salads, or lighter meals. Or you could go out for a cup of tea and a small treat and then eat your low-calorie meal later at home.

If someone is determined to eat high-calorie meals and snacks they will do so, with or without a scheme designed to help the economy. Some people are alcoholics - does that mean no-one else should be allowed to have a glass of wine? People have to take responsibility for themselves and their own health.

Agreed.

You can even eat that Big Mac. Just don't have 3 of them.

Secret eating as a teenager as a form of control and rebellion, continued bad habits into adulthood and lack of education/skills around nutrition and food prep
Not an excuse as I’m perfectly capable of researching and learning but 40 years of bad habits are a bugger to overcome
I’ve recently lost 25lb and have a 100 to go - it’s a long uphill battle and being told to eat less move more REALLY not helpful!!

I only eat once a day because I have very little appetite and I can't stomach food until late in the day
I'm really bemused by this. 800 calories should make anyone lose weight. 800 calories in one meal is not even a big meal with normal quantities.

Are you having absolutely nothing else at all, ever? No teas and coffees with milk, not one snack, even fruit, not one glass of alcohol?

Eating too much and not moving enough. Same reason for most people really.

Being tired of restrictions. I have PCOS and Hashimotos, both of which fuck with your metabolism. My "maintain" amount of calories are the same amount as someone who was dieting, around 1200. If I go over that, I gain weight. I just got so tired of being constantly aware of what i was so eating and restricting myself that I stopped for a while, so now I'm overweight! 😂

For me lockdown = having my DC all day by myself = unable to do any meaningful exercise + swimming pool shut + boredom + depression = weight gain.
Undoubtedly being over a certain age makes it harder to lose the longer it is on = less motivation to try.

I think a lot of us think we can eat more calories than we can. As a reasonably active woman in the 30-50 bracket, apparently I burn 2000 a day. According to my watch, even a day that includes 2 gym classes or a 10k run only gets me to 1900. My calories come from cakes,biscuits and alcohol. I don't do fizzy drinks and our diet is healthy.I know I would be slimmer if I cut the treats out.

Drinking too much wine and then craving unhealthy food.

I think appetite is crucial.

I have a huge appetite...I'm rarely full. It's only through sheer will power that I'm not morbidly obese. I could easily eat three large slices of cake... two portions of dinner...etc. I don't but I could. I have the mentality that if I'm not full to bursting and the food tastes good, then why would I stop eating it? It makes no sense to me.

I think the people who spout eat less, move more have never experienced having their emotions linked to food or perhaps aren't foodies with large appetites.

I do wonder if our interest in food are our appetite levels have a genetic aspect.

I can't drink on my meds at all. I drink black coffee or water. I probably have a glass of coke every couple of months if we are out somewhere with the kids. I have been under dieticians who can't understand it either. I haven't aimed for 800-1k cal a day. I took in my food journals, as requested, and they told me what I was eating. I tried following one of their ''diets' because they were worried about nutrient deficiency, but I gained so much weight eating their way and it made me feel constantly sick. They have all ended up saying this is part medication, part fucked thyroid, part inactivity. None of which I can do anything about. I'm passed caring.

Mixture of anti psych meds/replacing sex with food/lack of willpower/loving food too much

Stress making me binge eat. And health issues in the past which made preparing healthy home cooked meals hard and got into bad habits of bung it in the oven easy options and takeaways. Hoping to sort myself out from next month.

miimblemomble
I have a —criminally underanswered— thread linked to this.
It’s widely accepted in the scientific community that the influence of our genes far outweighs things like “willpower”,

Utter bollocks! It is not widely accepted at all! It is no more accepted than is the Anti-Vax movement.

It is to do with motivation, none of us do much unless we want to work towards the result.

@BabyDubsEverywhere, this is crap. Have you tried other meds?

Food, and a lack of self control.

I've been doing 16:8 too managed to lose 12kg but have another 10kg to go

I've been wondering what 16:8 is - as I've had limited success with 5:2 - though tend to get blown of it usually by a bad day or week in past few years.

So I looked and bar the occasional odd day it's how I eat anyway - can't think of many days I'm not eating ie fasting for 17 hours out of 24.

I'm usually eating two meals a day - not constantly grazing - so will have to start looking a calories and portion sizes again.