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.

My mother taking my solid, but not fat self to weight watchers when I was 8, Because I was "overweight"

Stress!

Epigenetics and trauma.

The menopause gave me a sweet tooth, id not eaten sweets/ chocolate since i was a toddler. Now im really struggling to shift it, ive lost 1/2 stone, its taken me a month. No sweets ,chocolate, crisps, salted nuts, cut down on portion sizes, alcohol only 2x weekly. loads n loads n loads of exercising which i have to make myself do.

Op this is a great thread, as someone pointed out early on lack of knowledge isn't the problem.

Emotions, health reason, time, sedentary jobs and struggling with power are the main reasons.

Maybe what the govement needs to do for this generation is to reduce working hours, reduce stress, encourage family gym classes or facilities with creches for younger children.

Maybe every office development should provide a piece of gym equipment for every car parking space. Therefore doing something to encourage activity in the workplace. Every town and village should have a clean gym / sports centre. People can't be bothered to travel miles to a grotty facility with not enough parking.

Cake, chocolate, caramel macchiato, pizza, chips, red bull and coke. I love eating and have suffered from an eating disorder in the past. When I diet I can lose weight but often take it to extremes

It’s simple for me, I eat more calories than I use. I don’t like waste, I always have to clear my plate, I sometimes finish my kids food and I find it hugely difficult to eat sensibly on an all inclusive holiday. I can’t imagine ever inadvertently missing a meal.

My weight gain has been due to strong psychiatric medication, being stuck in hospital and an under-active thyroid.

Comfort eating, mental health issues leading me to overindulge and get happy feelings when I eat delicious, sugary crap. Multiple medications as well. I'm currently coming off meds and working with a PT which is giving me a similar 'high' that I was getting when having large amounts of sugary, fatty foods. I'm also a person who can't just have a little bit (small glass of coke or just a little bit of chocolate). I need to completely abstain and can't just have a small treat or I'll fall off the wagon.

Lockdown I have an underactive thyroid, but I know that's no excuse - calorie deficit still works on us. To be fair I'm currently only 1kg overweight but I'm still far heavier than my comfort zone

My mum has eating disorders and I grew up with her obsession with food making me want to eat all the things she deemed unsuitable. I started eating things in secret and then when I moved out at 17, it got worse. I need therapy, I think.

@VirginiaWolverine Ice or roller skating?

Both and inline skating outside as well.

Pasta, bread, chocolate and cheese.

But mainly I use food to celebrate but also as a pick me up.

Bad day? Pizza.
Birthday? Fuck off cake and loads of chocolate.

My portions are too big as well.

I used to eat 20 McNuggets are a snack

as a snack**

I have a history of eating disorders, so I'm a desperate attempt not to become ruled by food and scales, I don't try and control my weight. I'm a size 14 but quite small so definitely overweight, but it's a trade off. Mental health ok = maybe a bit overweight as I can't risk weighing often.
Also habit - my partner has a massive biscuit habit (Manual labourer so can get away with it) and I graze. But I'm scared to try and stop myself as I very very quickly slip into food control.

It is definitely society's fault.

My thyroid packed it in sometime in my teens but it wasn't diagnosed, or treated, until I was in my thirties.

Given the number of sports I participated in and a reasonably healthy diet, it became clear something was wrong quite early on but everyone just assumed I ate too much. They still assume that, despite the battery of medications I take every day just to keep from packing on even more.

@9PointsOnMyLicence

It is definitely society's fault.

That's far too simplistic. Exactly who or what is 'society'? Amongst the tragic stories here, quite a few posters here have said that they're fat because they're greedy (I include myself in that) so you can't just blame 'society'. It's too woolly.

@9PointsOnMyLicence

It is definitely society's fault.

How?

My genes have made me too fat for my jeans!

Jaffa cakes were on 2 for 1 in the Tesco up the road from my flat in uni when I was 18. Downhill from there!!

I suppose its societies fault in that if we lived in a society where food was scare and purely functional we would have the same emotional issues that are so commonplace.

On a practical level blaming society doesn't help and you have to take personal responsibility if you want to change anything.

For me a weird childhood that didn't feel safe so used food as a comfort. The diet my mum put me on at 11 , I really didn't need it. This started food being both my friend and enemy,

I have gained and lost so much weight over my lifetime, I'm in a better place with it now, I have done a mixture of intuitive eating and intermittent fasting and for now have a more normal relationship with food.

I'm still quite fat but am trying to lose healthily and slowly rather than my usual way of punishing myself .

I am fit exercise can run 10k ,I eat healthily generally but just far too much . For me food is a psychological crutch .

It obviously is society's fault on one level, and also the food industry. People were thin years ago because they were just following society's norms. If you follow society's norms today you are likely to end up fat. People who are the right weight are in the minority. Something clearly is going on, on a society level!