Why do you think we got fat in the first place?

[waistchallenge]

I've had a history of gaining and losing weight since the age of about 21/22.

Weirdly enough, up to this age things were stable, not slim slim but about an old size 12 which was not deemed attractive at the time, when skinny was fashionable and not having boobs a round bottom, unfortunately. The figure I had then is in fashion now 😞

But I wonder where things went wrong?
I think it's important to consider why and the root causes so we can try and stop going back to being overweight in the future, or lose if that's what is wanted.

Using food as a comfort or treat as children and the opposite, making some foods so taboo they become attractive.

Using it to manage difficult emotions, which becomes a habit and then addictive behaviour. It’s an arse. I agree it needs to be tackled at the root.

I agree about the difficult emotions (obviously this must vary from person to person). But what would we have done with our emotions if we hadn't eaten? 🤔

I know exactly what mine is (although I’m currently doing well losing it). Emotional eating, binge eating and weight gain from anti psychotics

To handle emotions - running is great

The foods available to us to buy are completely different to 30 years ago.

We drive everywhere and largely don't do manual jobs.

On a population level how we were fed as babies and small children has a big impact.

Then you have food in general, the normalisation of comfort eating that came through media and advertising. The availability of shitty food, the explosion of ultraproceased foods masquerading as healthy.

Public health messaging too was basically wrong. Still is. All the swapping to fake butter spreads, low sugar stuff with artificial alternatives, low fat yoghurt which has crap in it to make it thicker. Swap a chocolate bar for an ultra processed health bar. We know now that most of the swaps are just a bad if not worse because of the way they affect our eating habits. Yet the messaging is still there.

I got fat because I moved out of the city, started driving everywhere and didnt walk more than 1000 steps a day WFH during lockdown. 2 years on, Im really struggling to shift the weight.

There’s loads that goes into it but in recent years working from home has had a massive negative impact. I am having to contrive all sorts of activities to actually get my body moving during the week and still it doesn’t touch the sides.

Interesting thread. I think really thinking about why we gain weight rather than just calories alone can be pretty key at sustaining weight loss.

For me the dopamine hit I get from processed food is a big factor.

There are so many other factors that cause it.But I think our society has become obsessed with snacks which means it’s harder to sit with the normal level of hunger you are supposed to feel between meals.

For me it’s a combination of being too sedentary and emotional eating. It’s very difficult to divert emotions into a healthier habit, but I have found just noticing how I feel and how that leads me towards the crap is helpful.

For me it was recently the anniversary of a loved one's death and this illustrated this really well. I have lost loads of weight recently (very much needed and desired, I'm still overweight but only slightly). But the day of the anniversary and the following morning I ate constantly - to illustrate the anniversary day I had cheese on toast, McDonalds with a chocolate milkshake and a donut. The next day I had lunch in the morrisons cafe and still felt starving. Once I put my little girl down for her nap I sat, listened to some depressing songs and looked at old photos, cards etc. I sobbed so much, but didn't need to eat after that.

Obviously sometimes it's not as obvious as that, and the feelings aren't as big. I try meditation or breathing exercises if I'm stressed and want to eat.

@OhThePain77 sorry for your loss.

I am also an emotional eater!
I am trying to just sit with and process my emotions more than just turning to food but it’s very tricky.

Comfort eating - biscuits, ice cream etc
Eating out
Alcohol
Junk food
Having a busy life probably meant not enough exercise.

By the time you realise that the problem can only really be addressed by plain home-cooked food, heaps of veg and much less sugar & alcohol, there is a mountain to climb which feels too difficult.

Driving everywhere - even very short journeys.
Not doing as many manual tasks (household tasks replaced by easier machines and lots of sitting down all day occupations)
Too much UP convenience food and take aways due to time restraints (everyone working more to keep a roof over their heads)
Comfort eating.
Eating cakes and drinking high calorie drinks in cafes as a pastime.
Lack of time/inclination for exercise .

Eating too much and moving too little quite simply
BUT I remember shopping for clothes when I was 12years old and my mum needed to buy me a size 12, and then by 14 I was a size 14, and 16 a a 16. So, my problem stems from being a child and being fed portions that were too large, and being told it was bad manners to not clear your plate.
Seeing as I have spent my life entire life struggling with my weight, I can't help but feel a little resentful to my parents (who I love dearly but are both obese as well!) for not teaching me a healthy eating lifestyle

This is a really interesting thread.

How do you avoid making foods 'forbidden' and therefore really attractive? I'm thinking about children, obviously can't let them eat whatever they want but if you keep saying no then it becomes more desired. But if you regularly let them have it as a 'treat' then it also becomes desired. My head hurts and worried about creating problems for the future.

Alcohol was a big factor for me - and all the eating habits that go with it!

Cutting out all treats and changing your diet? This is wrong and you won't lose weight. Do you think skinny people eat well? No. You need to eat less, pure and simple. Portion control. Create a calorie deficit. Exercising helps, but its pretty much all about what you eat. Better nutrition means you can eat less. But these are not the fundamentals. Just create a calorie deficit and you will lose weight!

I am just greedy ... nice food is (relatively) cheap ... I really only need two very small meals a day but find it hard to resist lovely tasting food, I am a good cook too so it's an easy way to fill my time. I wish I could get enthusiastic about grilled salmon and salad ... but I don't . Meeting friends and family for shared meals is very much the 'norm' in my circle.

Drinking
Doing less exercise
Eating less carefully
Peri meno
Insomnia
And all do the above bar the peri caused by extreme stress for the last two years. I am now the heaviest I've ever been and a size 14, I've always naturally been a 10/12. I feel grim.
I've started swimming, aiming for an hour 4 times a week and trying to eat better and more protein based. But results are slow and I find that demoralising.

I have an underactive thyroid which went undiagnosed for years (or at least so I think, I had the symptoms of it for years in any case) which has really impacted my weight. I'm on medication now and whilst I've finally stopped gaining weight it's very hard to lose it. I managed to lose about 10kg the first half of this year but that was by eating consistently 1200kcal or less which let's face it not particularly healthy. I want to lose more weight but I found living on that kind of daily kcal level very hard.

I know that personally I have had a binge eating disorder since childhood. Growing up in my home was lonely and miserable. My parents were emotionally disengaged, there was abuse and relentless bullying between siblings. That is why I gained weight. I have also had anorexia at times and been very low weight. Emotional eating is complex. During covid I binged a lot through boredom. Things are in a much better place now.

I noticed that someone I know often gives her child something to eat when she falls over or is upset. Seems like a simple thing not to do that