When or what was the point when you gained weight?

[CrimsonMama]

All through my childhood and teens I was told I could eat like a horse and not put on weight. When I settled down at 19 and my husband and I travelled frequently I was a little overweight with the comfort that comes from being in a secure relationship but I was still a size ten.

When I got pregnant at 25 is when I grew to a size 20! I ate for two and figured it was perfectly fine as isn't that what you do when pregnant? Everyone said I was going to have a huge baby! However at 5 weeks premature and weighing only 5lb 5oz it was clear the weight was all me and not baby!

But doesn't breastfeeding help you shed pounds? Ha! Not for me. I was very hungry and ate all the wrong foods! My baby was very demanding - I didn't like her to cry and she didn't want to part from me for even a second so as I was also now on maternity leave I sat for hours and hours on the computer with my baby sleeping on me or feeding from me.

Four years later my husband and I broke up and I - perhaps going through a mid-life crisis - started wanting to go dancing and my now four year old and I would love dancing crazy around the living room. I managed to lose weight again and although pregnancy changes your shape (in my opinion) I could never be as slender as I was in my teens I felt ok.

A year later I had my second child. I think I went upto a size 22! I was suffering depression quite badly and wasn't working. My daughter went over due and I ended up having an emergency cesarean. As this involves cutting through your abdominal muscles - plus living in a third floor flat - I was unable to do much in the way of activity! Breastfeeding again also made me ravenous! Then I broke my ankle!!! So again months housebound and inactive!

After that my (new) relationship became stressful and financially and mentally abusive. Stress and depression led me to reach for tonnes of chocolate! I can't believe how I went through one or two of the huge bars A DAYl Plus my partner wanted dominos pizza or take away fairly often!

Fast forward... I finally got rid of him, went back to work and took control of my life. I was on the verge of being morbidly obese! My BMI was like 39.5. I thought I would never be able to lose weight but here I am! 7lbs left to lose and I will be "overweight" instead of obese or morbidly obese!

I know overweight isn't perfect but I am just amazed I've come this far and the idea of getting down to a healthy weight no longer seems impossible!

I am really interested in other people's experiences? Do you know when or why you put weight on? Or was it such a gradual process you didn't even realise until one day?

[IndigoBlue61]

I was a chubby child and overweight as a teen . . . Not huge, and I was quite active which kept me fit, but years of yo-yo dieting, lots of very restrictive diets in particular, and I got bigger and bigger ☹️

I feel quite strongly about this, the pressure women are put under, and perfectly healthy young girls feeling the need to be skinny ☹️ And don’t get me started on the Diet food Industry . . .

[CrimsonMama in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Both my very normal healthy weight daughters (age 7 and 12) have felt like they are overweight or fat! It is crazy!

I never enjoyed the time when I was a size ten as I felt I was fat and imperfect! Makes me laugh looking back now as I just want to reach back through time and tell myself I was fine and should have been happy with myself!

[SlimmerSue62]

I put on weight in my early 30's it's gradually crept up and up. Even More when I gave up smoking over 10 years ago so that excuse doesn't stand anymore

[CrimsonMama in reply to SlimmerSue62]

My mum always always found her weight went up whenever she tried to give up smoking! At nearly 70 she's finally quit nicotine and moved on to those e-cigaretes.

It was very likely a trigger to weight gain and then that pattern became the norm!

[Wonderperson 4lbs]

Wow. Thanks for sharing. Life has a serious impact on all of us.

I was whip thin until my late 20s, routinely mistaken for a man. No hips, bust or bum. Pregnant at 29 I had a figure to stop traffic. After that I went up to a size 12 which was fine and then in my 30s, finally realised I was no longer able to eat all the time. My metabolism slowed down and I gradually crept up to a 14. That was OK and I managed my eating habits. Quit smoking, gained weight, lost it. Quit marriage, weight loss. Back to 12. Very slow weight gain for 10 years, like 1lb a year. Then menopause. Yay! Sleep patterns shot, weight gain, temperature gone to hell. Now a size 14. Gradually crept up and on the verge of being a 16. Not buying new clothes. Gradually lost half a stone. Back to 14. Phew. Put it on again. Now losing it again.

I don't want to go back to whip thin. I do want to be OK with how I look. Half the time I don't recognise what my body has become, menopause has changed my shape. I have only just learned to like myself. Finally learning toike my body too. Oh and I ditched a relationship last year with a guy who thought I was fat and unattractive. Go hang.

[CrimsonMama in reply to Wonderperson]

My last partner used to say he preferred the bigger woman but was always the first insult he threw was to call me fat.

Glad you ditched your loser!

And I must say you sound very intune with yourself and your body!

[Gizmocat Moderator 13kg Maintainer]

I think our 30s is about the time we all start to put on weight. It seems to be due to pregnancies and life changes. I was very slim as a teenager and ate what I liked. A sweet tooth always meant lots of rubbish. In spite of family history of obesity it wasn't going to happen to me! Ha! I was wrong. I was size 12 and got back my pre pregnancy weight after my first son was born but when the second was born I stayed about half a stone heavier and was never able o lose it. I was still just about within healthy range for my height and didn't worry. I had two young boys and a husband who worked away a lot so was always busy. When the youngest went to secondary school I stopped walking to school each day and the weight began to creep up. At home on my own it was easy to snack and my sweet tooth didn't help. It continued creep up gradually over the years. I went up to size 14 and eventually 16. I knew I was overweight but thought I was healthy.

A health scare last summer was a wake up call. I was diagnosed with high BP and prediabetic. I didn't want family history to repeat itself. High BP ,diabetes and strokes are all in the family. I am lost 11kg with 7 to go to get to healthy BMI. I am overweight now rather than obese and down to size 14 and no longer prediabetic. I have made changes to diet and lifestyle which have to be sustainable as I don't want to back to where I was.

[Craftyperson]

For me it was having a accident and having to retire at the grand old age of 32 after being off on sick for 2 years. Had a back injury that meant just sat at home doing nothing. Up to that I was a size 8/10 then went up to a 14. Then again after partner if 30 years died few years back comfort eating took me up to a 16/18

[Hidden]

Hi, same as a lot of others I was 10/12 until my 30’s split up with my partner of 14 years and dropped to 9 stone, thought that was good at the time but obviously not the way to lose weight! Now 10 years into my next relationship I had gradually worked my way up to size 16. Started working on this 5 weeks ago and lost 9lb so far, only problem now is my other half is having ‘issues’ and it feels like we’ll be over soon, might be good for short term loss but long term I have to try and look after myself first, shame it’s taken me 10 years to realise this!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

Sorry to hear that, MotoGP1. I hope you make the best decisions you can for yourself, regardless of what's going on around you.

[Hidden]

I can identify with a few of you on here. I was a skinny child and teen which continued into my 20s due to stress from my Dad dying and then poor relationship choices. I had my daughter aged 31 and quickly lost that weight then slowly put some on once I started driving and stopped using buses and walking everywhere! I was diagnosed with IBS and lost loads again, getting down to just over 10 stone (I am 5ft 11ins) which wasn't healthy.

Age 39 I started a new relationship, eventually gained weight to a healthy 11 stone and life was good.

Then came the menopause and it all went downhill. The weight gain has been slow and steady and although I knew I was getting heavier, I could easily carry it due to my height. Also, my jeans and trousers still fitted, although some were getting a bit snug. I noticed it more in my top half, but just bought a bigger size.

I thought it was "an age thing" as I'd read gaining weight was to be expected and my sleep pattern was all over the place. Last summer I wasn't very confident and struggled a bit in the heat partially due to the extra weight I was carrying and partly due to the hot flushes / night sweats. Even so, I carried on without making any changes until a glance in the mirror horrified me and I decided there and then to do something about it.

Previously, my heaviest weight was when I was full term pregnant at 90kg, just over 14 stone. When I started this programme, I weighted in at 95kg with no excuse other than, I now realise, portion sizes that were too big, despite following all the rules of fresh food, grilling, steaming etc. The weight still piled on.

I am sure this journey will be full of ups and downs, but with the wonderful support available on here, I am determined to change my life around and hopefully avoid type 2 diabetes which runs through our family and which so far, I have (somehow) avoided.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

I don't know if anyone has given you this link, Lazy_days, but it's given many of us new insight healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Putting on weight as we age sort of is and sort of isn't inevitable. It's inevitable for most of us because of the food choices we've become used to. It's not inevitable if we break some of those habits, and it's never too late to change

[Hidden in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you, I've just read the article and it made a lot of sense. Time to have another look at what types of foods I'm eating right now to lose weight and maybe swap some things over.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

I eat all sorts of things now that I'd never have imagined I would. 60-odd years of avoiding celery, and now it's always in my kitchen

[CrimsonMama]

Wow. Amazing stories everyone. Loved reading them and yes very similar patterns in life that led to weight gain.

Very interesting! Keep them coming!