Active Low-Carber Forums
Atkins diet and low carb discussion provided free for information only, not as medical advice.
Home Plans Tips Recipes Tools Stories Studies Products
Active Low-Carber Forums
A sugar-free zone


Welcome to the Active Low-Carber Forums.
Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!

Go Back   Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Best Of
User Name
Password
FAQ Members Calendar Mark Forums Read Search Gallery My P.L.A.N. Survey


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #46   ^
Old Wed, Sep-04-02, 20:25
allison74's Avatar
allison74 allison74 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 46
 
Plan: general LC
Stats: 169/148/135 Female 5' 7"
BF:**eh**
Progress: 62%
Location: near Nashville
Default

I kept 10 pounds with the birth of each of my two girls. Then I put on the last 10 - 15 pounds over the last three years. My husband had started a business and quit his full time job. The stress of the business and never seeing my husband lead to over eating. I was miserable for about a year and a half. I guess I am lucky I didn't put on more weight than I did. He finally went back to his "regular" job about a year and a half ago, so the stress level is down and now I am ready to get this weight off that I have been carrying around for all these years. Our ten year anniversary will be next june,and so help me, I WILL BE down to the weight I was when we got married. **135**
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #47   ^
Old Tue, Sep-10-02, 18:05
committed committed is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 134
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 325/243/150
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Seattle
Default I'm confused

I'm confused by the question "why did you get fat?". If LC works for me, then the answer is that I gained all this weight because I had untreated physical conditions that were worsened by the goofy FDA pyramid. I thought LC WOE works because people have metabolic conditions, insulin resistance. One of the many reasons I like low carb is because I don't have to blame myself anymore for having gotten so far.

I have been prompted, in therapy, to associate emotional stresses to my weight gain. I have come up with many reasons to blame myself or my life. I have been shamed by medical professionals, having most medical problems dismissed as the result of my fat. I have endured being told by my kindergardener that I couldn't accompany her class on field trips because I was too fat. I was abused by my ex and I am terrified of men. I struggle with depression and the antedepressant has probably affected me.

I've had lots of really awful things happen in my life, just like others.

And you know what, I am so grateful that I don't have to blame myself for my weight anymore.

I empathize with some of the difficulties others on this string have posted. Many of the emotional 'reasons' for eating were true for me. But the real truth is my body was whacked out because of diet and lack of proper medical diagnosis. To blame it on the emotional stuff seems, to me, to be kinda like a doctor telling me the fat was my fault.

I invite all of us to say "I gained this weight because of physical health problems that went unresolved for years." Period. Thank goodness for the blessing of having discovered LC.
Reply With Quote
  #48   ^
Old Sat, Oct-19-02, 23:09
Angela175's Avatar
Angela175 Angela175 is offline
New Member
Posts: 7
 
Plan: none
Stats: 198/197/175
BF:too much
Progress: 4%
Default

I was chubby in high school, but started working out and dieting in college and lost 25 pounds. But it was a struggle not to eat. Then I fell in love, went on the pill, went out to restaurants a lot and swelled up to my highest weight ever. Instead of being upset, my boyfriend said he found me more attractive on the plump side. What a deal, I thought. I could finally eat what I wanted and got fatter and lazier. When I hit almost 200 lbs (I had been as low as 105), I decided I needed to lose weight and get under control before I got too huge.
Reply With Quote
  #49   ^
Old Sun, Nov-03-02, 15:42
stephaniec's Avatar
stephaniec stephaniec is offline
New Member
Posts: 5
 
Plan: atkins - modified
Stats: 233/197/133
BF:47%/39%/25%
Progress: 36%
Location: Southampton Co, Va
Question Why did I get fat.....

Excellent question.

There are so many things that have happened and choices that I made and I believe all of them together put me where I am now. My mom is very overweight and has been since as far back as I can remember.....a lot of my family members are. I grew up around a "need to diet" mentality. I actually remember when I was 11, I fasted (literally NO FOOD) for 2 weeks and NOBODY noticed that I wasnt eating. Now, I was not a big child....probably around 100 lbs at that time. How do you "not notice" that your child hasnt eaten in 2 WEEKS??? I now think that my mom probably knew but because of her "diet mentality" and her own body image, she didnt interfere. I remember one day at my grandparents house, everybody was getting on the scale (our own personal WW program I guess) and at the time I was probably 110 or something. I was a teenager. My grandpa had a fit over how much I weighed -- I stopped the lecture by saying that I never intended to gain anymore wieght --HAHAHA !!! I look back at pictures of me in HS, I was really thin but back then I always felt HUGE! I guess growing up with all the negative body images and constant dieting, I felt like I must be big too. There is another post on here about distorted body images - i can relate to both ends (feeling huge when you're skinny, and feeling "normal" when you're overweight). Anyway, I got pregnant toward the end of high school (my sr. year) and went up to 199 lbs -- I remember thinking that being pregnant gave me a reason to be able to eat whatever I wanted. My dad called me "chunky" throughout my pregnancy. I also started getting "off hand" remerks from acquaintances "youre looking uh.....'healthy' " I dismissed it all --I was just pregnant---afterward, I was horrified to find that all 75 of those "gained" pounds werent "just the baby"!! I got back to 145 or so - I think depression had a lot to do with that (my baby was born with heart problems and died after surgery -- I thought my life was over, I had changed all my plans (college etc) because I was going to be a mom and now I didnt have a baby and best of all, I was in an mentally detrimental marriage that I saw no way out of).
One divorce, a new marriage and 2 children later I look back and see that I set myself up for a lot of "emotional eating" - I was doing what my mom had done. My life hadnt been what I needed it to be so I had been filling the "holes" with food. That's pretty bad but, my body was dealing with it -- I was 165 and able to do anything I wanted - no problem right??
yeah right --- then comes the insulin resistance...... 30 lb weight gain in 3 months sent me racing to an endocrinologist -- he was (thankfilly) into the LC research but it took me another year and 20 more pounds (all while STARVING myself on low fat high carb diets) to convince me to make these changes in my life. I feel so much better -- I can control those cravings because I know what is causing them. Unfortunately, for the 12 years before I found out about LC, I was subconsciously doing to my daughter what my mom had done to me --- she's almost 14, 135 lbs.....and has a lot of the unhealthy, guilt causing, eating habits that I had for so long. I have to break this cycle. The first thing I want to do is take a wrecking ball to the FDA's food pyramid !!!!!!!
Good luck to all of you and God Bless !
Reply With Quote
  #50   ^
Old Sun, Nov-03-02, 23:44
Carianne's Avatar
Carianne Carianne is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 670
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 234/245/145 Female 5'7"
BF:99%I'm pretty sure
Progress: -12%
Location: rural Florida
Default hmmm...

Where to start, and then to figure out if it's relevant or not.

Was a skinny kid until about 8. Then got HEAVY, and my Mom called me names and bribed me to lose weight, but I was a KID! I didn't know how to lose weight on my own!- And like someone else here said, my mom too, kept buying crap for us to eat.

I lost weight again at about 14, boys and alcohol got into my system and I was running around wild and never eating! I stayed pretty thin until I was about 24. (I was in an affair relationship, I was stupid and on pins and needles waiting for him to leave her. He told me I'd be a knock out if I'd just lose a little weight! HA!- I was about 165, as you can see my goal is 160! At 5'7", 165 isn't bad!)

Anyway, at 24 I went on the road as a truck driver! YES!- "NINETY NINE CENT HEART ATTACK" as one country song puts it! Cheap and greasy food mixed with inactivity helped me to gain about 25 pounds.

When I was 27 I got married and got pregnant and I soared to 246 pounds before baby was born. Afterwards, I started gettting sugar cravings I just couldn't control. I started swamping myself in sugar. Then, that mixed with moving to Idaho after being raised in Florida (where you can go outside all year round for exercise)- helped me to climb back to 230 pounds.

WHEW! Then I saw an Atkins infomercial! Of all things! As you can see, it's been building up for me. Slowly each year. I've always had a terrible self image though, and I do relate that to my Mom calling me fat names and I knew she wanted a thin daughter. (She wanted a sober husband too, but that's a whole other post!)

I just think the most important people in my life at a very crucial part of a young female's developmental stage, programmed some really crummy things into me. It stuck. For me, this is a tricky question, because I think there are so many factors. But as I aged, it boiled down to me not having the information on what I should be eating. I too pigged out on pasta for many years thinking it was healthy! Now I know.

Carianne
Reply With Quote
  #51   ^
Old Mon, May-19-03, 11:28
weighting's Avatar
weighting weighting is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 28
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 277/268/180
BF:
Progress: 9%
Location: W-S, NC
Default Good read

I need to make a distinction here. For myself.

Yes, there are medical, psychological, sociological, physical and emotional reasons for being overweight but there are people who are overweight who stop their fat-gaining behavior or look to the medical community and find the answer. They change their behavior or take the medicine and over time, they are thin again. I appreciate the frustration and pain they feel while they make reparations to their imbalanced bodies, lifestyle and mindsets.

For me, I was thin and now I am fat. I have medical issues but instead of dealing with it when it was a few pounds, I took my weight imbalance personally. But I found my own reasons to be victimized by fat. I believed it was all my fault. I wasn't good enough to be thin.

I tried everything. I went to regression therapy, counselling, hypnosis and holistic healers. I dieted. I exercised. I tried to remember being sexually molested, emotionally abused, neglected or traumatized without success. I forgave the 12 year old boy who tried to kiss me without consent. I forgave the teacher who oogled my developing pubescent body. Doctors reinforced my own short-comings so I gave up on them.

When the gain started, I lived, ate and breathed anger. I was mad at my body for not being perfect, society for demanding it to be, the world for witnessing my failure, the universe, God, my family, my friends, the waiter's condensing looks, the media, doctors who didn't listen, people on the street, anyone who looked at me, everyone.

For me, food has never been about comfort. It was about control.

I could not control how people reacted to my growing body so I took control of the food. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and how much I wanted. Then I began to realize the food controlled me. Sugar/starch called out. I answered. So I took control again by devouring more! One craving would send me into a power feast that lasted for days.

For me, why I am fat is because I chose to become its victim. I thought if I can't be thin - I will be as fat as I want to be. I allowed it to represent me.

Now, I have good days and not so good days but I remind myself, I will no longer be a victim. Being fat is not personal - it's not about me - it's just a combination of taking care, paying attention and doing what I need to do to resolve this imbalance for me.

w
Reply With Quote
  #52   ^
Old Mon, May-19-03, 12:02
captxray captxray is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 354
 
Plan: Neanderthin
Stats: 269/176/165 Male 68"
BF:55+%/23%/15%
Progress: 89%
Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon
Talking I just had a thought...

I've been reading your replies since I last posted...boy! Some "food" for thought...HA! HA! You know, I think we've all missed the boat, here! We got fat because we were eating all the wrong foods! Not, because we were stressed, or because we liked to eat, or, whatever...we got fat because we ATE THE WRONG FOODS ...we have been duped by the FDA food pyramid, low fat, high carb...bla, bla, bla...

Think about this...if we had been eating the right foods, we most-likely (in the case of medicines, I might need to rethink this one, a bit) were just eating the wrong foods...on my WOE, there is no such thing as eating too much...as long as one stays within the parameters of what is recommended on the woe. Yeah, I still probably eat for all the reasons I did, before...I haven't "disciplined" myself in that regard...why should ? I'm much happier than before, much healthier, my weight is down...I feel good! If I eat to stave off emotional pain, so what? Why spend my entire life worrying about "doing life the right way?" If all people would eat the right kinds of food, it might put us psychotherapists out of business...on second thought, tell your friends to keep eating all of that crap...Ha! Ha! I'm too old to go looking for another job. But, seriously, people make themselves sick with worry and pain because they eat for "al tlhe wrong reasons." Who is the great governor who tells us this, anyway? You can't tell me that a caveman, or two didn't "over-eat' now and then. I'll bet they didn't worry about doing it for the wrong reasons. Chances are, their weight didn't go up, either, because they were eating what their bodies were designed to eat. Just a thought...
Reply With Quote
  #53   ^
Old Thu, May-22-03, 12:41
Laura D's Avatar
Laura D Laura D is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 107
 
Plan: Protien Power
Stats: 168/155/135
BF:
Progress: 39%
Location: coralville Iowa
Default How I got fat

Three things, Beer, Pizza, and french fries in college.

I was super thin in high school, because I had a job that required heavy labor and lots of running. I would eat those big breakfasts from wafflehouse several times a week and I was 125lbs at 5'7".

When I left that job and went to college it didn't occur to me that I could get fat and I just kept on eating the way I always did, except then I turned 21 and drank a six pack a day for two years.

LOL, I actually remember thinking I must have shrunk all my clothes at the laundrymat, for that could be the only explanation for them getting too tight!!
Reply With Quote
  #54   ^
Old Wed, Jun-11-03, 22:12
catsmeow88 catsmeow88 is offline
New Member
Posts: 26
 
Plan: atkins diet / sugar busters
Stats: 201/194/150
BF:
Progress: 14%
Location: oak lawn, il
Red face it comes down to...

...the fact that i got lazy. and thats it plain and simple. i have been a swimmer for as long as i can remember and in highschool i was on swimming, soccer and softball. so i was constanly active and food never was an issue, i could eat whatever i wanted. then i graduated. and even thou i still exercise, nothing compares to 3-4 hours in a pool, 6 days a week. that and i went to college, then got a 9 to 5 job and so on and so on. so when i get some time off, the last thing i want to do is exercise. so my eating habits havnt changed much but i dont exercise nearly as much as i would like to. i'm lazy. but this is what i am trying to change. i am on atkins and i take kickboxing 2 days a week along with doing the eliptical trainer and weights a couple of days a week. i try to keep my long term goals in mind when i cheat or when i am too tired and lazy to get off the couch.
Reply With Quote
  #55   ^
Old Fri, Jun-20-03, 11:51
gaijingal's Avatar
gaijingal gaijingal is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 76
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 171/155/130 Female 5'3
BF:
Progress: 39%
Location: Toronto, Canada
Default

I'm a "get fat so men leave you alone kind of gal. "

I dropped a dress size during my first two weeks on Atkins and IMMEDIATELY developed a stalker. I then went off atkins, despite being quite happy on it. Sigh. I have to convince myself that I can't a chocolate bar just because some men are sick.

Sorry, to the people that think this is all about the wrong food. After traumatic situations, I have actually force fed myself till I was in pain and couldn't stop. That indicates something mental to me.
Reply With Quote
  #56   ^
Old Wed, Jun-25-03, 05:06
scthgharpy's Avatar
scthgharpy scthgharpy is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,958
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 254/215/150 Female 64"
BF:C198/T126/H53/L120
Progress: 38%
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Default Why did I get fat?

After years of working out, tryign to be healthier and lose weight when I didnt need to(I was never a size zero like the girls on my pom team and that killed me) I went through some MAJOR changes 6 years ago and put on 30 lbs on a month. No kidding. A far cry from the 'Shape Magazine' working out lo fat hi carb girl I had been.

Thing is, ten years ago, I was about 135 at 5'4" and I was at my 'babe' stage...really the pictures are stunning. Youd never guess how screwed up I was at the time from looking at them. I called it the "Bacardi Diet" because all I would do is get hammered every night on bacardi and rarely eat except for tuna and veggies, and work out at lunch from the chow hall. And it as all over a guy=STUPID. Well, that and living on an airbase during a war contributed to the stress.

Three years ago I trained for and ran a triathlon through the Leukemia Society's Team in Training excellent program! I lost and gained not an ounce, I think because Iwas effectively starving myself-and eating constantly. The nutrition people had nothing to offer me, just how to get through the training=all about the peanut butter and power bars. Oh yah, and the Gu! Pure sugar and caffiene in a handy little packet. Rocket fuel, dude.

I recall going into the doctor to see if they would put me on a liquid diet a freind has recently seen amazing success with. I BEGGED her for guidance. No energy, hated my life! The tiny asian PA told me "just eat less". I wanted to wring her f*&%-ing anorexic 0 body fat neck! I STILL do.

So, my sudden 30 lbs crept upwards to 230....a freind suggested atkins, and eureka! It all makes sense now!

I understand the psychological responses...am relieving them all the time, the childhood molestations, the adult betrayals and personal and professional failures. I released some of them at burning man, casting the letters and memories into the fire-very therapeutic. I say thank you, fat for protecting me, but I dont need you any more. You can go away now. Ill do it again:

Bye bye belly!

JC
Reply With Quote
  #57   ^
Old Sun, Jul-13-03, 00:55
amk82's Avatar
amk82 amk82 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 30
 
Plan: my own
Stats: 188/158/152 Female 5'9"
BF:
Progress: 83%
Location: BC, Canada
Default

An eating disorder combined with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (a nasty combination).
Reply With Quote
  #58   ^
Old Sun, Jul-13-03, 19:36
odyssey's Avatar
odyssey odyssey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 812
 
Plan: my own
Stats: 35/35/22 Female 5'5.5''
BF::(/:(/:)
Progress: 0%
Location: South West, Kentucky
Default

While I do believe in some ways I "dieted" myself up to this weight range, I've been overweight since before I was a year old so it wasn't only what I ate that has made me this way.
My weight is a mixture of heredity, medical, and environmental to go along with incorrect food choices as I grew older.

That's why my main purpose in doing this is to get healthy, not to lose weight. I've never(ever) been thin, or even just chubby, in my whole life so I don't even know if it is possible for my body to be so. I mean I haven't been under 180 pounds since I was seven. But at least on the journey I am now on I have the opportunity to reverse some of my health issues. That's why I'm here.

Namaste,
Carla
Reply With Quote
  #59   ^
Old Sun, Jul-13-03, 19:40
odyssey's Avatar
odyssey odyssey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 812
 
Plan: my own
Stats: 35/35/22 Female 5'5.5''
BF::(/:(/:)
Progress: 0%
Location: South West, Kentucky
Default

Hey amk, I, too, have pcos and insulin resistance. Hoping this way of life will help that.
Reply With Quote
  #60   ^
Old Sun, Jul-13-03, 23:19
amk82's Avatar
amk82 amk82 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 30
 
Plan: my own
Stats: 188/158/152 Female 5'9"
BF:
Progress: 83%
Location: BC, Canada
Default

Cutting out sugar and bad carbs will definitely help. Check out this msg board http://www.soulcysters.net/ for tons of info.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Review: "The Fat Girl's Guide to Life" gotbeer LC Research/Media 8 Tue, Feb-14-06 20:00
The Soft Science of Dietary Fat Karen LC Research/Media 10 Fri, Feb-04-05 19:23
I found this info on Dr. Ellis Ultimate Diet Secrets, in case you are interested. Eveee Low-Carb War Zone 22 Tue, Jan-13-04 20:45
Full text: A Randomized Trial Comparing a Very Low tamarian LC Research/Media 0 Thu, Jul-10-03 17:21
Current and Potential Drugs for Treatment of Obesity-Endocrine Reviews Voyajer LC Research/Media 0 Mon, Jul-15-02 18:57


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:04.


Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.