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Some countries are more obese than others. For example, around 4.5% of the adult population in Japan belongs to this category, while in the US the figure is roughly 40%.
However, the global trend is clear — obesity more than tripled between 1975 and 2022, and it is estimated that one billion of us are struggling with it, including 880 million grown-ups and 159 million children and adolescents.
To learn how people might end up there, Reddit user 90s-Hercules made a post on the platform, asking those who have gained a significant amount of weight to share the thing they blame for it the most.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Menopause.
Unthunkable: I put on 2stone in less than 6 months. No real changes to diet or activity levels, and then couldn't lose the weight despite calorie control (1200 a day) and additional exercise. Had a few other symptoms which point towards peri which all occurred at the same time. No HRT yet, though I have begun discussing with my doctor.
Sandra Campos 1 month ago
Same, and it happens so suddenly that you don't realize it until is too late
RELATED:
#2
An addiction to sweet and salty snacks. I run 100+ miles a month, sometimes 150+, but there is no outrunning 500-1000/day calorie surpluses caused by sugar and potato chip binges. I’ve gained 25-30 lbs in just a couple of years. :(.
DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago
I know this feeling, workout and then I start feeling snackish...so hard to control.
Looking at the root of the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that being overweight or obese results from an imbalance of energy intake (diet) and energy expenditure (physical activity).
However, WHO highlights that obesity is a multilayered disease also influenced by other factors, such as a person's psychosocial conditions and genetics.
At the same time, WHO claims the lack of effective responses from healthcare systems only aggravates the situation.
#3
Eating disorder. Binge eating disorder that went untreated because it's not treated by the NHS and I couldn't afford to go private. In the end I battled it alone and I'm winning. Now my lowest weight for 20 years.
Undercover 1 month ago
Same here. My bf got stage 4 cancer, I was barely 20 and in a foreign town for university and I had nobody cause my family dropped me like a hot potato. Gained 18 kg over 3 years and then cut contact to all old friends because I was so ashamed of my body and nobody understood the situation with my bf. Dark, dark times. And at 22 I was diagnosed with BPD, severe depression, eating disorder. I lost so many years to my mental health problems. But now I'm bouncing back and am at a weight that I didn't have since 2007 🥳🤟🥰
#4
Being in a relationship.. relationship weight gain is very real Lol I gained 20 pounds 😅 & then my Ex had abs when we first started dating and then gained weight too😭 It was honestly happy weight gain though.
Nikki van Reenen 1 month ago
My husband and I both picked up quite a bit of weight when we started dating. We said that we must be f*******g ecstatic to be together.
#5
Going blind. Lost most of my central vision a few years ago. The loss of independence is soul-crushing. My ex-wife trying to take my kids away two months later made it exponentially worse. I turned into a person who eats and drinks his feelings real quick.
Joseph Miller 1 month ago
Ouch! A major life event turning into a double or triple whammy! Vision, Kids, and coping mechanisms.
#6
Mom got into a car accident, wasn’t at fault. Had to break away my life during my prime and take care of her full time and move back home with no other family to assist. We tried care facilities but gave her severe mistreatment, to the point lawyers got involved.
Got depressed from having to spend all my time working from home with full time care (bathing, toilet, food, paying for aids when out of town, etc) and keeping up with medical expenses. It’s mixed feelings, I clearly cared about her, but it was excruciating trying to think about dating or do anything having to explain why you still live with a parent and can’t give them my all. She ended up passing away after 3 years from the injuries and infections from the care facilities that persisted. Won the court case, but not until she died. In a better place, but the stress from all that definitely made me gain weight.
While not everything is within our control, it's important not to give in, as people with severe weight problems are more likely to develop a number of other health issues, including:
- Heart disease and strokes. Obesity makes you more likely to have high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, which are significant risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
- Type 2 diabetes. Obesity can affect the way your body uses insulin to control blood sugar levels. This elevates the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
- Certain cancers. Obesity may increase the risk of cancer of the uterus, cervix, endometrium, ovary, breast, colon, rectum, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, and prostate.
- Digestive problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of developing heartburn, gallbladder disease, and liver problems.
- Sleep apnea. People with obesity are more likely to have sleep apnea, a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and restarts during sleep.
- Osteoarthritis. Obesity increases the stress placed on joints. It also promotes inflammation, which includes swelling, pain, and a feeling of heat within the body. These factors may lead to complications such as osteoarthritis.
- Fatty liver disease. Obesity increases the risk of fatty liver disease, a condition that arises from excessive fat deposits in the liver. In some cases, this can lead to serious liver damage, known as liver cirrhosis.
#7
The month my thyroid stopped working....I gained 30 lbs in 30 days. The doctor was like "ummm...I think we know why your hair is falling out and you have been depressed".
Helena 1 month ago
One year I was losing handfulls of hair, gained like 60 lbs in a year, went to the doctor, and was told to eat better and exercise. Because walking and stocking shelves all day at 22 wasn't considered enough exercise? I haven't gotten anyone to check diddly squat successfully since. All they see is fat woman, tell me to eat less and move more. Because largely eating steamed veg and various forms of chicken is just too much and I must be lying and hysterical and I hate doctors. SO VERY MUCH MONEY for no answers and an insults. I'm honestly a little shocked I'm not dead yet.
#8
Working night shift. I lost access to decent food, and was pretty sedentary for a couple of years. It was pretty destructive.
#10
Getting a car. I used to walk/cycle everywhere and had no trouble keeping the weight off. Once you've got a car though it's difficult to give up.
#11
Eating stuff at night when I had a bad day.
But at least I am still alive.
#12
Underestimating liquid calories and fiber.
#13
Having a baby and breastfeeding. So many people told me “oh you’ll lose weight if you breastfeed.” NOT true for me. It made me hungrier and on top of not sleeping well, made me gain weight.
ChickyChicky 1 month ago
Same with me. Weight dropped easily after I stopped breastfeeding. I think my body just thought it had to keep a lot of fat around "just in case". I had a huge supply, too. Not sure that's related.
#14
Fired... I when I was fired I got depressed... it was really hard time, so I gained a lot of weight... around 30kgs... 2 years ago, I couldn't recognize myself, so I decided to take care of it...
Start a diet, gym... cardio... I'm a 🐌🐌 but since then, I put down 17kgs, and I still have to down more 20kgs.
#15
Quitting smoking. It wasn't just from eating more. It was from sudden lack of the stimulant nicotine. My metabolism slowed down. Another reason not to start smoking at all.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
Gained about 30 pounds when I quit smoking. Husband quit smoking and took up eating instead. The psychological craving is a bugger
#16
Nothing to look forward to. Nothing like 15 years of work and childcare with very little in the way of excitement (although I adore the kids obvs).
Nothing to diet for. Nobody to diet for. No big event coming my way.
Not a self pity trip at all, Iamcheerful every day. It's true though.
Kkg 1 month ago
What about doing it for yourself? People keep living longer, but the time when they are in a good health (without constant pain and severe limitations) is getting shorter. So people just live longer in pain, stuck in their apartments and not being able to enjoy anything that requires any amount of physical activity (or even sitting for longer periods of time). On average, of course. So do it for yourself, that your last 20 years of life will be more fun than pain.
#17
Birth control pill.
Different_Cow273: Literally same here, I was looking for specifically the pill. Gained almost a hundred pounds, stopped taking it and lost it so quickly it’s insane.
#18
Wine. Fkng wine! It’s a slippery slope.
You see one glass as 150 calories and it’s like “meh that ain’t bad” B*tch?! Two bottles later and dancing on the kitchen island and then a few months later it’s all 30 lbs and me looking in the mirror asking “whot have I become..” 🥴
Royal Stray 1 month ago
If you drink 2 bottles so regularly that it causes you to gain noticeable weight you may have a different issue. Because 2 bottles is one annoying hangover. Alcohol in general is kind of known for making you get more bloated and gain weight, especially around you belly
#19
Ironically my parents getting worried I was getting chunky as a kid and trying to make me lose weight.
HardBoiledBlonde 1 month ago
My mother put folded playing cards in between all the kitchen cabinets that contained food and the fridge so I could have no food when she wasn't there, which was frequently, beginning when I was 9 years old because she "refused to have a chubby child." I was starting puberty, she had just divorced my father for the second time and her brother had started sexually assaulting me. I look at pictures from that time frame and I was not chubby, I looked like a normal, but sad, little girl. My mother has untreated mental illnesses (she repeatedly refused treatment) including a severe eating disorder), Healing is a journey but healing is possible. All the best to those on similar journeys. You matter.
#21
Pregnancy was the first one. Went from 160 lbs to about 180 lbs. Never really lost the weight.
Depression was next. Went from 180 lbs to 230 lbs in a year wayyyy back because I spent all my time in bed, drinking pepsi, with reddit in my face on my laptop. I was in a really bad way.
Got back down to 190 with the help of folks in r/loseit. Met a guy, married him. Years later was back around 200 lbs but whatever, I've always been chunky.
Then I got a hysterectomy and it broke me. After the hysterectomy I was diagnosed with hypertension, became prediabetic, and shot up to 240 lbs.
Been fighting that 240 for maybe two years now. Currently sitting at 225 thanks to my job which is fairly active. Still battling the setbacks from the hypertension and prediabetes.
#22
Contraceptive injection, gained 3st over 2yrs and lost most of it again afterwards.
Also being lazier and age. I’m trying to resolve this but the age just means all weight is now on my stomach. Oh well! .
New York Nerds 1 month ago
The stone or stone weight (abbreviation: st.) is an English and imperial unit of weight or mass now equal to 14 avoirdupois pounds (6.35029318 kg). One stone is 14 pounds; Three stone would be 42 pounds.
#23
Stress.
back_to_the_homeland: This. I had a job pushing me at 100 hours a week. Like an actual 100 hours a week not like “Omg I worked like 100 hours this week!” 8am-1am daily. When I finally quit I had depression and lived on a diet of beer, pizza, and watching parks and rec, but I was free. I lost 40 lbs in a little over a month.
#24
Going to college and having to eat food prepared by Sodexo for 4 years. Whenever I would go home on breaks, there was like a 2 day adjustment period for my stomach going back to real food, and same when I would go back to school. When I graduated, I lost about 50lbs.
Justanotherpanda 1 month ago
They MADE you eat the food? You were not able to make something yourself? That is sad.
#25
Switching back from Coke Zero to regular coke due to the potential cancer risk of sweeteners.
HardBoiledBlonde 1 month ago
I refuse to buy coke and related products, Minute Made, Sprite, Schweppes, etc, after they made commemorative diet coke for the orange pustule and have never done this before for any politician. I called coke and informed them of the aforementioned and have not bought any of their products since. I encourage everyone to do the same.
#26
Unhappy relationship and no self-confidence, I thought nobody cared how I looked and started eating unhealthy comfort food.
Missy 1 month ago (edited)
Ohh I feel this! Including pregnancy weight twice over and followed up by chemo that hit my body hard and lockdowns after that. Now, I'm in a good place mentally and working on a steady, healthy intake and daily walks. Just started working out, knowing it won't be easy in perimenopauze
#27
Antidepressants.
ksuggs821: Yep, made me gain 50 pounds in a year. Stopped gaining the day I came off of them. Now I'm having trouble losing it. My mom loves reminding me how much I've gained and that I better lose it.
#28
Stress. Working in an environment that was very limited in opportunities to work out and an environment that was too cold to go outside. Also a lot of processed foods.
Susan 1 month ago
This was me for 16 years! Crazy work hours and constant stress. The inconsistent hours made it hard to watch my diet and work out consistently. Changed careers 5 years ago and now I can prepare my breakfasts and lunches so that they're healthy and work out every morning before work. I've dropped 30 lbs. plus I'm so much happier.
#29
Sleep apnea. Just could not lose weight. Depressed. No energy. I was eating ok and working out some, but the weight kept climbing until I got to 295 (I
I usually run 200-220 when I'm in shape). Decided I'd be damned if it was going to hit 300. Knew I snored, so finally went in for a sleep study. Sure enough, extremely severe sleep apnea. I was basically almost waking every 2-5 minutes and getting maybe 30 minutes of mediocre rest for every 8 hours I was "sleeping". Doctor estimated that I probably hadn't really restfully slept in probably 5 years, maybe longer, and he was frankly amazed I was as functional as I was. Got a CPAP, and holy s**t it was amazing. My first night with the machine was only 4 hours, but I got more rest out of those 4 hours than I'd had in years. Since then I'm down 55 lbs overall while putting 15 lbs of muscle back on. I can actually focus on tasks again, no more depression, and everything is just back to being how it should be. If you snore, get a sleep study. It seriously changed my life.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
Husband got a cpap 7 years ago. Game changer. I no longer want to smother him in his sleep. Sleep study also showed he had severe sleep apnea
#30
Lockdown, boredom, and an uncharacteristic lack of discipline.
Edit: Yes, it was 5 years ago. I put on about 35 pounds. I have since lost it and am in better shape than ever. Stfu.
What do you think ?
Blah Blah Blah 1 month ago
We're all doing our best in this hellscape. I wish we could be nicer to ourselves and others. Do not judge bc we just don't know wtf is happening in someone else's life.
KrazyChiMama 1 month ago
Menopause! Ugh! Someone hijacked my body and I’d like it back please!?!
DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago
I was always a big guy but it got worse when I went from active farm work to desk jobs. Also some life events that lead to increased fast food intake...I'm only now on the way to losing some weight. It's a very very difficult journey but I'm hoping I can keep losing it and keep it off.
Blah Blah Blah 1 month ago
We're all doing our best in this hellscape. I wish we could be nicer to ourselves and others. Do not judge bc we just don't know wtf is happening in someone else's life.
KrazyChiMama 1 month ago
Menopause! Ugh! Someone hijacked my body and I’d like it back please!?!
DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago
I was always a big guy but it got worse when I went from active farm work to desk jobs. Also some life events that lead to increased fast food intake...I'm only now on the way to losing some weight. It's a very very difficult journey but I'm hoping I can keep losing it and keep it off.
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