It's like I'm a different person...

I have been gaining weight slowly but surely and it's killing my self image and perception of my willpower!!

At the beginning of this year, I was just over 120 pounds (I am 5'6"). After weighing myself this afternoon, I found that I am now 135.

I don't know what to do because I have always been "the thin girl" and have always had control over what I ate. But it seems like lately I have been gorging myself for no reason and often, until I feel sick to my stomach.

Why am I doing this? How do I stop? How to I get the motivation to work out?

I fear that I will get into a rut of eating too much and being too lazy to exercise (which is where I am right now). PLEASE HELP!

on the 4th and 9th you said 130, i doubt that you've gained 5 pounds in 2 days. in any case, we don't have access to what is going on in your life that might be causing these changed. are you stressed? do you have finals? are you lonely? have you had a breakup recently? anyone in your family sick/dead/unwell? how are your relationships with your parents? there could be a number of reasons why you are losing yourself in food and have seemed to lose control. hopefully we can help, but really take a look at your life and what might be different that could be causing this. i hope you feel better :)

This might sound weird, but it made me very happy to read that you referenced something I posted a few days ago :) Just the fact that someone pays attention to my posts makes me feel better

I have had some changes in my life:

- I moved back into my parent's home for the summer (was away for school in my own apartment)

- I started the Nuva Ring about 2 weeks ago

- I don't have classes or a job anymore (i.e. more lazy time)

- I don't have the convenience of hanging out with all my college/apartment frineds like I did when I was on campus. It's like I have to make new friends this summer.

Okay, so all that said...how do I fix this? I just ate 6 brownies and feel like I could eat more :(

I know exactly how you feel! I have slowly been gaining weight as well (about 5 pounds in the past few months) and once I became aware of this I totally lost control over my eating and thoughts. I find myself eating untill I am sick to my stomach. It really helps to stop and think before you eat and ask yourself if you really are hungry.

I have started to try to listen to my body and eat when it tells me that I am hungry. If you want to have a brownie have 1 or 2 instead of 6, trust me I know its hard! But take out 1 and put it on a plate and then put the rest away! I find I over eat when I eat straight out of the bag and when I keep telling myself to stop I really can't.

My mom keeps telling me to "eat to live and not live to eat" I find saying this to myself at times is somewhat helpful

take a bath...if you don't want to do that then just lie down and go to sleep. you will feel better in the morning!! moving back in with your parents can be a big cause of it, losing your sense of autonomy. just realize that things will get better. it could be boredom eating. i eat when i'm bored. the answer doesn't have to be complicated. 

Thanks for your help, Chrissy :)

I am just in tremendous need of some motivation. It's so easy to get into these cycles of not caring, eating too much, and being lazy. But I don't want to get into that again!

I really like how people get real help from other members here. mla931, I hope you find something to do for your summer. I can understand that it feels like a bit of a slump being at home with you parents, without job or friends. You have an idea of what it is that is making you feel the way you do.

Perhaps you can find something to keep you occupied. I am a complete boredom eater. I eat if it's there and I'm bored. Always have, and I would be without coping techniques. I always try to snack on healthy things. And if I can feel it coming on I will go do something like arts 'n crafts, paint my nails or have a bath.

I hope you find your summer routine soon, and that it will be different from what you do now.

Nip it in the bud now.  You've acknowledged the weight gain and

most likely causes.  This web site is really motivating.  Just tracking

what I eat has made a world of difference in gaining back the

feeling that I'm back in the driver's seat of my diet, which motivates

me to exercise, which enables me to to lose weight.

Good luck to you.  You'll find lot's of helpful, motivating people

here.

Original Post by mla931:

Thanks for your help, Chrissy :)

I am just in tremendous need of some motivation. It's so easy to get into these cycles of not caring, eating too much, and being lazy. But I don't want to get into that again!

 It sounds like you've had quite a few changes in your life recently.  In my case, I HAVE to be my own motivator or it simply won't get done.  Any time I've ever gained weight, it's been a very slow and steady progression up the scale.  Bad habits breed MORE bad habits.  It always seemed like once I gained some weight and ate more junk, the more I wanted to eat more junk.  With junk eating comes a feeling of sluggishness, so on top of the bad eating, I would never feel like exercising.  It became a vicious cycle that was/is very hard to break out of.

I do not particularly enjoy monitoring my caloric intake or exercising like a fiend, but if I did not MAKE myself do it, I would gain my weight back and fall back into that cycle.  It is very easy for me to take a couple of days off of exercising and have a really hard time getting back to it again. I know that if I don't get off the couch that second, I won't.  Sometimes you just have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and be very disciplined with yourself.  Start walking every other day or do something to get yourself out of your parent's house.  Take action and you will see results.  All the best to you!

Everyone's words are very kind and helpful! Thank you all so much for responding and offering advice!

As a matter of fact, I think I'll go for a run right now :)

One of the biggest things to remember is that we all go through times like these.  Life is full of change, ups and downs, with our emotions and habits at the mercy of all the chaos!

Like oddfunk said, "bad habits breed MORE bad habits", and when you get into a rut it's easier to stay there than to dig yourself out.  The main task at that point is to maintain positive thinking.  Understand that as much as your body is capable of gaining weight, it's also capable of losing it.  Know that you've been able to maintain healthy habits before, and you can do it again.

Don't let 1, 2, or even 6 brownies discourage you into thinking you don't have the willpower to do it.  Stare that chocolate in the face and tell it your butt looks better without it, and that you truly feel better when you resist as opposed to filling your body with sugar!  Or whatever works for you ;)

Just realize how strong you've been in the past, and don't let a few steps back determine what direction the next steps are going to be :)

A lot of people have posted great responses. I can't think of anything additional without repeating.

It sounds like there are a lot of things going on in your life, and I'm sure they're all contributing to what's happening to your weight.

Also, since no one mentioned (that I noticed), the NuvaRing could be a major contributor. It adds extra hormones to your blood stream, and maybe that's causing cravings or more hunger.

I wish you the best and I sincerely hope you find a positive way out of this. Just relax and take care of yourself. :]

Thanks everyone!!

I feel a lot more motivated having people support me :)

If anyone has any other words of encouragement, they are certainly welcomed!

p.s. Is anyone aware of a different type of birth control (injectable, pill, implant only - no IUDs) that have a lesser effect on weight or cravings? I am only on Nuva Ring to help regulate my periods, so I'm not concerned about the contraception aspect of it.

i am on the pill...loestrin fe 24. i don't know how it affects cravings or anything because it seems like im always hungry...but that could be due to my new and imprpoved metabolism :)

Keep in mind that while you may legally be an adult your body has not necessarily fully developed into that of a woman yet. For some reason when I was in high school I assumed that my body would stop growing/changing once high school was over but boy is that not the case. I'm 26 and even now I swear my boobs are slightly bigger now than a couple years ago. Keep in mind the road to becoming a woman will last well into your 20's and it's perfectly normal to stop being a teenage stick. I'm 5'6" 154 pounds and I look alright so you are still looking pretty damn good down there at 135.

When you are hording too much food try to envision that disgusting feeling you are going to get once you are way too full, that always makes me put the brakes on. and make a point to distract yourself from bored eating by filling your schedule up with things to do.

First of all, you are perfectly in range of healthy weight for your height. Everyone carries weight differently.

That being said, I don't think your choices in food are particularly great! lol Healthy weight range is one thing, but how you stay there is something completely different.

I work from home, so when I clock out for the day, I'm ACHING to get out of the house. and something that my Dad once told me when I was little has always motivated me to get out and get moving:

When my Mom and Dad split, my Dad bought a camper van with what little money he had left. He parked that thing at the beach, and he still lives in it today. (this was over a Decade ago) I remember visiting him at the beach, and I asked him (because my Mom was VERY well off) "Daddy, do you miss the big house, and the pool?" and he said to me:

"Bug" (my nickname) "Home is where you shower and sleep. If you spend more time in your house than that, you're missing the world" then he pointed at the ocean and said "who needs a pool?"

I think of this every time I'm feeling lazy. The world is passing me by while I'm sitting on my butt.

Good luck to you girl. And remember, You're missing the world!