How in the world did I do this to myself?

I am fairly new to CC and using this website and its forums have made me come to a very crazy realization. I am currently on a 16-1800 cal intake. I have always been lightly active, walking and such..nothing too hardcore. My burn meter says that I burn about 2400 calories a day without any extra exercise.

So I have stocked my cabinets with healthy food that I enjoy eating everyday. I love the food and I always find myself well satisfied.

But to be honest, most of the time I am so satisfied I couldn't eat anything else if I tried.

How in the world did I get this way calorie wise? If I am full off of 1800 calories a day and my burn is 2400..how did I do this to myself?

Looking back I guess I just wasn't that aware of what I had been eating. I have put on about 45 extra pounds!! Thats 157,500 calories total ADDED to what my body needed to sustain itself. What the hell was I doing?

I guess it was a very gradual thing but this site has really helped me see what I was doing to myself. I am very grateful.

Startling realization isn't it?  I found that to be the defining moment in my own weight loss quest.  Admitting that you have issues is the hardest part.  Everything after that is a piece of cake!  Good luck with your goals!

The funny thing about it is that I dont even remember most of the food that got me here!!! It must have not been that good..lol. I do remember the Ledo's and TGIFridays tho..lmao.

When you start counting calories, you start making better choices - when you know you are going to have to log something, you realize you don't need or want a second scoop of ice cream (or maybe even the first scoop).

Thinking back, I remember how much pizza and Chinese and wings I used to eat - and I thought I was being healthy! It's really easy to eat more than you burn when it comes in the form of sweet and sour chicken.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

When you start counting calories, you start making better choices - when you know you are going to have to log something, you realize you don't need or want a second scoop of ice cream (or maybe even the first scoop).

Thinking back, I remember how much pizza and Chinese and wings I used to eat - and I thought I was being healthy! It's really easy to eat more than you burn when it comes in the form of sweet and sour chicken.

 lol That makes sense. I never really checked to see how many calories were in the food I was eating..and if I did I must have not cared..lol.

I'm in the same boat as you and I too was asking myself "How did I get this way" today.

After doing all the calcuations on this site and having it tell me roughly what amount of calories I should be taking in, I was appauled to think how badly I was breaking those numbers every day. 

Hopefully I can keep up the calorie counting and hope I don't lose interest in it like I seem to do everything else diet related.  However trying on clothing at The Gap a few days ago and feeling disgusted with myself was a big motivator that this is gonna be the time.

Good luck to you and you're not alone out there!

Thanks everyone for your responses..lol. I don't mean to sound so self loathing. I am usually quite a happy person. Just when I did the math I was like ..wha!!..lol.

I wonder the same thing. I am supposed to be getting 1200 cal. right now, and honestly some days I only manage 1000. I think my biggest problem was the Pepsi. I seriously would drink about 7 cans of Pepsi a day, that's 1.050 calories! I still give myself the occasional glass of Pepsi, but maybe once a week.

the difference between overweight/obese and healthy also schocked me, without excersice the difference in what i can eat now at 15 kilo's above my goal and my goal weight is only 200 cals a day

I think CC makes you face up to the home truths. If you are logging your calories you soon realise how much or how little you are eating.

For me it was due to the large portion sizes and the sedentary lifestyle that did it. I love food and I wasn't just scoffing junk food but all kinds of food. Unfortunately it was clearly far more then I needed to have. If I think back I'm sure I was consistently eating around 3000 calories or more a day.

I do think about this question and I know how I got into this mess. For a long while I was asking myself - How do I get out of this mess?

Unfortunately I was after a quick fix. Like many people I speak to these days, I wanted to just shed the weight without much effort. I get asked about how long it took to lose the weight. When I tell them it took me this long and I'm still going, they often say that they couldn't do it. There is no quick solution that is healthy or sustainable.

How do you get out of this mess? The answer is simple. Eat healthy and get more active.

To lose: Calories in < Calories out

To keep: Calories in = Calories out

To gain: Calories in > Calories out

Think of it as a change in lifestyle and not as a diet (which often makes people think its a short term thing).

The next question for me is - Why did it take so long to realise this? The mental changes seem to be more important then the physical. At least thats the way it seems to me.

For me I was 190, working out all the time, in good shape when I fell off the wagon so to speak. I just started eating way too large of portions and too many fried, greasy, fatty foods. When I got to 205 after not weighing myself in 7 months I thought that was not too bad considering the way I was eating. A few months later I was at 210 and was going to do something about it but it only lasted a week. When I hit 216 that was the final straw. I was shocked I had gained 26 pounds!!!

I am sure the majority of us have been in the same boat, just not realizing what we are doing or in my case pretty much just ignoring it. I am well on my way and am over halfway to getting back to that 190 mark. Once I get there I will decide if I want to go further. I have worked out with weights for the better part of 6 years so I am pretty solid and muscular so getting down to what I should be for my BMI (174) may be a stretch.

Original Post by stoogesfan:

I wonder the same thing. I am supposed to be getting 1200 cal. right now, and honestly some days I only manage 1000. I think my biggest problem was the Pepsi. I seriously would drink about 7 cans of Pepsi a day, that's 1.050 calories! I still give myself the occasional glass of Pepsi, but maybe once a week.

1000 is not enough. your behaviour is hazardous. do you want your hair falling out?