Curious -- When Did You Get Fat?

This is really a great question.  I have to say that I was always overweight (except at birth).  I was a "chunky" preschooler.  At the time my mom and me lived with my grandparents (parents separated before I was born) and my mom was sick with Crohn's and was in and out of the hospital until I was 10.  My grandparents and aunts (who lived at home) also helped in raising me.  It was a household full of invalidation of feelings.  Since I was a preschooler I remember being told (by grandmother and aunt) that I was too sensitive or "that's nothing to be upset about".  My grandmother was forever taking me with her to A & W or Kewpie for burgers and DQ for dilly bars.  Lots of family food functions.  I remember that by the time I was 6 I was binge eating.  I remember at 7 taking change from my mom's purse to hit up the convenient store on the way home from school (by then I was a latch key kid).  I remember just eating to eat.  I was aware of being "fat" in preschool, as kids picked on me.  When I was about 7 the neighbor kid told me that his dad (a MD) told him that I would be dead by the time I was 30 if I didn't lose weight.  Ironically, I wasn't even that overweight at the time.  That comment, however, stuck with me, and I didn't sleep the night before I turned 30, waiting for my heartattack to start.  
By 3/4th grade I was a bit more than chubby and then had to buy boys "husky" clothes, as I didn't fit into girls clothes.  By the time I was in 7th grade, my mom had remarried for the 5th time and I was obese.  I did manage to lose weight after 8th grade but the gradual build up occurred until I was about 210 at HS graduation.  By the time I graduated from college I was over 300.  I did go from 327 to 187 around 1990, but poor relationship choices resulted in more eating and I went back up to original weight.    Then over time I managed to hit 406 in fall of 2007. 

The closest I ever was to "normal" was the 6 months I was at 190 lbs.  I did aerobics x3/week and was wearing size 12 pants.   Amazing how many friends you have when you are more "normal" looking.  Otherwise,  I've always felt like a misfit.

-Dawn

I was 8.1lbs at birth.  I was a tall child and always solid.  I just gained all the way through.  The biggest mistake I ever made was going on my first diet, it was weight w...... and I was 14.  That started the yo,yo world of dieting and obesity that continued my whole life until I had the VSG a month ago. 

This post is fascinating and the comparisons are very interesting.

Anne

I was average sized until menarche, then at thirteen, began steadily gaining ten pounds a year until about 2 years ago. I was not shocked by my weight-- I come from a long line of morbidly obese people, dating back several generations before this current "obesity epidemic."

I was a preemie and had to wait almost 3 mos to come home from the hospital at just under 3lbs.

I also had a heart murmur, and back then (early 70's) the pediatrician told my parents not to let me get over-worked, over-heated or be too "physical" because of the murmur. So while other kids played ball or tag or whatever, I was usually under a tree with my nose in a book. My mom taught me to read and write before kindergarten. I was normal sized. I was allowed to ride my bike or rollerskate for 1/2  an hour a day.

My parents split when I was 10, and it was around this time I noticed family members pointing out my "baby fat", and saying I would grow out of it. Once I hit puberty at age 11, I was 5'2 and maybe 150 lbs...I was all curves. Boys, especially Older Boys, loved me. I wore a 34C bra in 5th grade. I loved the attention and I was very lucky that no one took "advantage of me"

I stayed with my grannie a lot, and my cousins and their parents, who all cooked alike. Gravy with Fried everything, biscuits at every meal, nothing without at least one stick of butter in it, Eggs, bacon/sausage, grits, toast with jam and OJ for breakfast, little debbies and tasty cakes in the pantry, and of course you have to have something sweet to complete the meal. My gran even put sugar in Jello and in canned fruit. She thought they were not sweet enough. My grandpap would drive me around to find the ice cream truck by following the music to buy me a sno-cone or a push-up or whatever I wanted. He frequently took me with him for limeades and grill cheeses at the Rexall in town. It was our little secret, because he was an insulin diabetic.

Gran was a big woman, 6'tall and around 275 in her prime, but she worked hard as a meat packer, and after she retired, she worked harder, in the yard, in the garden, planting, canning, freezing, taking care of me, my mom, my grandpap and my great grandfather. She'd tease me about my baby fat, and then feed me. Food in my family was a ritual and a reward for hard work. But since I wasn't allowed to exercise like other kids, the lbs piled on.

In high school I was definately over weight. I topped out at a measly 5'3, and weighed 190 lbs when I graduated. I had boyfriends tho. I look at those photos now and wish I was that size.
When My Father came to my graduation, and he too hates "Fat Girls", since my cap and gown were royal blue, he said I looked like an overgrown blueberry. Nevermind I had honors and a full scholarship for college.

Then instead of gaining the freshman 15 I gained the freshman 30. After my Granpap was diagnosed with parkisons disease and was put in the nursing home, I became very depressed, so I started on antidepressents, which most of cause weight gain. When I left college I was 200. My stepmother's first Christmas gift was a pair of weights and 3 exercise tapes..hint anyone?

I stayed that 200 for a few years. Somewhere in there I tried all kinds of diets, too many to list, and gained it all back and then some. When I got engaged at 29, I was 250 lbs. I've been married 5 years and in those 5 have put on another 100lbs, by "accepting" my body and eating (compulsively) anything money could buy. My hubby brought home bags of kisses and tootsie roll pops and ice cream sandwhiches as treats "Just For Me".

Then I saw my beloved gran sicken and die in pain and misery at 350 lbs of congestive heart failure. It was horrible. Of course I inherited all of her clothes. I thought about how active she was when I was little despite her weight. Even at 80 yrs old, she actually got around and had more energy than I did at 33. That's when I started looking into WLS. The rest as they say, will be history.

I was a preemie weighing in at 4lbs.6ozs. and really skinny till I was about 4. I remember shopping for school clothes at Lane Bryant when I was in the 6th grade, and wearing a 42 inch waist blue jeans in the eighth grade.

I had my tonsils and adnoids out at age 5 and that is when I started packing on the weight.  Prior to that I was a very thin child who had to be forced to eat.  I was also alot taller than other girls my age and I started developing very early (started wearing a bra in 3rd grade - I got to skip the training one - LOL!) and got "thicker".  I toped out in high school at 180 (after losing 30lbs before my senior year started).  I bounced around from 190 - 220 till I got pregnant with my son.  I was 225 when I got pregnant and by the time I delivered I was 305 (I was on bedrest from 25 weeks until delivery).  I lost some weight after having him but I developed PPD and then went on depo to control my periods and kept piling on the weight. 

I have seen normal size pictures of me, at about 4 years old.  By elementary school I was already 200 lbs.  I remember because my mom took me to the doctor and neither could believe it.  I have been dieting since I was born I think.  A child of a MO family.  My great grandmother had no name, we just called her Big Mama.  I grew up on my grand moms country attitude of good food, good family, good party.  Every good time I can remember I was surrounded by food.  I have 3 huge cousins, but fortunately for them they are all extremely tall and built like linebackers so it works for them.  For the women in our family the curse was not so nice.  My sister turned out better than me, she developed a borderline eating disorder and totally stopped eating anything fattening.  To this day, she will battle with a hamburger until there is nothing left of it to eat.  Then she will beat herself up about it for a couple of hours.  I so envy her.   I so much want to break this cycle for myself, and for my family.  My daughter is 18 and weighs 250 so I really fear that she will end up like me.  I tell her she is beautiful just the way she is tho, and if she want to feel healthier and better about herself I will help her in anyway possible.  i do that because my mom was alway making me diet and telling me I would be pretty if I lost weight.  I think a little of what I have become is in a way being defiant against my mom.  I am pretty even if I havent lost the weight.  Even if I am a million pounds, because God made me.  and God doesnt make ANY mistakes.   =)

Kix
what an interesting question.
I was 9.1 when i came into the world and really always alittle pudgy fat cheeks and all.
But when i started 1st grade i had to go to sears and get the chunky little girls clothes in 5th grade i weighed 169 and my teacher(big man) started talking to me about carbs.(huh)
Now i know what he was trying to tell me..In high school i went from 190 to 140 .But my senior year i partied alot and got up to 220 and then got pregnant was up to 270 and stayed that way til joey was 7 then when i married neil i was 295 and when i had andy its was320 and then came lucas i was 366 and in 08 iweighed 526..
I come from a heavy family we are irish and can my family eat..
We grew up with not alot of money so it was hamburger alot.
A meal was meatlof mashed pots , corn,mac n cheese and yeat rolls with no bake cookies and sweet tea.
Back then it was yummo now its what the hell was i thinking..lol
My grandmal died weighing 475 pounds.My cousins daughter is 11 and wears a 22 it  makes me cry because i see me...
I have 3 son none of them are small but my youngest is my biggest 10.6 a.t birth. So i have been fixing my meals and we are all eating that way.
I still think fat little babys are adorable,but now my heart breaks for the child woofing down the candy and fast food, i wonna save them from the torrment..I too got weighed in front of the class and got teased for weeks..