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.
#1
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. :(.
Image credits: heresmytwopence
#2
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.
Image credits: Willing_Ad5005
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
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.
Image credits: bananakitty69
#4
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.
Image credits: Comfort_Not_Speed_50
#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.
Image credits: iiooiooi
#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.
Image credits: GSxHidden
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".
Image credits: No-Fishing5325
#8
Entering into a relationship with a fantastic cook.
Image credits: gigglesmcsdinosaur
#9
Working night shift. I lost access to decent food, and was pretty sedentary for a couple of years. It was pretty destructive.
Image credits: WhiskeyAM_CoffeePM
#10
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.
Image credits: linaspoon
#11
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.
Image credits: Distinct-Car-9124
#12
Eating stuff at night when I had a bad day.
But at least I am still alive.
Image credits: RandomOnlinePerson99
#13
Ironically my parents getting worried I was getting chunky as a kid and trying to make me lose weight.
Image credits: artemisdeathkiss
#14
Underestimating liquid calories and fiber.
Image credits: SpecialLoud7168
#15
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..” 🥴
Image credits: adrenalizeme6
#16
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.
Image credits: Fun-Calligrapher2363
#17
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.
Image credits: Hot_Fondant1823
#18
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.
#19
I tore a hamstring on a long run and had to shut it down for over a year.
Image credits: StevenSanders90210
#20
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.
Image credits: Dull_Stable2610
#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.
Image credits: MaMaJillianLeanna
#22
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.
Image credits: Legitimate-Pie-5218
#23
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.
Image credits: Gubble_Buppie
#24
Switching back from Coke Zero to regular coke due to the potential cancer risk of sweeteners.
Image credits: Karla_ray
#25
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! .
Image credits: RangeLongjumping412
#26
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.
Image credits: cartera92
#27
Unhappy relationship and no self-confidence, I thought nobody cared how I looked and started eating unhealthy comfort food.
Image credits: iIovefictionalmen
#28
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.
Image credits: Wise-Leopard-9589
#29
PCOS.
Gold_Statistician500: Same. I burn so few calories but I'm still just as hungry as a "normal" person. I just get to be hungry, all the time, to try to stay at a healthy weight. It is soul-crushing, honestly.
Image credits: you_sti
#30
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.
#31
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.
Image credits: kejiangmin
#32
3 surgeries in 2 years and multiple rounds of prednisone.
#33
Starving myself. Not the starving part, but what came after.
Image credits: Traycean
#34
Endometriosis, adenomyosis, degenerative disc disease, spinal arthritis….combine all that with 2 pilonidal cyst surgeries and infertility. My body is broken and my heart is broken from the infertility and realization that the dreams of having children were never going to happen…that’s why I gained weight. Life is a struggle but I’m still here, I just gave up on trying to eat healthy. I have to figure out a better coping mechanism and how to survive in a broken body. I have to find a way to hope.
#35
Miscarriages and IVF.
#36
Alcohol. Lots of it. For absolutely no reason. I had no idea how f*****g fat I got over the course of 3 years. My boyfriend was so unattracted to me but couldn’t tell me smh f**k alcohol.
#37
I had a stupid good metabolism into my late 20s. I had a physical job where I walked 15-20 km every day. Did that for 7 years. Somewhere in that span my metabolism went away, I got a desk job and gained 35 lbs in less than 3 months.
#38
Working from home and alcohol.
#39
Food, and coming from a family of fat people. Modern diet may be a bit to blame, butI have photos of my great and great great grandmothers too. They were... stout.
#40
Going to the gym.
I always had a hard time gaining weight, would also sit around 155-160lbs (71kg), while being 6' (183cm). I would fluctuate around there, sometimes more, sometimes less.
I started going to the gym regularly, eating right, and I'm now just under 200lbs (90kg).
However, gaining that weight has had its struggles because I'm naturally a smaller person. I was about 180lbs (81kg) when covid lockdowns began in my area, and I lost 20+ pounds or 10kg in a matter of months.
However, once gyms reopened, I gained all 20lbs (10kg) in 1 month.
I just have a bad habit or going to the gym for 3 month, then stopping for 3 months, then going again for 3 months... it's a bad cycle.
#41
Disabilities! I’ve done everything, eating right and exercising, seeing a GI doc and an RDN, getting labs drawn, semaglutide injections, EDs etc. you name it, I’ve done it. Nothing works. I’m stuck at one weight and have been for years!
#42
Trauma from childhood (verbal, physical abuse), which resulted in bad view about my body and lack of general care of mental and physical state, unhealthy relationship with food. It did take me years of slow weight gain, so much, I have not noticed it immediately. Then I got to my lowest point of depression and somehow admitted to my self and accepted the state.
Thankfully I am working on it now, but it is a work in progress which will take me years.
#43
Being put on insulin just before lockdown. There was no-one available to advise me on dosage etc, I was told to keep increasing the dose til my blood sugars were controlled. 5 stone and 6 months later, they realised I needed some support.
#44
Steroids - and the doctors lie, it doesn’t come off when you stop taking them.
#45
Autoimmune disease, not being able to walk for 5 months due to in infection in my left leg from said AI disease, Prednisone and depression dealing with all of it 😩.
#46
My ex boyfriend was into watching people eat which I was unaware of, we always ate together and always gave me more. Sick.
#47
Weed, beer and working at a burgerjoint.
#48
When I moved from a place where I could walk and take the bus everywhere to a place where the bus system is laughable and everything is miles away from everything else, I gained a bunch of weight because of having to drive everywhere. Severe depression also contributed.
#49
An addiction to sugar. Aversion to sports. Boredom between classes in college. And then lockdown.
#50
Break up and ex took everything and i ended up on parents couch
Leading to binge eating.
#51
Losing my mom and finding comfort in Talenti Layers and all ice cream. 🍨🍧🍦.
#52
Winter. I was riding my bike damn near every day, working out, and generally eating better. Winter hit and I stopped riding, lost motivation to work out, and spent that time eating instead. Still down a good deal from my weight when I started riding at least. Missing the bike though.
