Diets & Weight Maintenance Support Group

Chat about how well your latest diet is -- or is not -- working. This group is a great place to find support and accountability as well as share success stories and valuable lessons with the community. From where to start to weekly weigh-ins, get help from others to reach your dieting and weight maintenance goals.

5,208 Members

11,416 Posts

1 Online

SophiasMom2010 01/08/2014

hey all. I've been struggling with depression for most of my life, and I'm starting to see the depth of the connection of my weight and my mental state. When I was young I was always skinny the biggest I got was 140, (I smoked a lot of pot to get there), but lost it easily.

When I was 16 I was drugged and raped at a party by some guys who dragged me back to their house and kept me there all night. After that I saw them around the neighborhood but I was too scared to even face them so I just hid in the house and smoked weed and ate. Within 2 years I was at 190, then my first baby was stillborn at 9 1/2 months when I was 19, needless to say I put on another 60 pounds in the 3 years since then.

I really think it all goes back to all the self hatred and self blame I had after I was raped and the subconscious punishment I put on myself after I lost my baby. I'm trying to work on it now but I feel like I need to work on all the skeletons in my closet before I can hope to lose weight.

Has anyone else experienced a significant weight gain after a trauma? And why do you think you gained it/ what can we all do to stop it?

deleted_user 01/08/2014

My weight gain was not induced by trauma, so I can't speak to your question first hand. Food can be a great comfort, so that may be a piece of it for you. What you said about punishing yourself makes lots of sense. I've often thought that sometimes people gain weight after a trauma to create a kind of physical protective armor for themselves, so maybe that is a piece of it.

I do think that it is worthwhile to work on the emotional/psychological part of overeating and weight gain, so anything you are doing towards that end is time well spent IMO. I'd encourage you to try to make some small changes towards being healthier at the same time. If you can accomplish one small change per week, you will feel better about yourself and see that losing weight and becoming physically healthier is doable.

Halterbroke 01/09/2014

I was also very thin until my early 20's. Never got above 140. Then I had some serious triggers - met my birth mother, scary stuff with an abusive ex I was afraid of, police, legal hassles all that. Eventually I had a complete mental breakdown. My weight gain began in earnest once I started taking psychiatric medication for that. I think I gained about 120 lbs in 10 years.

I learned terrible eating habits by being hungry all the time from those medications. Even though I am no longer on most of the heavy duty gainers I still struggle because I eat too much from learning that.

I'm getting better. It just takes time, I recommend a good therapist to talk to. Going to one helps me with my emotional eating a lot.

LivingWater 01/09/2014

First of all, let me express my compassion for what you have been through. God be with you and heal you from the inside out.

Regarding psychiatric medications, when I was young I gained terribly on Mellaril, an older anti-psychotic drug. The newer anti-psychotic drug I now take, Zyprexa, can have "significant weight gain" as a side effect. Fortunately my anti-depressant, Cymbalta, curbs my appetite. It's tough to lose weight at my age, which is 68, but I am doing it.

The anti-depressant, Wellbutrin, also helps some people lose weight. In fact, it's even sold on the street for weight loss. Sometimes a change of meds can eliminate the strong urge to eat.

Best wishes to you.

deleted_user 01/09/2014

I admire your courage for sharing.

Trauma, PTSD, loss...they all add to the cycling of eating...hard to get going...every little bit helps...I set a daily movement goal for rmyself...it is little something...perhaps connecting with a friend daily for support would be helpful.

allison34509 01/09/2014

I gained 80 pounds in high school while dealing with my parents divorce, anxiety and depression and an unhealthy romantic relationship. So I would say traumatic experiences definitely lead to weight gain. My condolences and I truly hope you can find happiness.

deleted_user 01/09/2014

I had gone thru a divorce lost my 'baby"" weight, and was doing great met my goal, met a guy I thought would care we divorced after 10 months, and that was me trying to keep it going... started loosing again, and then my son left, alot of stress, and my dau, just became a mess ,, a very long story.. I have gained 70 lbs, have now lost 20, but when stress hits again , i start climbing, My Dr states and I have read this that severe stress creates a hormonal imbalance. You will gain weight as its a body response to protect itself. I think its corticosteroids.. or in that category..

ThePepperMan 01/09/2014

I am so very sorry that you all have had bad life experiences, and the side effects of them.

I think that coming to terms with those experiences, and realizing that those experiences do NOT make you a bad person, is a huge help.

For being able to verbalize those things, I respect you all.

For surviving those things, I respect you all.

But most of all I respect you all because you have all started to do something about it!

Huge hugs to you all!

SophiasMom2010 01/10/2014

thank you all so much for the support. I saw a documentary the other day saying that there has been scientific proof of connection between life stresses and weight, something about the parts of the brain that are stimulated grow more, i.e. if you're stressed when young your stress response will grow and in that situation your body naturally puts on fat because it thinks you're in a famine. Also in psychology class we learned that 1/3 women who are sexually abused will become obese later in life... it just seems like a lot of unhealthy eating habits can be similar to other self-abuses, (I like that term better than substance abuse), like drugs or alcohol...

I really love the fact that you all could be open here.

Admiral1cu 01/11/2014

unwarranted stress, emotional blackmail. throw in towel. then I looked in mirrow and ran to computer and ordered walking shoes, walking out fits. Cleaned out my kitchen and junk stach areas.

My acct maybe deleted. Nice to have met n chated.

Join the Conversation