JenE
I have been overweight most of my life, to some degree or another. It wasn't until I was 19, however, that my weight seemed to take on a life of its own. I went from 165 lbs to 300 in just under 4 years, and have stayed around 325 for the past 2 years. My weight may have stopped ballooning, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still grossly overweight for my height, and only SOME of it can be attributed to my build.
I have always had a stocky build. Even when I was a small child people were surprised by how dense my bones were when they'd pick me up. When I was a teenager, I put on weight, but it wasn't an unhealthy amount. I was always tall for my age, and developed early. Because of this, when I was 13 (and should have been a beanpole), I had the curves of a 21 year old. I can look back on it now and wish I hadn't listened to my classmates, but at the time I was a "freak" because I wasn't skinny.
My eating habits didn't change when I became an adult, but they weren't that terrible to begin with. My biggest downfall has always been breads (mostly pasta). Developing an ulcer at the age of 14 meant that I gravitated toward carbs anyway, as they helped "ease" the pain. I never had a sweet-tooth, but I know now that the complex carbs and sugars in bread is just as bad as (if not worse than) chocolate. As it is now, I consume approximately 1000 - 1400 calories a day, which seems to be maintaining my weight.
I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of years ago, and an entire world of answers suddenly opened up to me. Now I know why it is I put on weight by LOOKING at food, and why I have such trouble taking it off. I also understand the hormone imbalance that gives me facial hair and acne. It's not the be-all and end-all answer to my health problems, but it certainly explains a lot of the anomalies.
I am still tweaking diets and exercise regimes, in hopes that I can find something that works. As it stands, however, I have tried most major diets on the market (I flat-out refuse to try Atkins), and none of them have worked. Surgery is looking more and more like the answer to my out of control weight, and the beginning of a new and healthier life.
