My weighty issue throughout the years

Like a lot of people, I have had an issue with weight since a child. The thing that is different with me, however, is it hasn't always been that I have been overweight. In fact, as a child, I was always underweight, and scrawny even though I was tall for my age.

The thing is when I grew it was up, not out. I went from a short scrawny kid into a tall scrawny kid. I was seriously skinny in high school. I grew to be 6'4" but I was rail thin, maybe 135 pounds if that. It wasn't that I didn't eat. I did, but I had a crazy metabolism.

I was teased a lot as a kid and in High School for being so thin. Kids can be really cruel to other kids. I was called every name you could think of for being tall and thin. It was brutal and affects me even to this day. I had very little confidence and trouble making friends.

When I got to college. I had changed for the good. I started going to parties. Discovered alcohol and beer, and ate a lot of pizza and junk food. I even started going to the gym and lifting weights. You would think I would have gained a lot of weight and bulked up but I really didn't do any of these things. I remained tall and slender in college. I still got teased a lot but maybe not as quite as much as in High School.

As a young adult after college, I was still really thin. I may have gained a little weight, but it wasn't very noticeable. My metabolism must have still been sky-high because I was still drinking beer and eating a lot of fast food and junk food that I bought from the grocery store. At this point, I was wondering if I would ever gain weight.

Around the time I turned 30 is when I finally started to gain a little weight and fill out. My weight gain wasn't anything rapid, but I was making new friends, going out more, drinking and eating more and going to the gym regularly, lifting weights. I think the weight gain during this period was actually a good thing as I began to gain some confidence as I began to fill out.

Throughout my 30's I continued to gain weight, but it was healthy weight gain and much needed. I never became overweight at this point, but the yearly weight gain of a few pounds each year started to add up. Even though I was exercising, eating somewhat healthy and kind of limiting my drinking, my metabolism was starting to slow. By my 40's I was over 200 lbs. I still looked kinda thin though because I was so tall.

Throughout my 40's and into my 50's I continued to gain weight each year. I am currently about 100 lbs more than I was in High School. I don't think I really look fat, but as far as what is indicated from my BMI, I am technically obese. I take medication for high blood pressure. Eating healthy and watching my alcohol intake is a constant struggle for me. I do like to walk daily when the weather is nice and try to go to the gym 3 times a week.

It is kind of hard to believe that I ended up worrying about my weight going too high as a middle-aged adult since I was such a skinny kid, teenager, and young adult. If I could go back and talk to my 18-year-old self I would say enjoy being skinny and the amazingly high metabolism while it last because it doesn't last forever. One day you are a young skinny kid and then one day you wake up, middle-aged and over-weight [sigh].