Stress...I gained some weight in Middle School, but likely never reached Obese...I went on my first LF Diet after that and started High School at 168 pounds. I went off that diet and started trying to Graduate in 3 years [which I succeded in doing BTW.] I went from 168 to 290 in my last 2 years of HS. After HS, my weight levelled off at about 290 +/- 10 pounds. Then, in 2002...I lost a close family member to Hypertension/Diabetes and started packing the pounds on again. I gained another 30-40 pounds in the 8 months or so before I went on Atkins.