My name is Cathy, and I am 61 years old. I have been overweight for over 43 years now. When I got married I was a lovely size 10. Then I got pregnant. At that point I still ate, as my mother-in-law said, like a bird. I was eating for two, she said. Being only 17, I listened to her, and it went from there.

I went from 100 pounds at 17 years of age to 168 pounds when our daughter was born nine months later. It went on from there. Three years later I was pregnant again and put on 30 more pounds, which I never lost. And then 14 months later our third child was born, and I had put on another 20 pounds.

I went to school after our youngest son (born prematurely) was able to go to a sitter's. I went to night school, and during the day looked after our home and watched the little ones. I would munch during the day. I made it through getting my high school diploma, as I was a drop out in grade nine. I also got my nursing diploma and several other diplomas as well.

When I graduated, I ended up working three jobs that first summer. That meant when I was home, meals were fast food—a lot of fries and hamburgers, nothing healthy. I tried all sorts of fad diets, as our oldest son told his wife, but none seemed to do the trick.

Fast forward to five years ago when I almost died. I had to have colostomy surgery to save my life. Because of that, I had to learn how to really eat, and not fast foods or the greasy stuff we were eating. So I am on a strict high protein, low carb diet. I walk two hours each day. Last year I was also using my stationary bike as well as a stair machine and worked in my gardens for an hour each day. I also went on my walks each morning.

I am not able to do all that stuff this year because of some surgery I had which has put strict limits for this year on what I can do. I head back for more surgery (crossing fingers they don't postpone it again) in September. Again, I cross my fingers that I will be able to go back to my routine in the spring because I find that I need to do all that to lose weight. Right now I either put on a couple of pounds or lose a couple, and for a while stay even.

This article was written by MyObesityTeam member Cathy as part of the Member Spotlight series. Cathy is married and “turns the world off for a bit” by cross stitching.

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