Mom Who Weighs 600 Pounds Explains How She Gained That Much Weight & How It Affects Her Kids
A recent health scare motivated her to change for herself and her children.
TikTok / Canva Pro A woman is bearing all of her secrets regarding her dramatic weight gain and what led her to that point.
Caitlin, a mother of two, turned to TikTok with a vulnerable glimpse into her weight gain and how it has impacted her life and her children.
Now, she is embarking on an inspiring journey prioritizing her health and wellness.
Caitlin offered a candid view of the life experiences that contributed to her 600lb weight.
“I take a lot of pride in being honest and real and raw during my lifestyle journey changes, so I'm going to tell you how I got this fat,” she shared in a video.
According to Caitlin, she has struggled with food addiction since childhood and would constantly be sneaking food after designated mealtimes. For her, food was a coping mechanism that got her through some of life’s greatest challenges, including growing up in a broken home and childhood traumas.
“I used food to cope and self-medicate,” Caitlin said, adding that she also fell into other addictions to numb her emotional pain, including drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, and shopping.
Still, she claimed that her food addiction is her greatest challenge.
“Food has been the one consistent thing in my life,” she said. “There is no other high for me like the high of being in a food coma.”
Caitlin is not alone in her struggle. Research shows that over 70 million adults in the U.S. are battling food addiction. Of these individuals, 50% are obese, 30% are overweight, and 20% are considered to be at a healthy weight despite being addicted to food.
Caitlin went to extraordinary measures to keep the severity of her food addiction a secret from her family, hiding and sneaking food and even driving out to nearby gas stations to binge on snacks and fast food and discarding all of the wrappers before heading home for dinner.
Caitlin attempted to lose weight numerous times, but that her desire to eat was a '[heck] of a lot greater' than her desire to change.
Last year, Caitlin’s weight skyrocketed. “I started 2023 at 500 pounds and ended 2023 at 598.2 pounds,” she shared.
She opened up about her discovery of the“feederism” community and how the fetish group contributed to her weight gain. According to Caitlin, feederism is a “kink community where they sexualize and fetishize eating.”
Caitlin confessed that men would “empty their bank accounts” just to feed her copious amounts of food and fulfill their own sexual desires. “The goal was to become immobile and I truly believed that’s what I was destined for,” she said.
At the end of 2023, Caitlin endured a major health scare that changed her perspective.
“I spent a week in the hospital battling sepsis and cellulitis and was days away from going septic and dying,” she explained.
Photo: KieferPix / Shutterstock
Caitlin’s experience ended up being a wake-up call. On January 1, like many other people, she kicked off the new year with a promise to herself that she would lose weight for her health and to improve the quality of her life and her children’s lives.
She has since removed herself from the feederism community and is focusing on healthier habits.
She is currently 60 pounds less than her heaviest recorded weight of 598 pounds. “For the first time in my life, I wanna live,” she said. “I want a better quality of life for myself but also for my kids.”
Caitlin confessed that her weight has negatively affected the lives of her 9 and 6-year-old sons.
While her love and care for 9-year-old Hunter and 6-year-old Paulie never faltered regardless of her health, Caitlin acknowledged that her weight gain over the years has made their lives more difficult.
“The heavier I got, the less functions we would attend, the less playdates we would schedule,” Caitlin said. “I found myself staying home a lot more, not meeting up with friends when they would go to the park, not meeting up with friends when they were going on hikes. I found myself making a lot of excuses.”
Since Caitlin struggled to leave the house due to her weight, her boys missed out on getting outside themselves.
As she gained even more weight, she depended on them more for help around the house.
“I needed my boys to help me with chores. I needed my kids to help me with daily living skills,” she candidly shared. “I like to think that I shielded my kids from my addiction. However, my boys are very smart, and they see what’s going on.”
Even during the worst of her struggles, Caitlin only provided her children with well-balanced diets so that they would not suffer the same relationship with food.
However, she never truly understood how her children were affected by her weight until one day, her 6-year-old son came up to her while she was lying down, put a hand on her belly, and reminded her to breathe. “In that moment, I realized that my kids are worried about me and worried about my health,” Caitlin said.
Having an overweight parent affects children more than we may perceive. According to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, a child with one obese parent has a 50% chance of becoming obese themselves.
Caitlin is sharing her story to help inspire others to prioritize their well-being.
In addition to incorporating more fruits, veggies, and protein in her diet Caitlin has cut out the frequency of her meals, as well as the secretive eating.
She has lost over 75 pounds since starting her weight loss journey and has since been approved for weight loss surgery.
Caitlin's story proves that positive change is always possible. By prioritizing her health and well-being, she is inspiring others and setting a positive example for her children.
We wish Cailin the best of luck on her road to wellness and hope that her journey motivates you to challenge yourself for the better.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.