Imagine being obese your whole life. When people see my baby pictures, they often say, “You were chunky even then,” and laugh. Do they know, understand or realize the power of their words? Do they know that after 31 years of laughs, taunts and physical attacks, you no longer have the will to live? That was me: a once strong and happy girl reduced to a recluse.
Although I struggled with my weight growing up, I didn’t let it stop me from pursuing my passions until my early 20s. Once a promising singer, I gave up my dream when a college professor dismissed me because I didn’t have “the look.” Classmates and strangers laughed at and taunted me. Then, when I was 24, an acquaintance assaulted me, and my world was sent into a tailspin. For years, I struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide. I was lost and lonely, and food was my only comfort.
As my weight soared to more than 500 pounds, I was afraid to leave the house, unable to drive a car, and barely able to take care of myself.
I was 31 years old and felt my life was over. I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea and severe edema — my legs were the size of my thighs all the way down. I knew I was going to die young; I was resigned to that. But then my grandfather, who was very ill, held my hand and told me he loved me and was proud of me. It was as though he knew how lost I was, and in that moment, something just clicked. I thought, “What am I doing? I don’t want to die.” That was the year, 2008, that I decided to make a real change.
I went home that night, got down on my knees (which was hard to do) and prayed for my burdens to be lifted, for the ability to forgive those who had hurt me, and for the courage to reclaim my life. The next morning, I felt strong.
One Day at a Time
Under the guidance of a doctor, I began a new eating regimen. Instead of Mexican food, fast food and endless refined carbs, I ate strawberries and blueberries, cottage cheese, and simple skillet meals of lean ground turkey, onions, mushrooms and greens.
It was incredibly hard. I cried. I got mad. But I stuck with it, and the changes I began to see were exciting. Within a month, I began craving healthy meals more than ice cream and French fries. I realized that I had been using food not as nourishment, but as a tool to fill a hurt, empty place deep in my soul.
I also started walking almost every day, even if it was just 10 minutes, and even if I was gasping for breath. It may seem crazy that I didn’t slip up, but when you fear dying, it’s amazing how strong you can be: By the end of the first year, I had lost 180 pounds.
I had changed my body, but also my relationships and everyday life. I had support from my family and friends, who were celebrating every milestone with me. And I was adding activities that I once only dreamed about, like tennis and yoga. Every day, I focused on doing a little bit more than the day before.
I was disciplined, but I was also so grateful to be alive. Instead of looking down at the ground, as I had for years, I began to look up. I began noticing the small and beautiful things around me, like the family of egrets that lived in my neighborhood. I began to appreciate the new things that my body was strong and healthy enough to do. And I kept at it.
By the two-year mark, I had lost more than 300 pounds. I was running, swimming and cycling, and maintaining a healthy diet of lean proteins, healthy carbs, and fruits and veggies. You might think that I would feel better than ever, but I was starting to have increasing worries about failing. Emotional issues that I had tucked away — buried with food — were resurfacing. I never wanted to go back to the place I was before, so I was running myself ragged with exercise. I felt I was losing control of my life again, but this time in a different way.
The Right Kind of Support
That was when I joined Life Time Fitness in Austin, Texas, and met personal trainer Ray Tindol. He listened to my story with amazement, and understood that I needed someone who could challenge me to achieve my best, but also listen to my fears and continuing struggles. I needed someone who could help me get not only to the next level of fitness, but also the next level of my life.
Although I had been working out for two years, I still had gaps. I hardly had any balance, and my strength wasn’t where it needed to be. So Ray focused our sessions on resistance training and building core strength.
Once unable to use any weight, I can now leg press close to 300 pounds, perform walking lunges with weights and do plank pushups on the BOSU balance trainer. I continue to meet with Ray three days a week, dividing the time between upper- and lower-body exercises on machines and high-intensity plyometrics. On “off” days, I swim or do other cardio work. I am so grateful for Ray’s guidance, but even more than that, I am thankful that he has been a sounding board for me. On the days I just need to talk, he always listens.
At 5 feet 8 inches tall, I currently weigh 211 pounds. It’s wonderful, but I have more to do. I plan to have surgery to remove the 35 pounds of skin that remain after losing so much weight so quickly. I want to compete in a triathlon. And I want to begin speaking to others who are like I once was.
When you’re extremely obese, it can be hard for others to understand where you’re coming from. In some ways, the world stops recognizing you as a person. When I took that first step, my friends and family were there for me. When I needed help getting past an emotional and physical plateau, I found a personal trainer who listened. As hard as this struggle has been, I have learned one thing: Don’t give up. You’re never alone.
Hattie, I am 64 years old and have struggled with weight all my life. Your story made me cry but yet gave me encouragement to keep up a healthly lifestyle. I can just say “you go girl!”. You should definitely consider a career in motivational speaking. You are amazing.
Hattie – you are a true inspiration! Your story is amazing and I wish nothing but continued sucess, health, happiness and love for you. Thank you for sharing your story!
Maureen,
Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to share my story; the crew at Experience Life is amazing! I’m honored that so many people have a chance to read about my journey and see that it’s never to late to make a change. Thank you again and have a wonderful day
Great article! Thanks for sharing your story and giving encouragement to those of us who struggle with weight issues. You are a true hero!
Angelica,
What a wonderful name first of all! Thank you for reading my story. The struggle with weight is such a hard one to deal with. I’m so proud that I can encourage others to keep trying and never give up. It’s so amazing to really live again!
Hattie
Hattie, thank you for sharing your story of struggle and determination. You should be incredibly proud of yourself for having accomplished what so very few have accomplished. The amount of time, energy, and determination it must have taken to lose the weight is truly awe-inspiring. I fully intend to use your story in my practice to inspire my patients in similar situations. Good luck on your continued journey.
Dina,
You are so wonderful!! Thank you for always being so kind and welcoming. I would be honored to have you share my story with your patients. If I can continue my journey and help others join in with me, I will feel complete! I’m so excited to see the continued progress and changes!
Hattie
Hattie! You are such an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Hey Michelle,
It has been such a joy to talk with you and share my tips with you. You are an amazing person and I know that you will do great things! Keep up the great work and I look forward to our continued email chats!
Hattie
Great article! So proud of you Hattie! Keep up the good work!
Love,
Dominic
Thank you Dominic. You have been such a wonderful part of my life. I am truly blessed and lucky to be a part of your family.
Lots of love,
Hattie
Hattie, we haven’t met but I know your dad. He told me about your success, and after reading this article, I understand just how much you have accomplished! You have inspired me to get more active and eat better, and most importantly to not give up on the things I wish to accomplish. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Tamara,
Thank you for your comment. We all hold an amazing power within us. Once you tap into that, you can truly accomplish anything you want, whether it’s losing weight, moving, changing a job. Anything is possible as long as we have the courage and determination to make it happen. Oh yes, and releasing your inner 5 year old is key. Remember when you were 5 and just seeing a butterfly would make your day? Finding that simple joy everyday is really a wonderful thing to experience. I am so thankful for each day I have.
Hattie
Hattie,
What an awesome story of determination! Congratulations on your great accomplishment. It is always so good to see you. You look fabulous! What an inspiration you are!
God bless you.
Love,
Your Stepmother Delina’s sister,
Edna
Hey Edna,
Thank you so much. Your family has been such a joy to know and be around. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family in my life. The support and encouragment means more to me than people know. I feel my light shining again and it’s amazing!
Lot’s of love,
Hattie
I have known Hattie and Linda since this journey began. The amount of willpower and determination Hattie has demonstrated is beyond that of any other person I have ever known. I believe that this lovely woman can accomplish anything she wants! My hat’s off to you, girl!
Marika,
You and your family have been an amazing gift and blessing to Mom and I. I am so proud to know you! I remember meeting you and Tom on the trail and how lost I felt even then. Your kindness and unconditional love made this journey so much easier. People don’t realize how simple kindness can turn someone away from darkness. I will always have a special place in my heart for my Burton’s! Thank you.
All my love,
Hattie
Wow! Just another reason why I need to renew my subscription – because of stories like yours, Hattie, which show just how much we can accomplish, how much strength we all really have.
Do you keep a blog on your current progress? I’d love to read on how you’re doing.
Thanks so much for sharing – and keep up the amazing work!
Marcela,
Thank you so much! I’m very proud and honored to be able to share. I’m currently keeping a journal of my continuing progress and am in the process of getting a webiste and blog set-up. My email is hattiemarie@yahoo.com Please feel free to contact me so that I can keep you posted! Next month I’m going to participate in my local Lifetime’s indoor Triatholon and have already started researching some local 5k’s I can participate in. I’m so excited to be living for the first time in a long time. I’m truly humbled by the wonderful response from people like you. Thank you
Hattie
Hattie,
your story is truly inspirational. Not only that, but it really shows your strength and courage.
I knew, in high school, that you were a determined person who would work hard for whatever you wanted but had no clue as to just how much until reconnecting on facebook and now reading your story. I wish I had half of the determination you have shown. It sounds like you relied on God for help and he definitely provided you with the right people and inner motivation you needed.
I’ve shared your story with my family and my mom wanted me to pass along her congratulations as well.
You and your whole family are such awesome people. I was sorry to hear that your 20′s were filled with such pain but I’m equally as happy to know that your 30′s and beyond will be filled with a beautiful new life.
Love,
Shelly
PS. Keep singing!
Shelly,
Thank you so much! High school was the last time my light was this bright! I had wonderful friends like you then and now have been blessed again with many new friends and reconnecting with lots of new friends. My 20′s were hard and painful. There were times I didn’t know if I could make it and yes I eventually did give up. Thank goodness God didn’t give up on me. You too have that beautiful light within you and are such an amazing, strong person. I feel blessed to know you! Give my love to your Mom and yes look out 30′s and beyond….it’s gonna be awesome!
I can’t wait to sing again
Lots of love,
Hattie
I have read Hattie’s article and must say that she together with her Doctor, God and her family saved her own life. As her Dad, I watched her continue to go further down the depression lane and continue to gain weight. We reached out to Shawn Mollica PA to ask for help. Shawn begin to work with Hattie and added encourgement to her as well as the support from her family. The truth is that Hattie did it own her own with determination and the will to walk away from the past and to save her life. Her soul searching and asking for God to help her and give her the strength and courage to fight the battle proved to be a blessing.
It was not easy but Hattie is living proof that it can be done and can be done naturally without a lot of medical intervention. Hattie truly is a blessing to our family, to her Grandparents who look down on her daily as her guardian angels. The fact that she can sit in the picture with her dog is in itself a miracle. She can breathe, and is back to full life.
Hattie, I am so very proud of you and to know that you are an example that all of us need to know and appreciate. I spread the good news of your life with all my friends, and people that I work with. So many people have read your article and have expressed their joy and marvel at your life accomplishment. I receive weekly comments from these and other people with expressions of joy, and how inspired they are with your story. Many have expressed that your story has inspired them. I am so very proud of you and so gald to have you as my daughter. You are an inspiration to me in my life. Delina and I are so very proud of you. May God bless and protect you. I look forward seeing you continue your journey.
Love you
Dad
Thank you Dad! I truly have been blessed with a second chance at life. How many people get that opportunity? I am determined to take my success and pay that forward to help/inspire anyone out there who feels lost and helpless. We are all gifts of god and deserve to live a happy and healthy life! Thank you for all the love, support and encouragement. I am indeed lucky to have a wonderful family.
Love you,
Hattie
Thank you so much for your story. Not only will it help me but I will share it with others. Congratulations!!
Thank you Gwen, it’s truly an honor to be able to share!
I’ve known Hattie and her mother, Linda, socially for a little over 2 years. I remember how excited Linda was to show off Hattie’s before and after pictures. This all happening before I’d had the chance to meet her myself. And then I go back to meeting Hattie for the first time when she came to my (and her mothers) work to get keys I believe, I knew I’d love her instantly. She’s such a beautiful person! Hattie has been responsible for MANY of my memorable moments. She is hands down one of the most lovely and inspirational human beings left! I love you Hattie, You’re FABULOUS darling!!!! Miss You!!
Jonathan,
You are such a doll!! I too remember meeting you the first time and it was all fun after that! Thank you for being so kind and loving to me everytime we see each other. I have been given faith in people again and that’s a wonderful gift after spending so many years alone and afraid! Time for another night of fun
Love and hugs,
Hattie
It has been such a wonderful gift to have Hattie in my life these past couple of years. I have never known anyone more determined to create a better life for themself. Her selflessness and caring attitude make it a joy to know her. And watching her come out of her shell a little more everyday is so great to see. Thank you Hattie for letting me get a glimpse of what this journey has done for you. You are an inspiration to everyone.
Marissa,
What a joy it has been to know you and call you friend. You have pushed me hard to be the person I deserve to be and have helped me break out of my shell! I can’t put into words what your friendship means to me or thank you enough for all that you’ve done. I’m so grateful to have you in my life making it brighter everyday!
Hattie
I’ve know Hattie’s mom for many years and first met Hattie when she was about 14 or 15. When Linda wrote to tell me about how much weight Hattie had lost, my question was “which kind of surgery did she have’? I couldn’t imagine the amount of determination and perserverence it would take to lose that on her own!
Congratulations Hattie! You are an inspiration to the rest of us with your “can do spirit”.
Peggy
Thank you Peggy! There is this incredible power within all of us and once you find it, there is no stopping you! Again, I am so thankful and blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.
Hattie
I have had the pleasure of knowing Hattie for the past two years. Her story is amazing! There is so much we can all learn from her positive “CAN DO” attitude. She is an inspiration and she truly wants to help others live their best life. Her courage is applauded!
Hattie is the perfect example of my very favorite saying….”When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change”.
You go girl!!
Thank you Linda for being such a great friend and supporter! That too is my favorite saying and an amazing way to take on life. I’m so excited to live everyday
You have demonstrated phenomenal determination, will power, focus, and desire to empower yourself, with your passion to release the person you wanted to be from the body your were hiding in.
I’ve been looking at blogs about extreme weight loss successes and have found that it seems that they have limited support. Knowing how much you want to share your success with the world and make that your life focus, I find this disappointing. It should be a big deal, but it apparently pulls people from the “now” to “before” and it is almost impossible to imagine, even with pictures, the shear magnitude of the accomplishment.
As you remember and see with others who are extremely over weight, until one embraces and acknowledges the truth, denial will reign.
You have taken on a formidable challenge and met it head on.
I think the credibility comes from the wonderful person you have always been.
I thank God everyday that I have another opportunity to see the world and share the bit of wisdom I have. Having a family who will stand behind you no matter what is a gift I will always be grateful that I have. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. I only wish that grandmother and granddaddy were here to share all of this with me, even though I know they are watching now! Thank you for making childhood special and taking care of me as an adult when I couldn’t. I love you Mom!
Hattie
I do not know Hattie personally, but I do know her mother Linda and have for over 3 years. I heard about and periodically saw Hattie when she would come into the clinic where we work or at friends gatherings and every time she had lost more and more weight. I think this is something special. We need people like Hattie to prove to us that we can all do it! Thanks Hattie!
Courtney,
It has been such a joy getting to know all of you and sharing my journey each time I come into the clinic. All of the well-wishing, even from people who don’t know me directly, has made my life so much better. To believe in yourself is so much easier when you know you have an amazing amount of people believing in you!!
Hattie
I know Hattie and was around her before she lost her weight. I had just lost about 117 lbs but I did it through digestive by-pass surgery. I didn’t have the courage to do it the way she did. I know the way Hattie did this was so much more healthy than the way I did it and I take my hat off to her.
At one time it seemed as if she had decided that being heavy was just the way she was, and so what. But she decided she was the beautiful young woman we all knew she was. Isn’t is something? Attitude makes all the difference. Hattie, you give us all hope.
Jacquie,
Thank you! Your kindness and support along with so many others made this journey possible. Believing in the power we all hold can help us do amazing things. I am truly blessed to be alive and promise to live each day helping others to see their true beauty and worth. I’m so lucky and honored to be able to pass along my story with the help of Experience Life Magazine. What a wonderful group of people!
Hattie
Hattie,I cried as I read your story. I struggled with my weight all my life. Thank you for being so brave. I pray for you each day. I am thankful to know that I can get to know you as you are my neice. I am your Dads sister. I am so thankful that God brought our lives together. May you know that many people so admire you for your strenth and courage.Keep up the great work–Love to you