Cate Laughlan doesn't remember a time in her life when she wasn't conscious of the fact that she was bigger than she should be. She started gaining weight in grade school in Ransomville, New York, where she grew up as the youngest of three children. She reached her heaviest weight when she started working and going to college, where in just two years, she earned a four-year bachelor's degree in human resource management with a focus in leadership. She was also diagnosed at that time with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (POS). From her highest weight of 265 pounds, she lost almost 30 pounds on her own, but felt she needed help to finish her journey. Now 28 years old and 237 pounds, Cate says, "I am lost, literally, in all that I have become with my weight gain. I'm under here somewhere, underneath all of these pounds that weigh not only on my body, but emotionally on my heart as well." A turning point for Cate was when her feet and legs became swollen just walking into her office building, and she learned from her doctor that because of her weight, her heart wasn't strong enough to pump the fluid out of her lower extremities. Now Cate is ready to take control of her health and lose weight so she can date, buy clothes off the rack, kayak, ride a bike, dance and run with her brother, who competes in marathons.