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“I made a promise to myself that I was going to take my life back,” Salem, Mass. native Caitlin Harrington says.

A New Hampshire woman who once weighed over 600 pounds cut more than half her body weight, documenting every step for hundreds of thousands of followers online. 

Caitlin Harrington, 35, a Salem, Massachusetts native and mother of two, now has more than 287,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares her weight loss journey. Harrington, who works with adults with intellectual disabilities, said her struggles with weight began early. 

“Even as young as elementary school, I was extremely overweight,” she told Boston.com. 

In 2019, at 599 pounds, Harrington began documenting her attempt to lose weight. Known as “599.to.damnshesfine” to her followers, Harrington lost around 130 pounds — but quickly gained it back, with an additional 100, she said. 

Her health and mental state continued to decline, she said. By the start of 2023, Harrington weighed around 500 pounds. Over the course of that year, she gained another 100. 

Harrington described that period as “dark” — becoming involved in feederism, a fetish community where she said men encouraged her to overeat. 

“I had reached a point with my mental health and my weight that I truly believed that I was too far gone to change and that it wasn’t possible for me to come back from 600 pounds,” she said. 

Every task became increasingly difficult. At one point, she said, her car’s steering wheel pressed painfully into her stomach, aggravating an existing scar. 

That scar led to a turning point: Around Christmas 2023, Harrington was hospitalized with an infection from the scar that developed into cellulitis and sepsis. 

“I was fighting for my life in the hospital,” she said. “I was days away from going septic.” 

During her hospital stay, a nurse encouraged her to reconsider her future and helped her see that her life could be changed. 

And that moment stuck with Harrington, she said. 

“I made a promise to myself that I was going to take my life back,” she added. 

From Jan. 1 to April 22, 2024, Harrington lost 79 pounds by tracking her macronutrients, improving her diet, and increasing physical activity. In September 2024, Harrington underwent gastric sleeve surgery. Since then, she has lost more than 300 pounds in total. 

She now regularly shares meals, workouts, and updates with her followers, aiming to promote healthier habits. Her life has changed “drastically,” Harrington said. 

“At 600 pounds, I could not be the active mother that my kids deserved, and today I feel like my kids have that mom,” she said. “I have been able to prove by example to my children that you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to.”

Harrington said her online community has played a major role in keeping her motivated. 

“I am just surrounded by love and support and encouragement,” she said. “I’m told on a daily basis of the lives that I’m impacting and how inspirational I am.” 

Not all the attention is positive, however. 

Harrington said she has faced online criticism, including a “hate page” on Reddit — but she tries not to let it deter her. 

“If one person messages me and tells me that I’ve inspired them, or I’ve motivated them, or I’m the reason that they chose to eat breakfast today, or I’m the reason they chose to get outside and go for a walk, that makes it worth it to me,” she said.

“I truly believe that I’ve made a difference in this world by being so open and inspiring and motivating to people,” Harrington added. 

Looking ahead, Harrington hopes to continue losing weight, with a goal of dropping below 200 pounds by next year. 

“By next year, I will be healing in a body that represents all the hard work that I have put in,” she said. 

Her next step is surgery to remove excess skin, which she said is necessary for both her physical mobility and mental health. She has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs. 

“Having these surgeries is going to increase my mobility. It’s going to allow me to hit even further goals,” she said. “The people that are donating to my fund for surgery are literally going to be changing my life.” 

Even after losing more than half her size, Harrington said the transformation goes beyond the number on the scale. 

“The biggest takeaway is I want to live today,” she said. “I didn’t think this life was possible. I never thought that I would be able to say I’ve lost the equivalent of two grown men.” 

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