I thought I was done blogging about my experiences at the Binge Eating Disorder Association's national conference, but a line uttered during the panel I participated in keeps clanging around in my head:

"When I hit 700 pounds, my health started to go down hill."

It was said by Marybeth Quist, who shared her experience as a bariatric surgery survivor on the panel. Even in a sharply sad story where even the ups had downs, that statement of hers has just kept coming back.

She's about 300 pounds right now, after having gotten as low as 260 before steroids required for non-obesity-related ailments have pushed her weight back up. The story she told was replete with spiritual connection, and it was lovely meeting her, despite her story's painful points. She was the real deal.

So was her comment.