What do you think about when you see an obese person? Someone who weights nearly 500 pounds? Do you wonder, what got them there? Why can't they stop eating? Don't they know what they look like? Well believe me, in most cases, they know what they look like and it's painful.

"I viewed myself as this horrible monster and I just rather than doing something at that point, I let it down spiral," said Dawn Kineke.

Weighing close to 500 pounds, Dawn knew people judged her.

"Things bothered me but I was my worst critic. People would say things but nothing latched more than my own self destruction. You can't deny 469 pounds, there are comments here and there but nothing stuck to me as much as I hated myself within myself," Dawn said.

She was addicted to food.

“I literally ate any chance I could. Just when I was home the refrigerator was my best friend,” said Dawn.

Self hate prevented her from moving forward.

“The first day I met her, she was full of shame and self loathing. She held her head low could barely make eye contact," said psychotherapist Meghan Lemery.

"I had no self esteem. I hated myself. I knew I was a big girl but I just didn't care. To be honest with you, that is why I am on here, to be frank, I hated myself that much. It was just a downward spiral and a vicious cycle and just didn't know how to get out of it," Dawn said.

It was the two years of weekly counseling sessions that helped her lose almost three hundred pounds. Yes, she does exercise, walks up to eight miles a day and eats moderately, but it was learning how to love herself that was key.

"She had me really dig into doing this with my self esteem. I always felt not worthy enough. I always said, which I hardly say now is, 'I'm sorry.' I was sorry for me. I was sorry for being in the way. I was sorry for who I was and that is just a sad, sad situation," said Dawn.

One of the key components to Dawn's recovery was this feel good card. She kept it with her wherever she went. Some of the things she wrote on it was, 'I am cool, I am funny. I am beautiful.' It was this card that she pulled out sometimes 20 times in one day that helped her rebuild her self esteem.

"I take it out when I felt low. It's a temporary fix something and I keep it with me at all times," Dawn said.

Like everyone, she has ups and downs although she's very close to her goal weight, she doesn't have to wait 'til dusk for happiness, for this new Dawn, her day has come.

"I love my life. A lot of nice things have come out of my life because of this. I am the happiest I have been ever, ever. My kids are my biggest fans. I have a great family, a wonderful boyfriend. Things are great,” said Dawn

For motivation talks, call Dawn Kineke at (518) 232-0231