What one piece of advice about weight or bariatric surgery would you give to your younger self?

If I could go back, I'd tell younger Cathy to listen to her mother when she told her to lose the weight before she was 30. That her skin would bounce back better and she would be healthier. I'd also tell her that if she didn't listen, she risked wasting the majority of her life in a love affair with food, that would only end up causing her endless emotional and physical pain, destroying her body and causing her no end of problems.

I'd also tell her that if she got another chance at age 47, to take it then instead of waiting another 10 years. Ahhh...as my mom also taught me, hindsight is 20/20.

If I could go back and have a conversation with myself it would go something like this...

Wear sunscreen. Start using wrinkle cream now. You'll be glad you did.

Everything else is jus****er under the bridges that you keep intact, instead of burning. You're too strong to burn bridges.