HARMONY, N.C. -- Chris Nethken spends 90 percent of his life in a bed in a room at his sister’s home in Harmony, North Carolina.

He is 31-years-old and weighs nearly 700 pounds, but it hasn’t always been this way.

“I know it’s all my fault; it’s all my doing. I have a thyroid condition, but it’s all me. I’m the one that’s putting all that food in my mouth,” said Nethken.

He said he’s always been big. He was 300 pounds when he graduated high school in 1994.

By 2001, he was working as truck driver and weighed in at 500 pounds. That’s when he really started to spiral downward.

“I could get around, climb up in the truck, walk around I had no problems. I lost my job and went into a very big depression. That’s when I first felt like I lost control of it. That’s when my weight made me feel disabled for the first time,” said Nethken.

Like many people, Nethken ate way too much as a way to cope with his depression. He gained weight and became even more depressed, a cycle that continues even now.

“I did well on a variety of weight loss programs for about two weeks, my will-power would hold strong. Then it would break, like a dam breaking and I would find myself gorging,” said Nethken.

Besides the litany of diets Nethken has tried, his doctors have also prescribed him an array of diet pills and put him on various exercise programs.

He did not stick with it and still has not shed the weight.

He was even a candidate for a form of gastric by-pass surgery, only to find out that he was actually too heavy for the procedure.

“The doctor told me I had to lose a hundred pounds before I could get the surgery. I tried and failed,” said Nethken.

“I can’t lose weight to get the surgery to lose more weight. It’s a catch 22. I feel trapped in my own body,” said Nethken.

So what is the point of this story?

Usually you only read about very heavy people after they have a tremendous weight loss, or they die and a crane has to be brought in to remove their body from their home.

This story has neither one of those endings, not yet.

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Click Here For To Watch The Video Interview With Chris Nethken And His Sister.

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Nethken wanted to go public and tell his story for two reasons.

First, he wants his story to be a cautionary tale for others.

“It’s just like anything in life, if you don’t pay attention and you go to extremes, it can happen to you,” said Nethken, “I never thought I’d get this big.”

Secondly, he is desperate. He feels like he’s exhausted his options and is looking for positive advice and support from anyone in the community who may be able to help him get his life back.

“I want to be able to be there when my nieces graduate. I want to have sons and daughters of my own. I want to have a wife. I want to have the American dream. I want to have what everybody else has. I just want to live. I need help to do it,” said Nethken.

According to the Centers for Despise Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a third of American adults are obese, that’s more than 72 million people with a body fat index of 30 percent or higher.

While Chris Nethken is an extreme case, he may not be alone as he says he feels.

Nethken welcomes positive advice and support. His email is atcj1@yahoo.com

For a video interview with Nethken and a slideshow, check the sidebar of this article.