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Private Notes
Valencia used to be life of the party and says that she could “drink any man under the table” until 2 events rocked her world – her father had a massive stroke that left him wheelchair bound, and she found God. She is bringing up 2 boisterous teenage boys with love and the occasional headlock. Valencia says that she thinks she is hot, but dreams of being hotter and shaking her awesome booty at a salsa club.
Nicole is at university studying criminology but she spent her entire youth training to be a professional dancer. Her lifelong dream disappeared overnight after she contracted West Nile Meningitis, which sent her into a depression and she turned to food for comfort. She misses dance terribly, but feels so self-conscious she won’t even take a hip-hop class with her cousin Stacey, a talented and slim dancer who insists that Nicole was always the star.
After winning a modeling contest at age 16, Jennifer spent 4 years strutting the catwalk and doing photo shoots. Her mom was thrilled to see her modeling but her dad wanted her to go to university. Torn between pleasing both parents, Jennifer made a decision to “get fat” so that modeling was no longer an option. Ten years on, Jennifer is still carrying the weight and her health is suffering.
For University student and breadwinner, Anthony, the day starts with drive-through. Then on the way home he picks it up for his wife Marichu and their 3 gorgeous daughters. He knows that at his size, he’ll never be taken seriously in the corporate world he hopes to join once he finishes his degree. He fears that his excess weight will kill him.
Marichu has lost weight before - but Anthony was unsupportive and said that he was worried she’d be promiscuous - so she gained it all back again. She has some serious food issues and is clueless when it comes to healthy eating.
Casey’s bad habits are causing him major health problems: he sleeps with breathing apparatus and he barely has the energy to keep up with his 5-year-old son, Dylan. He smokes, drinks copious amounts of alcohol and is clueless when it comes to healthy eating.
Everyone around him pushes food on him. His mother loves to feed him, cooking her infamous “chicken crackle”, which is chicken skin deep-fried until crispy like potato chips. His girlfriend Linda makes “the best” nachos, dripping with cheese, and poker nights with his friends always result in drinking way too much.
Sharla is a burned out single mother whose weight is making it harder and harder to take care of her daughter, Toni, who has cerebral palsy. Sharla struggles to lift Toni up and down stairs. If Sharla couldn't take care of Toni anymore, it would be the worst thing in the world for the whole family.
Ann-Marie is a stay-at-home mom, who hasn’t lost a pound since giving birth to her baby Sophie. Her weight gain has impacted her relationship with her husband, Robin, as she is too self-conscious to let him touch her. Because of this, the spontaneity has gone out of their relationship. Formally fit and active, with a passionate marriage, Ann-Marie feels like she has failed herself.
Since her mother died a year ago, Rae has been on a downward spiral. Rae can’t express her emotions, so she swallows them, bingeing instead of dealing with things, and withholding both physical and emotional intimacy from her husband, Ray. She can’t fit in to her motorcycle leathers and shows no interest in the road-trips with Ray that she used to love.
Nikki takes comfort in food, and loves starting the day off with a cream-filled chocolate donut. She works with teenage girls and has drawers stuffed full of sugary snacks at work, to share with them and eat alone.
After finding out that her fiancé, Erich, was unfaithful, Nikki has moved back in with her mom, Bonnie, and step-dad, Danny. There were abuse issues with Bonnie, which lead to Nikki “never feeling worthy of being a thin, happy person”. Danny has always been supportive and introduced Nikki to soccer as a child - a sport she’d love to play again, if only she were fit enough.
Amy is deeply embarrassed about her weight. She used to be slim, and is convinced that her husband was attracted to her because of that, despite his insistence that loves her just as she is. Being physical with her husband was always difficult due to Amy’s being sexually abused when she was younger, but now her weight has made her feel so unattractive that she doesn’t want to be intimate at all.
Rayna is worried that her and Gary are turning in to an old married couple, even though they’ve only been together 4 years. She misses going out dancing and clubbing, and would love to do it again, if only she didn’t feel “disgusting”. Gary would love to be able to wear a nice suit and take Rayna out on the town, but at his current size that isn’t going to happen. Right now, he spends his nights on the computer while she watches TV. They’ve grown apart as they’ve grown in size.
Nima is a brilliant cook, often making lavish East Indian meals and rich deserts for her appreciative husband Claude. She is a junk food addict and her love of candy, chips and cakes is a standing joke at work. Coupled with the fact that Nima does very little exercise, and pretty much collapses on the couch when she gets home from work, the weight has piled on.
No longer able to fit into her clothes without looking “lumpy”, Nima has decided it’s time to change. She has to turn her passion for food into a passion for fitness, so she sets a goal of running 10km for charity.
Jen’s stress levels are through the roof. Her 3 young boys from previous relationships are high energy, she suffers with depression and her marriage is at crisis point. She eats to feel good, because she knows that food will never reject her and gives instant gratification in her tough life.
Online however, it’s a different story. Jen plays the role of female warrior in a role playing game and would love to embody that in real life, she wants to be “a gorgeous, intelligent woman with a hot body”. She wants to take up capoeira to express her desired strength and agility.
