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Private Notes
Everyone always tells Gaia how beautiful she is, especially her husband, but she just can’t see it. Even as a kid, Gaia was always been bigger than average. With her Icelandic and South American heritage she has always looked different, so she turned to counter-culture where her looks would be greeted with open arms.
Working as a patrol supervisor overseeing work crews, means that Kristi is surrounded by men, who make cracks about her huge butt. That may sound mean, but then they’re just following her self-deprecating lead. She lives a solitary life in a small town. In truth Kristi wants so much more than this, but feels like her weight situation is spiraling out of control.
As a Mormon, Debbi believes that her job is to bring more spirits down from heaven. So when her husband Chris had a vasectomy after baby number 3, she was devastated. She wants to be the trophy wife Chris desires, but is heartbroken over the vasectomy, which only adds to her struggle.
Chris has struggled with some serious health issues, including surgery to remove low-grade cancer from his leg, that have left him reliant on a cocktail of pills to get him through the day. His sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits have led to significant weight gain, and by the time he gets home from work, he is too exhausted to be fully present for his family.
By day Kristen works as an administrator, but at night she fronts a country rock band. Over the past 2 years, Kristin has gained 60 pounds. Her excess weight means that she’s out of breath by the end of every song and gives a much less energetic performance than she used to. Plus, being overweight has knocked her confidence to the degree that she’s worried that soon she won’t want to go on stage and perform at all.
At work Melanie cares for clients with developmental disabilities, then comes home to look after her 13-year-old son Matthew, who has been diagnosed with ADHD. Her marriage to Rick is rocky, which increases her stress level.
Being so busy means that Melanie never eats until she is famished, then she devours whatever she can find. Her situation leaves her too tightly wound to sit down to dinner with her family, so instead she relies on high-calorie snacks and late night leftovers.
Nicola and Laurelle live together and for years have been enabling each other to gain weight with regular “pig out sessions” and nights sitting in front of the TV. Now the girls are moving out and moving on: Nicola is moving in with her fiancé and Laurelle with her boyfriend. It will be a seismic shift for these girls. Nicola says that last time they lived apart it was like separating Siamese twins.
Looking at Maggie and Liz, you wouldn’t think that they were just 21 and 26 years old. Their size makes them appear older, as do the clothes they wear to hide the weight they’ve both gained. When she was pregnant with her daughter, Caitlin, Liz packed on pounds that she just can’t seem to lose.
These stay-at-home moms have encouraged each other to pack on the pounds. Andrea has been chubby since childhood, and high school teasing about her weight left her scarred for life. As someone who likes only the most basic foods and junk, Andrea has a hard time making good choices for herself and her family.
Carrie was slim and fit before she had her first child, and then twins, but hasn’t shed any of the pregnancy weight and keeps gaining. She is pretty clueless in the kitchen, but knows that she needs to learn how to make healthy food in order to control her weight.
Basketball was Mike’s lifelong passion, but since his college days he has put on so much weight that there’s no way he’d get back on a court. Weighing in at 368 pounds, Mike knows that his weight could kill him at any time. He is so ashamed of his body that physical intimacy with his fiancée Cindy is non-existent and, although he deflects it with humour, his self-esteem is at rock bottom.
Mike knows that he has to lose weight. Cindy isn’t sure he’s ever going to address his problem seriously, but he’s starting on a journey to lose 100 pounds and be happy with himself.
Jamila stopped working out when she opened her chiropractic practice, and, as she excelled professionally, she stopped taking care of herself. Her weight has crept up, and she thinks that unless she does something now, it will continue to do so. Jamila wants to get a handle on her weight, but beyond that, she dreams of becoming athletic again. She wants to compete in a half Iron Man race, which involves a 1900m swim, a 90k bike ride and a 21k run. Right now, there’s no way Jamila could possibly achieve any of those things, let alone all 3.
Margaret and Kayla have always struggled with their weight, which has fluctuated with stress and life changes. They are both emotional eaters, and when Margaret’s son (and Kayla’s brother) Quentin died tragically and violently, the pair were absolutely devastated and turned to food to numb the pain. Now they have reached a point where they can look to the future, but have put on a considerable amount of weight going through the grieving process.
Until she had a car accident in her early 20s, Tammy was always athletic. She used to model and was a beauty queen, but her weight has crept up since the accident, then with her marriage and pregnancies. Since her brother died in a tragic car accident, Tammy has used food to make herself feel better, then feels guilty immediately after. “It’s a vicious cycle,” she says.
