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Private Notes
Adrienne has established herself as the “big funny girl” among her friends, but she can’t escape feeling like a failure. All her friends are dating, but at her size she feels like nobody will want her. Her mother, Michele, wants to help her change her life, but Adrienne rejects her mother’s assistance as hypocritical nagging.
Liam has laid claim to the master bedroom and proudly declares himself the “man of the house”. He chooses what he wants to eat which translates to a steady diet of chocolate milk, cookies and chips. How will Liam ever get healthy when his mother is too overwhelmed and exhausted to say “no”?
13 year old Drae is a “gentle giant” who has always been the biggest in his class and the target of bullies. Things have gotten so bad that he admits to contemplating suicide.
Connor is a handful. His ADHD symptoms are a constant drain on his parents. His father, Mike, drives a truck so he’s often away and when he returns home his quality time with Connor always involves food.
16 year old Leanne’s natural exuberance is being squelched by her worries about her weight and her parent’s declining health.
Alex is the youngest member of a Russian-Jewish family that has always socialized with food. Weekly Shabbat dinners are lovingly loaded with traditional dishes heavy in starches, butter and sauces.
At 5’4”, 11-year-old Keira weighs as much as her father does at 6’1”. Keira’s mom Amber has struggled with weight all her life and had gastric bypass surgery in the past that allowed her to drop some 200 pounds from her whopping 450 pound girth. But Amber’s deep addiction to food has kept her from reaching a healthy weight and has taken an alarming toll on her family.
At first glance, 14-year-old Paige is a mouthy, moody teenager getting chubby on a diet of awful food. But behind the tough exterior is a heartbreakingly vulnerable young girl coping with a disengaged single mother and a depressed older sister.
Kaitlyn, her older sister Allisa and their mom Monique are still reeling from the death of their father and husband Gord less than a year ago. During his illness, regular mealtimes and healthy cooking took a back seat and these bad habits persisted even after his death.
Kayla started packing on weight in high school, when life became more stressful. But in fact, she’s been in training for massive weight gain all her life, her father Russell has been showing her how it’s done.
Layla has been bullied because of her weight since junior high, but lately Layla has also been dealing with brutal and anonymous online attacks. Her mom, Melody, attributes Layla’s struggles with anxiety and panic to the torment she has faced over the years at the hands of her peers.
Mike and Estelle have always been “soft” on their kids, never forcing them to eat a vegetable and indulging them with chips, treats and tasty (but unhealthy) meals. Now, both sisters are getting fat and becoming self-conscious about their bodies. Their low self-esteem leads them to lash out at each other, turning their home into a war zone and making their parents miserable.
Chris is an emotionally vulnerable, overweight and unmotivated teen. After graduating high school a year ago with no plans for the future, his parents let him move into their basement. There he spends most of his time playing video games in their basement, isolating himself socially, eating junk and gaining weight.
