Who's That Girl

The Beginning

Around February of 2009, I went in for my annual check up at my pediatrician's office. Though my mother does not recall this, I remember her telling me my weight was "on the high side" for someone my height. I weighed eighty-seven pounds. After that visit, I decided my little pig-outs at the computer had to stop, and that I had to lose some weight. So I stopped bringing snacks to school and brought only a four-ounce container of applesauce for lunch.

That didn't stop the binges. If anything, it worsened them. After practically starving myself all day, I was ravenous at home. I tore into Goldfish crackers, pretzels, and various other packaged snack foods. The "diet" I had started was not working. So I decided I'd implement a new one during the summer. That way, I'd have the right time and atmosphere I needed to focus on my "health". I plus, I told myself, I'd look nice and thin for David's concert that July.

Summer came. A friend, who would later come to the concert with my mother and I, came over to swim one day with her family. After we were done with the pool, I sat at the outdoor table with my mother and hers, and we didn't talk. In the center of the table sat a bowl of peanuts. I figured they were perfectly "healthy" and I would only have a few so I ate some. And then I ate some more. And more. And more. When I finally managed to halt the binge, I immediately went inside to read the nutrition facts. The numbers shocked me, and I was even more upset when I realized that I hadn't had just one serving, but several.

Promptly after our guests left, I informed my mom that I simply must go on a long, long walk to burn off all the calories I had consumed. She laughed and said I was silly, but went with me anyway. I later learned that she wouldn't always be willing to play that game of mine.