Fat Camp

Chapter 1.) Ain't too proud to beg

I've been researching for the past three months for the best ways to loss weight. I think I have finally found my solution to all my problems. The only thing Is getting my parents on board with it is going to be very tricky.

My name is Marisol Patterson and I am 17 years old, I live in Fairfax, Iowa. Every morning I look into the mirror and see my caramel colored chubby face, with my round cheeks spattered with freckles, my full pink lips, upturned nose, beautiful hazel eyes, and my long curly black hair. I personally try not to look any lower than that. I am so ashamed of my body. My belly that protrudes and hangs atop my fat and jiggly thighs. My flat butt and narrow hips, and my love handles that fold around my back. Breasts that sag unpleasantly halfway to my belly button.

But that's just the reality I have to live with. Weighing in at just under 300 pounds at 298 and at a height of 5'3. Well let's just say that I don't carry my weight well. I despise the way I let my body get to this point.

I know I'm old enough to decide what goes into my mouth. But it doesn't help that I come from a family of fat people. My mom and dad believe that we are beautiful no matter what size you are. And don't get me wrong... I believe that to an extent. But i want to change. I've been fat for as long as I can remember. I want to know what it's like on the other side of life. And that's where my plan comes in to play.

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May 31st.

I wake up in a rush and run down the stairs to talk to my parents right away.

I stumble into the kitchen to find my mom cooking a smorgasbord of breakfast foods. Pancakes, sausage, bacaon, eggs, toast, and hashbrowns and to top it all off fresh squeezed orange juice. My favorite.

"Good mornin' sweet heart!" Mom says a huge smile on her bulging cheeks.
"Why don't ya grab a plate and join us!" Says dad as he flips a page in the Saturday morning paper simultaneously shoving yet another piece of bacon into his mouth.

"Alright" I say with a sigh as I walk over to the table, pulling up a chair and plopping down. The chair creeks under my weight and I internally cringe.

" Mom, Can I just have one egg, one piece of toast, and one piece of bacon?" I say cautiously. Waiting for her response

" Oh darlin' don't be silly! A growing girl like yourself needs sustenance!" My mother says all the while piling a plate full with everything she had cooked.

"That's the problem! I'm 17, my doctors say I won't grow anymore! I'm years away from having diabetes, a heart attack, or a stroke! I don't want that for myself!" I say tears bursting from my eyes. Throwing caution to the wind.
I watch my mothers jaw drop as I speak. I can see the pain in her eyes. I know that she doesn't want that kind of life for me. Let alone herself or my father. I shouldn't have said what I said to her. I shouldn't have used that tone of voice with her.

"Mom I want to go to fat camp this summer, before I head off to college. I need this. I'll even pay for it if I have to! I've already found the perfect place..." I say finally trailing off. I wait for her response patiently.

" Marisol, why didn't you just say so?" My father says , speaking up for the first time since the fight began.

"You need to trust in your mother and I. You should know that you can come to us with any problems you could ever encounter in life. We love you." My father says looking at me solemnly.

My mother just nods in support of my father's decision. I sit at the table tears still quietly streaming down my face.

I get up from my chair and walk across the kitchen to where my mother is standing. I reach out awkwardly and pull her in for a hug. She hugs me back. It feels so good to feel loved by someone so much.

Pulling back from the hug, I give my mom an appreciative smile. And turn around to show my father the same . I bend down and give him a kiss on the cheek. He kisses my cheek in return. I stand up straight, and turn towards the entrance to the kitchen, walk through the living room and up the stairs.

As I'm walking up the 15 stairs to go to my bedroom, I notice how my knees ache the more stairs that I climb. How my lungs are burning, and how badly that it hurts. Doing something as simple as climbing the stairs.

That's when it hits me. I need to make a list to motivate me to keep going.
Reasons why I want to lose weight. I know that I have over 150 pounds to lose. And I know that won't happen in just one summer. But surly this can jump start my weight loss. And help me become the me that I am truly meant to be. The girl who I have always known I am inside. The girl who can walk around confidently in my own skin. That's why I have chosen this specific camp. It's called Willow Springs. It costs $1,500 for the entire summer. But it will be so worth it. While I am there, I will make friends who are going through the same struggles as me. I will be able to see a counselor twice a week, to work through the mental health aspects of weight loss. All of my meals will be taken care of. We will exercise for two hours a day. We will have measurements taken weekly. And we will be weighed daily. There will also be classes about how to transition our new lifestyle back into our home life. I cannot wait to start my new life.