chapter 1

Louis always dreaded going to the doctor; this time even more so. His HMO medical plan at work changed and the doctor he had been seeing for many years was not on this new carrier's plan. Over the years, Louis "trained" his doctor to pretty much accept that he was a fat man getting fatter. Aside from slightly high cholesterol, he did not show any symptoms that were usually associated with obesity. Now he was faced with going to a new doctor whom he knew nothing about other than he was in the network and much further away from where he lived. He needed to renew his prescription for his cholesterol medication and had no choice but to see this new doctor.

Stopping off at McDonald's to fortify himself before his visit, he bought some egg McMuffins and pancakes. After downing the food he realized that he shouldn't have eaten because the doctor would probably want to do blood tests. Oh, well-- somehow food always made him feel better in times of stress (as well as times of calm). As he turned the door knob to enter the doctor's office, his stomach was in a knot. To his surprise, he noted that there was a guy waiting about his age and even bigger than him. Even the woman at the reception desk was quite zaftig. Though still skeptical about this visit, something about seeing that he wasn't the only fat person in the room made him feel a little more relaxed.

Louis went up to the window and was greeted warmly by the receptionist. She gave him a clipboard with some forms attached to fill out and asked him to have a seat. Louis sat next to the bigger guy and began filling out and signing the medical history information. He would have loved to chat with him, but he wasn't going to get the chance to speak with him as the receptionist called to Marcus that the doctor was ready to see him. As Marcus got up to leave, their eyes met and Marcus smiled at Louis. Louis completed the forms, gave them to the nice receptionist, and sat down again. He wished he had some cookies or a candy bar to quiet his nerves, but in about fifteen minutes Marcus left the doctor's office and Louis was called to go in to see the doctor.

Louis was astounded to see that the doctor looked like he weighed as much as him. Dr. Viezig introduced himself and introduced his young medical assistant, Jonah. The doctor's manner put Louis right at ease. "Look Jonah," he said in a charming European accent, "this gentleman and I could be twins". Jonah, it should be mentioned, was on the chubby side as well. The doctor asked some questions and requested Louis to remove his shirt to do some preliminary examinations, like listening to his heart and taking his blood pressure. Dr. Viezig was pleased to see that his blood pressure was normal. Next up was the dreaded weigh-in. Louis stepped on the scale while the doctor and the assistant looked at the number, noting it at 353 pounds. The doctor laughed and said, "What did I tell you? We're twins. I weighed myself this morning at 355 pounds. What did you weigh, Jonah?" Jonah responded with 278. The doctor laughed and said to Jonah, "You're not a twin".

He had Jonah take Louis in the side room to get some blood samples but Louis forgot to tell him about eating just before he came. Louis admitted to him that he was very self-conscious about taking his shirt off in public. The assistant winked and said, "You don't need to worry about that with me."

When they returned to the doctor, Louis realized and told them that he had forgotten and ate before coming to the appointment. Dr. Viezig told him that they would take that into consideration when the results came in and if there were any issues, he would have him re-take the tests. "There's just one more thing before I let you go today", the doctor said, "and that's your diet program". Louis audibly gulped. The doctor continued, "I believe that you're what is referred to as a gainer or feedee, are you not? If you are, and you would like to be fattened up, talk to Jonah and he will see that you accomplish your goal." Louis always fantasized about being fed and was certainly intrigued, not to mention in shock of how accepting of fat this doctor was.

Jonah then took him into the side room to explain that he will visit Louis at his home twice a week. He told him that he is to have several of his favorite foods available for the feeding and they set up mutually agreeable times during the weekend. Dr. Viezig knocked on the door to give Louis his cholesterol prescription, and asked how things were going.

Louis thanked the doctor and Jonah, admitting his reluctance at first to come for the visit. The doctor told him, "You're fat. I'm fat. Jonah is fat. Marcus, the man who was here before you is fat. People in this country are getting fatter every year. When I was a boy in Holland fat was considered a good thing. It meant you had enough to eat and were considered healthy. Now "fat" is a four letter word." Louis was actually smiling as he turned the door knob to exit the doctor's office.

Just then, his alarm went off. It was time to get up and face going to see the new doctor whose name was Jonah Marcus. He would later learn from "googling" viezig that it was the Dutch word for fat.