Chapter 1: The Turning Point

Linda was what the kids today call an "almond mom." One of those ladies obsessed with healthy eating and fitness, her kitchen was a temple to kale, quinoa, and lean proteins, and in keeping with the cliche, snacks were restricted to almonds and carrot sticks. As a result, her twin 18-year-olds Marilyn and Madison grew to be long and lean, but they also inherited their mother's unhealthy preoccupation with food. But whereas Linda was obsessed with maintaining control over her family's nutrition, her girls were finding any excuse to spend time at the homes of friends whose parents were more lax with the kitchen pantry. Even Linda's husband, Michael, often found himself sneaking fast food on the way home from work to avoid her disapproving gaze.

One sunny Saturday morning, Linda stood in the kitchen, blending a kale smoothie, when Marilyn walked in, her youthful face marred by a sullen expression.

"Mom, can we please have pizza for dinner tonight? Just once?" Marilyn asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

Linda sighed, a mixture of frustration and fatigue settling over her. "Mari, we've talked about this. We don't eat that stuff in this house."

"Madi and I are adults now, mom, why do we have to continue to follow your rules?"

Linda chuckled wryly and responded, "Honey, as long as you live under my roof and I'm paying for groceries, you're gonna have to eat right."

Marilyn's eyes filled with rebellion. "Maybe we'll move out, then! I just got that hostess job at Twin Peaks and Madi makes good money at Orange Theory."

Linda made a comment that began off-handed and would become prescient, "Go ahead, see how long either of you will have those jobs once you start pigging out to your hearts' content!"

Madison, who had been listening from the living room, chimed in. "Yeah, Mom, we've never been fat, or even chubby. And you taught us well, we have self-control, just let us prove it to you."

Linda felt a pang of guilt but quickly squashed it. "I just want you to be healthy and happy. I know what it's like to grow up in a house without structure, without rules, where junk food was all we had. When your aunt and I were a little younger than you we were...well, there's no nice way to say it, we were a couple of fatties in high school. That's when I decided to take control of my health and haven't looked back. I just never want you two to go through what I experienced."

But the girls weren't having it. Their grumbling had grown louder over the past few months, especially since they turned 18, and Linda was starting to feel the strain of being the household's health police. That evening, as she sat down to a dinner of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables, the tension in the room was palpable.

It was Madison that finally broke the tension by blurting out, "I think we're just insulted that you have such little faith in us to take care of our adult bodies. It's like there's an invisible lock on the fridge, we're tired of being treated like a couple of fat little girls."

Linda was taken aback and paused to swallow her food as Marilyn added, "And grandma showed us pictures of you and Aunt Lacey during your 'fat phase," and you were chubby at best. Nowadays you wouldn't have even been considered plus sized."

"Gah! Don't even talk about plus sizes. Every time I see a woman in a muumuu I shudder. There but by the grace of god..." Linda intoned.

Madison could no longer hold herself back, "This is not healthy, mom. The way you talk about yourself and your body and other women and food in general, there's so much judgment and shame. Your mental health is just as important, if not more important, than your physical health. No matter how much you diet and exercise, you still have to be putting strain on your heart from all the stress that comes with it."

It was when Marilyn added, "You realize that's all textbook disordered eating." that Linda finally threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine! If you all want to eat junk, go ahead. I'm done trying to control what everyone eats."

The silence that followed her outburst was felt. Michael, Marilyn, and Madison exchanged stunned glances, not quite believing what they had just heard. But soon, their skepticism gave way to excitement.

The very next day, the kitchen was stocked with chips, cookies, and sodas. Linda watching in silent resignation as her family indulged in the foods she had so vehemently banned. She hoped that, eventually, they would correct their behavior once their calorie consumption started exceeding their impressive teenage metabolisms and the first layers of flab accumulated on their once-slender waistlines.

However, as weeks turned into months, Linda's hope began to wane. She watched helplessly as her once-active family became a clan of couch potatoes. Linda could barely keep up with how fast Michael was outgrowing his clothes as his formerly fit arms and chest became flabby and soft. Meanwhile, whereas Madison seemed to take after her mom in carrying her weight in her hips, thighs, and backside, Marilyn clearly took after her big-bellied father, as she now sported a noticeable bulge of fat around her midsection.

One day, Linda's mother visited and, seeing Marilyn's distended stomach, asked in a hushed tone, "Are you expecting, dear?"

Marilyn's face flushed crimson. "No, Grandma. I'm just... fat."

Linda's heart sank at the humiliation in her daughter's voice. She knew she had made a mistake, but she felt powerless to stop the downward spiral.