Rolling meadows

Chapter 5 - Dr. Carter

I was brought to another building, one I would later learn to be the administrative center for the study. Dr. Carter was waiting for me there and ushered me in. It was a normal looking doctor’s office, with everything expected in one. The only exception was that the scale looked like it was much more heavy-duty than normal ones. Peeking over at it, it said “XXL-800” on it.
“Yes, that scale is rated for individuals up to 800 pounds” Dr. Carter remarked, obviously noticing me looking at it
“And if all goes well, we may need to purchase the XXL version, at which point this study could truly be considered a groundbreaking effort. Anyways, I’m Dr. Roseanne Carter, and if you’re lucky, I’ll let you call me Rosie. Now, let us get to business, please have a seat.” She said, gesturing towards a chair.
“Let me make sure I have this correct, you are Autumn Latham, correct?” After I confirmed, she continued “You are aware of the stipulations of this study? That within 10 years you increase your BMI to at least 100, and that the weight at least be maintained until the completion of the 10 year course? Good, good. We will do monthly checkups to both monitor your weight progress, as well as monitor your health. If any emergency situations occur, you will be taken care of, as part of the terms and agreements of the study. Now, we should take some initial vitals and measurements. We want, in addition to seeing how much weight you gain, see how much fat distribution has an impact on health outcomes.”
She had me step on a scale, which showed 126 pounds.
“Hmm, not too big are you?” Dr. Carter tutted to herself. After taking my measurements, she said I was “utterly unremarkable” in my body’s dimensions.
“In order to fulfill the terms of the study, you will need to achieve and maintain a BMI of at least 100 by the end of the study. This means that, if we do some quick math, you will need to achieve a weight of 518 pounds by the end of the study. This means you will need to gain 392 pounds by the final date of the study, which will be on June 1, 2035. To do some simple math, you will need to gain 3.3 pounds per month. Medical literature shows that this is not unheard of, however, no such study has ever been able to document sustained weight gain over such a period. We are honored that you agreed to participate. Now, our time today is done, and you should go meet some more of your co-participants. We want to form and foster a happy community here at Rolling Meadows.”
By this point, it was mid-afternoon and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since my meager breakfast. I made my way to the dining hall, where I was greeted by a spread unlike anything I had ever seen. When I was at college, we had a meager salad bar and some mediocre entrees and sandwiches. Here, there were custom stations for…well everything I could imagine; pizza, pasta, a grill where I could already smell succulent meat sizzling, a massive drinks fountain, and yes, a salad bar (though I suspect this was just for appearances). I was correct in that there was also a buffet which looked like it had all manner of calorie-rich foods stocked in it, but I hadn’t seen behind it, where there was a dessert bar as well! Full of cakes, candy, what looked like an ice cream bar, and piles of other sweets and sugar-filled creations. I swiped my card as I entered and grabbed a plate to fill up. I put a couple of items from the buffet on it and went to find a seat when I heard Mae calling me over to her table.
“Autumn, honey, come here! Why don’t you eat more?” She exclaimed, looking at my comparatively empty plate, as she had a plate piled high in front of her.
“I know you had a check in with the doctors, you’re not gonna gain that weight eating like that!” she continued, getting up and grabbing my arm to drag me towards the buffet. She grabbed several pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits, which she smothered in butter and gravy that was sitting at the end of the buffet. Then she went back and did the same thing for herself before showing me back to her table.