Chapter 1

"Mom, can we stop at McDonald's?!! Please?!" Kat begged her mother as they drove.

"Kat, please, you just ate!" Kat's mother Leandra said, clearly stressed from her young daughter's begging.

"But Mama I'm hungry!" Kat persisted.

"Sweetie I know..."

Leandra sipped her iced coffee and rubbed her temples as she drove. She had given birth to Kat when she was just 18, and had packed on a LOT of weight in the 15 years since. Raising a daughter as a single Mom obviously came with a lot of challenges, and a lot of stress. Eating was Leandra's way of managing that stress, which caused her to balloon up to over 500 pounds. Despite her weight, she had built a good life for herself and her daughter. The obese blonde had the gift of gab, and was able to make a great living as a saleswoman. She was a manager at a car dealership and made over six figures a year. Her ambition was unparalleled, and she demanded respect. In an industry dominated by men, it was tough for a morbidly obese woman to achieve that, but she did.

Leandra had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slight, pretty, face. She was 5'11 and wore a tight black t-shirt and black yoga pants. Her entire wardrobe consisted of dark colors and anything that she thought would make her look slimmer. As she slurped her whole milk chocolate latte with three espresso shots, the steering wheel brushed against her big belly. Looking into the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of her daughter, and her stomach panged with anxiety.

"Yes, my daughter has a 12:45 appointment with Dr. Heath? Her name is Kat Steiner." Leandra said to the receptionist.

"Alright Ms. Steiner, I'll call the doctor and let him know you're here." The receptionist replied.

Leandra and Kat had a seat in the waiting room, and Leandra took Kat's hand, smiling at her. Kat smiled back sheepishly and sighed, kicking her legs and fidgeting around in her seat anxiously. Leandra knew she was hungry. Every time she saw her daughter like that it tore her up inside.

"Kat?" Doctor Heath said, poking his head into the waiting room.

"C'mon honey..." Leandra said, motioning for Kat to follow her.

Doctor Heath was a fit, middle aged man with a shaved head, goatee, and glasses. He led Kat and Leandra into an office, and had Leandra sit down on a rolling chair while he took Kat's height and weight.

"Alright, Kat... You are... six feet tall..." Dr. Heath said, jotting down the information on a clipboard.

Kat got on the scale, and Leandra tightened her grip on her pocketbook. A knot began to form in her stomach as the doctor calibrated the scale.

"And you weigh... Four hundred... And eighty five pounds..."

Leandra's lip quivered and she cleared her throat. She had to be strong for her baby girl.

"Taller than me now, sweetheart." She said, trying to seem cheery.

Kat had a seat on the exam table again while Dr. Heath took her blood pressure and got a feel for her heartrate. Kat bore a striking resemblance to her mother, with her dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and slim, pretty face all carrying over onto her daughter's genetics. Unfortunately, Kat had also inherited her mother's love of food...

"So, Kat, you're five pounds heavier than when I last saw you... I don't want to sound like I'm being mean to you, because your mother and I are trying to figure out what it is inside you that's been making you eat as much as you do..." Dr. Heath said.

"She tried the medications you prescribed her, but the side effects..." Leandra said, her voice quivering.

"I understand. I do have a theory..." Dr. Heath began.

"You do!?" Leandra replied.

"I could be way off, here. It sounds crazy for me to even say it, but... Are you familiar with Prader Willi Syndrome, Leandra?"

"I am. I mean, I'm not a doctor, obviously, but... She's not... She's an honor student, doctor... You know what I'm trying to say..."

"Mental retardation is almost synonymous with the disease, yes. But I believe we may have uncovered a rare mutation of the original disease. There was a case in Germany of a man whose symptoms were essentially identical to Kat's, but he was a mathematician, so he went undiagnosed for years. They assumed his overeating was related to stress, or boredom, or an addictive personality, but it was Prader Willi all along. I am almost positive that she's suffering from the same disease."

"Is there... Is there a cure?"

"Unfortunately, no. All we can really do is try and find an appetite suppressant that she's receptive to. Maybe try ice chips, or chewing gum, or popsicles, something low calorie that can satisfy the urge."

"Ice chips. That's your advice?"

"Leandra I know it's frustrating. But there's such little information available for this disease that I have little to nothing to go on. I'm sure I'm far from the first doctor she's had over the years, right?"

"Right..."

"Hopefully these medications will be more helpful than the last ones. If she complains about any negative side effects: depression, insomnia, sleeping too much, not eating at all, stop taking them immediately and call me. I wish there was more that I could do. I really do."

"Thank you doctor, and I apologize for being snippy with you."

"That's quite alright, Leandra, I understand. Good luck, Kat. I'll see you in a month."

"Thanks, Doctor." Kat said.

"Can I get a large number three with a Coke?" Leandra said into the speaker at the McDonald's drive-thru.

"Sure, anything else?" The tinny voice on the other side replied.

"Two number ones, and two 20 piece nuggets?"

"Anything else?"

"Nope, that's it."

"Thanks, drive up."

"You forgot my McFlurries!" Kat protested.

"You got plenty of food, Kat." Leandra replied.

"Ugh, I'm fucking starving!" Kat moaned.

"Katherine Elizabeth!"

"I'm sorry, Mom..."

Kat had gobbled up one of her meals and an entire 20 piece nugget by the time they got home. She wolfed down her Big Mac shamelessly and shoveled fries into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in days. Leandra tried to downplay her concern as she got out of the car and the two had a seat on the couch, their food spread out across their coffee table.

"I'll fill your prescriptions tomorrow, OK?" Leandra said.

"Mhm..." Kat replied, preoccupied with her food.

Leandra noticed Kat's tight white t-shirt was beginning to ride up over her belly. Going shopping together was one of their favorite ways of bonding. Leandra loved being able to take her daughter out and buy her things her own mother would never have been able to afford to buy her. But as Kat's weight continued to balloon, they were forced to overhaul her wardrobe more and more frequently. As Leandra watched her daughter burst through outfit after outfit, she felt helpless.

Prader Willi Syndrome is a disease that renders the body unable to ever feel "full." The disease almost always comes hand in hand with down syndrome or severe mental disabilities, but Kat was an outlier. She excelled in academics, to the point where she was in all advanced placement courses and had promoted to grade 11 at 15 years old. Being on the principal's list every semester made her a favorite student to any teacher that had her, and she was given some special privileges as a result. She didn't have to take gym, she could eat during class, and she got a special desk with a bigger chair that didn't attach to the desk like the standard chair/desks in her classrooms.

Leandra had tried everything to get Kat's weight under control, but nothing ever worked. Truthfully, she hated seeing daughter sad or angry, and most attempts at limiting her food intake were short-lived. Food always made her happy, and Leandra quickly began using it as her reward for behaving, or getting good grades in school. When Kat couldn't eat, she would get angry or start pouting, and Leandra would always give in. There were countless times where she would catch Kat sneaking food at night or hording snacks in her bedroom. Leandra didn't know what to do, and feared Kat would develop anorexia or her binge eating would worsen if she continued to try and control her eating. So she stopped trying.

That's not to say Kat was spoiled, she was a well-mannered child that was blossoming into a bright and well-mannered young adult. Leandra was very proud of her, but she felt powerless over her daughter's alarming weight gain. Kat had been overweight for essentially her entire life so far, and Leandra had raised her to not take shit from anybody, and told her that being big didn't make her worthless or undesirable. "Fat Kat" had become her nickname amongst the more sadistic boys and girls in her class, but she still managed to attract a boyfriend named Richie. The two had been together since her freshman year, and even as her weight continued to climb dramatically, Richie loved her just as much as he did when they met. Richie was surprisingly slim and attractive, albeit in a conventional sense. Leandra couldn't believe Kat had managed to snag such a cute guy, but was happy for her baby girl just the same. She just wished she could get her weight under control...

Kat gathered all her trash and brought it into the kitchen to throw it away. She returned with a family sized bag of Dorito's. For a moment Leandra slipped and let her concern show on her face. Kat sensed this.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, sweetie."

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I am going to finish Moving to the Fat Farm. I have an ending in mind and it will be wrapped up in a few chapters. As for this new story, I wanna stress that in the next chapters Kat will be in her 20's. I don't like sexualizing teenagers.