One of nine children growing up on a farm, Gail recalls childhood meals full of fried foods and unlimited desserts. Though body weight was “part of my family’s consciousness,” neither Gail nor any of her family members were seriously overweight, due in part to working the farm and plenty of bicycling on country roads.
Throughout her high school years, however, Gail began to struggle more and more with her body image, self-confidence, and eating patterns. “I don’t remember having very much fun in high school. A couple of my older sisters had gotten into trouble, so I tried to be the perfect student. I got a job, dated a little, and went to night school, and that was the first time I can remember dieting. I know now that I was bulimic, but we didn’t call it that at the time.
I remember stopping eating for six days at one point; I was thin, but I was totally out of control.” Fortunately, Gail recognized how unhealthy she had become and gradually stopped her purging behaviors, going on to marry and move to Indianapolis. The move proved stressful, and she again turned to eating to manage her emotions.
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