Peter rejoices whenever he puts on more weight. He loves how his protruding belly moves and delights in the fact it gets in his way.

At 5 foot 8 and weighing a hefty 250 pounds, Peter, who requested that his last name not be published, is on a quest to become even more corpulent. He documents his weight gain on his blog, GitBigger.com, under the pen name Stupidgit.

“I love how my weight feels when I run, falling and shaking my body shortly after each step…” the 23-year-old Lexington, Ky., resident, writes on his blog. “The only thing I love more than being fat, is getting fatter.”

As hard as it is to understand, Peter is not alone in his desire to gain weight. The Internet is rife with “gainer” blogs, plus dating sites and discussion forums that glorify big bodies, with names such as Fatnesse Follies, Growing Larger, BiggerCity.com and BellyBuilders.com.

While far from mainstream, the phenomenon was brought into the public eye last month, when a 600-pound New Jersey mother announced she is trying to reach 1,000 pounds to become the world’s fattest woman.

Donna Simpson, a 42-year-old mother, told Britain’s Daily Mail that she raises money for her weekly $750 (U.S.) food budget through a website where men pay to watch her eat. Her long-time boyfriend reportedly encourages her weight gain.

Ms. Simpson’s much-publicized story raised a multitude of questions about the subculture of gainers, their motives, their attitudes and their mental and physical health.

As Peter explains, he and most of his gainer friends believe “it feels natural to be fat.”

“I talk with many men who are much larger than I am, about their bodies and why they grew so large. They talk about the satisfaction of being full like some people talk about how good they feel after a hard workout or something,” he says. “Being fat is just what makes them happy.”

Women gainers also share that view.

As one Canadian blogger, who claims to weigh around 550 pounds, wrote on her site Amy’s World. “I’ve been eating so much the past week, my body feels stuffed … like some sort of overstuffed teddy bear. Just moving around, I feel like I’m softer, bigger, less responsive. … I’m really quite enjoying the feeling.”

Peter says he began intentionally putting on weight more than two years ago after moving out of his parents’ home for college. His blog shows photos of himself before, as a lanky freshman, and after, with a serious gut and thick, stocky limbs, resulting from packing on more than 110 pounds of muscle and fat.

The support he receives from other gainers on the Internet helps motivate him and boost his self-esteem.

Peter says he is also sexually attracted to other plump men.

“I look at fat men in the same way that most men look at a beautiful woman – it’s just what comes natural to me,” he says. But even he doesn’t understand why he’s compelled to pack on the pounds. “I’ve never been completely able to explain why I have this desire.”

Christine Courbasson, head of the eating disorders and addictions clinic at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, says mental-health issues often exist when people intentionally gain weight.

The phenomenon is not a disorder itself, like anorexia nervosa, bulimia or binge eating disorder, where patients are unhappy with their bodies. But even so, gainers could benefit from counselling and therapy, she says.

“We need to look at the underlying reason why it is that they want to gain weight. Is it because … it’s one way they’re going to be noticed? Is it that they’re trying to fill a void?” she says, noting that victims of sexual abuse sometimes put on weight, whether consciously or not, to make themselves less desirable and less likely to be victimized again.

Going beyond being overweight to being obese poses serious health risks, Dr. Courbasson adds.

“With being obese, [while] some people may call it full-figured, there are known medical risks. We know people don’t live as long, we know that people have increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,” as well as decreased mobility, she says. “Ultimately, that goal will lead an individual to be sick and not be able to carry everyday activities.”

Michelle Morand, founder of the CEDRIC (Community Eating Disorder and Related Issues Counselling) Centre in Victoria, B.C., says the dangers of gaining are not clear cut, however.

“I think it’s hard to make an argument for it being a balanced, rational, healthy thing to do,” she says, adding, “I absolutely subscribe to the notion of to each their own. If you’re not harming anyone else with what you’re doing, great.”

Some people who appear outwardly “unfit” can actually be healthier than others who look fit and slender, she says. Even though they might carry extra weight, they may have better cardiovascular health, better cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels, especially if they make better food choices and exercise moderately.

But, she warns, “when you start to experience genuine health concerns and you’re still choosing to do that, then you’ve crossed the line from just loving your body and accepting yourself as a more voluptuous form to really being in denial about the fact that you’re engaging in a harmful behaviour.”

Since Peter has a high metabolism, putting on weight has not been easy, he says. He tries to consume about 3,000 calories a day, and eats fast food four or five times a week. He estimates he spends roughly $100 a week on meals. His favourite food is Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

“I do think about my health a lot nowadays,” he says, noting that he visits the gym frequently and sees his doctor regularly for check-ups.

“Of course being fat isn’t the healthiest way to live,” he acknowledges.

—
Wency Leung

Globe and Mail Update