~BBW, Extreme Eating, ~XWG - Tables get turned for a nanny hired to keep the kids in shape.
Chapter 1
I watched Ricardo playing with the dogs out in the yard. I was struck by how out of shape he was getting and it worried me a great deal. My son was only eight, and like my other three children, he had become overweight.
Don't get me wrong, I am not overcritical with my children, but I do worry for their health.
Let me introduce myself, I am Raul, and my wife Paula and I live in the rural countryside of Paraguay in South America. Like many ranchers in the Chaco region, we primarily raise cattle for income and food. We have a happy life here, and are definitely considered in the upper income class that has allowed to lead a very modern life, especially by Paraguayan standards.
We have acres of land, a beautiful house, servants and a wonderful family. We have always been able to afford most anything we want. We have four beautiful children: Larisa (sixteen years), Angela (twelve years), Marcela (ten years), and little Ricardo (eight years).
For the children, it is a quiet, peaceful life. They all enjoyed it, except for Larisa, who was getting to the age where she desires more social contact with her friends. A short distance away is a town where she can shop for clothes, etc. but her favorite thing is to make the long trip to the city of Asuncion where she can shop and hang out with her friends and feel not so much like a country girl.
Let's see...back to the story. As I mentioned, I had become worried about Ricardo, and all our children, for that matter. We are proud of being able to provide a good life for them, but they have it a little too good. They have satellite TV, video games, movies, all the things we hear the children have in America. They also have all the food they want.
We live on a cattle ranch, so meat and dairy products make up a big portion of our meals. We have servants to prepare the food and they do an excellent job, making anything from a hearty BBQ feast to a delicate flan for dessert.
Like modern children, they also have a hunger for store-bought junk food like pies, candy, cookies, cupcakes, and potato chips. These things are sometimes hard to get here in Paraguay, but as I said, we are lucky enough to be able to keep our pantries stocked.
Needless to say, our kids have all gotten a little lazy and chubby. They are not obese, at least not yet, with Larisa at 155, Angela at 160, Marcela at 140, and Ricardo at 135. My wife and I may live a modern lifestyle, but we are no nutritionists. We have tried to tell the servants not to make or give the children too many snacks between meals, but they are very traditional and have a hard time refusing a hungry child. They know of the endless supply of food we have and can't see the logic in moderation.
As it happened, I was reading an American newspaper that we acquire through the mail. I saw an article about a program that was being run by a student exchange organization in the U.S. called AFS. What caught my eye was the headline, "STUDENTS HELP KEEP THE WORLD IN SHAPE."
As I read on, it described a new program that would send an American student abroad to teach families in other countries about good nutrition and exercise. I read of the increase in worldwide obesity that had triggered the start of such a program. I showed the article to my wife, and we immediately thought it would be a great way to help our children shed the extra weight. We decided to call AFS the next day.
"You sound like the perfect family," said the women on the other end of the line. "We want to give our exchange personal a chance to absorb the culture of another country as well help the family they are visiting. You sound like a family that can more than provide for an extra person."
I told her that it sounded good to us as well and said to go ahead and find a candidate. My wife and I breathed a sigh of relief and felt contented in the fact that we were on our way to helping improve the health of our young ones.
A few weeks later, an official looking envelope arrived from the AFS. "Meet your new TRAINER," said the letter inside. Included was a biography and picture of "Heidi Garrity."
My wife and I looked through the biography, "Let's see, Minneapolis, MN...22 years old...has a 2-year degree, taking a break from college...speaks English only...interests: working out, dancing, singing....will stay as for as short as six months, or as long as two years."
Then I got to her picture. "Whoa," I said under my breath.
"Don't get too excited!" my wife scolded me. She's less than half your age, you dirty old man.
I do have to say between you and me she was, without a doubt, very attractive. Milky skin with dark black hair and beautiful face. She reminded me a bit of the American movie star, Catherine Zeta Jones.
Indeed, she was a beautiful girl in person, too, I thought, as she stepped off the plane. Our family greeted her warmly as we walked to our car. She wore fairly tight black pants, and a tight tee shirt. She was about five-six, dark hair and eyes, moderate-sized breasts, shapely and lean (not really athletic or toned though, which I though was odd, but not at all fat either). I would have guessed her to be about 125-130 pounds.
As we made the long drive back home, we talked and tried to get to know our new guest. My wife and I had studied English in school, but were a bit rusty, but soon got along just fine. The children seemed to be in awe of Heidi from the start. I think it had to do with her being American and of course, her beauty.
"Oh, look at these chubby bellies!" she said, grabbing at Angela's fat rolls. "We'll do something about this!" she said crossly.
Right away, I noticed she had a sharp tongue and always said what she meant. She seemed a bit of a control freak, too. I guessed she had to use that personality to gain respect from the children, as she would be in effect "bossing them" around while working them back into shape. This aggressive technique was fine by us, how else could she break their lazy habits?
"This is a beautiful country," she told us as we drove the last hour or so.
"I haven't even seen your house yet and already I feel like home!"
We told her she was welcomed to stay with us for as long as she wanted, for it was in our interest to keep the children active and in shape for as long as possible.
"Let's plan on a year for now," she said. "I bet I will get very homesick if I think about spending more time than that!"
We told her that would be fine and we would take it as we went.
"What a paradise!" she said as she strolled around our ranch.
We had a truly wonderful yard and grounds. We then headed inside our large house.
As we all walked into the entryway, the 4 servants stood in a line awaiting us.
"Servants?" Heidi said, obviously surprised and excited.
"Yes," I said, "They will tend to your needs, everything from preparing meals, to fixing a hole in your sock."
Heidi smiled a big smile and continued to walk around her new home.
"So, Heidi, this is the family room..." I said as I showed her around.
Our family room has all the modern entertainment, a big screen TV, video games, and huge plush couches and recliners.
"This room screams laziness," Heidi said. "Kids, you we will start our regiment right here tomorrow!"
"Ok, " I said. "You're the expert."
We had a treadmill and a weight machine in storage, which we helped her bring out and move to the corner of the family room.
My wife then showed Heidi to the guest bedroom room that was right next to ours.
"Ok, Honey," my wife said. "This will be all yours until you decide to leave us; make yourself comfortable...the bathroom is on just the other side of our master bedroom."
She helped Heidi unpack her things, clothes upon clothes, hand weights, jump ropes, etc.
"I will leave you now, go ahead and come downstairs in a few minutes, as the servants will be ready to serve dinner."
Heidi was the last to arrive at the dinner table.
"I might tend to worry about a pretty young girl like you stuck out in country with us," I said. "I have to warn you, it might be hard for you to find a boyfriend in these parts!" I joked.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I think it's time for me to cool it on the boyfriends for awhile; I just got over some lousy experiences. Men!" she said frustrated.
"Well, I hope it's a vacation from that stuff," I said, trying to cheer her up.
Just then the food was brought out.
"Prime rib tonight," one of the servants said.
"Oh, meat, I....." said Heidi.
"Are you a vegetarian?" I asked.
"Well, I had this boyfriend who was into the vegan stuff, but....oh forget it," she said. "I won't last long on a cattle ranch if I don't start eating meat!"
We laughed as we dug to our delicious meal.
After dinner, our favorite desert flan was brought out and they offered the first piece to Heidi. She said that she had not tried it before and immediately fell in love with it.
"Good thing I am not the one going on the diet and fitness routine!" she laughed as she reached for her second piece of desert.
As the servants cleaned up after the meal, Heidi sat in the family room with Larisa, Angela, Marcela, and Ricardo. I overheard some of the conversation.
"I saw the way you guys eat," Heidi said. "Large portions at dinner, then desert, then I suppose you sit around here afterwards?"
"Then maybe Margarita gives us a snack from pantry, too!" Angela, the fattest child of the four, said while sitting on the couch with her belly hanging out just below her shirt.
"That has to stop," Heidi said sternly. "Your belly will just grow and grow if we don't put you on a diet. Now, I want to see all of you here tomorrow an hour after breakfast. We will start our routine," she ordered.
Heidi then bid them goodnight and headed upstairs as she was exhausted from her trip.
"She's beautiful," said Angela. "I want to look like her someday, I don't like this fat!"
"Yeah me, too, but you have the most work to do," said Marcela, rather cruelly.
"I have to get into shape; the girls tease me and I don't think the boys like my belly and big hips," said Larisa. "Heidi does seem like a bitch, though."
About 3 in the morning I heard a noise and sat up in bed. The door to our bedroom was open a crack and caught a glimpse of Heidi walk past and head to the bathroom. It took a moment to get my wits and realize everything was fine. I was about to lie down again, but I saw her on the return. She hesitated right in front of our door, then turned back, and then finally went back again heading to her room. I may be a dirty old man, but am only human, and I can tell you she wore only underwear and a bra, and she looked gorgeous! She was beautiful, shapely with the skin of a doll and slim, petite body. Don't get me wrong though, she had curves in the right places to boot.
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The next morning we sat down to hearty meal of steak and eggs.
"The meat didn't bother me like I thought it would," Heidi said as she apportioned herself a generous helping. "I would have thought my stomach would have protested, but I slept great!"
Heidi had told the servants to reduce the amount the children were served. They were given a reduced portion, and an added serving of fruit.
I chuckled to myself as I watched them glumly eat their breakfast.
After breakfast, Heidi settled into one of the chairs in the family room and watched a little TV as she waited for Larisa, Marcela, Angela, and Ricardo to join her for the start of the routine. When they arrived, Ricardo had a candy bar in his hand, and Angela a doughnut.
"Oh no, no more of that!" she snapped, snatching the goodies away.
Margarita, one of the servants, loved to spoil the children and was always passing them junk food throughout the day.
"Now..." Heidi said, beginning to munch on Angela's doughnut herself, "I want you four to each pick up a jump rope and give me 25 repetitions."
As the kids began clumsily to jump rope, Heidi leaned back in her chair, watching and shaking her head. She now began on Ricardo's candy bar as she sat planning the next activity.
Heidi got up and attempted to help Marcela coordinate herself.
"Well, one thing we've got is time," Heidi said. Sooner or later you guys will be jumping rope like pros!
"Ok, enough of that for now," she then said, rather impatiently, finishing the chocolate bar.
"Let me show you something, I used to dance. I am trained in ballet."
Heidi then began a beautiful dance. The children were very impressed at her grace and poise.
"That's what you can do when you are in shape," she said, trying to inspire them.
I went to tend to the duties of the ranch and next saw the group back at the table for lunch. The servants prepared asado, which is meat prepared on the grill in South American style.
So much for the vegan diet, I thought, as I watched Heidi put away more of the food than anyone at the table.
The children again had their special meal, but seemed a bit more resigned to the new plan than before.
"Ok, Heidi, I know you are an exercise queen, but we have tradition in Paraguay. After a wonderful meal like this, we all must now rest have a siesta for a half an hour before we go on with our day. And, yes, even the children will do this."
Heidi, though forthright, was not about to go against any traditions, so we all began the siesta.
"Heidi, Heidi..." My wife attempted to wake Heidi who had slept for three hours. "It's almost four o'clock; I thought you might want to be woken up.
Heidi stretched and yawned lazily. "Oh my, what happened? It must have been that big meal!" she said laughing.
"Speaking of big meals," my wife told her, "we eat dinner at about 5:30, so it's almost time."
"Oh, I don't think I will be hungry!" said Heidi.
"Just eat a little then," said my wife.
Then Heidi went to show the cooks some new ways to prepare the children's special meals. She told them to increase the servings of vegetables, fruits and how to cut down on the fat and carbohydrates. I think the servants went along with the new program, but did not understand. They had all come from very modest homes, and eating a lot of food when you had it was a sign of comfort and prosperity. This is why they always slipped the kids extra snacks and let them grab from the pantry.
I noticed Heidi had regained her healthy appetite as we sat down to our dinner plates. She ate more than even the previous night. My wife and I were pleased that she seemed so comfortable at her new home so quickly. I took her appetite to be a sign of that comfort.
"I think she has fallen in love with the flan," my wife whispered to me as we watched Heidi cut herself a second, large piece of dessert.
Next, Paula, my wife, told of a conversion she had had with Heidi. Heidi had apparently come down in the middle of the night looking for a snack and was going through the pantries and was amazed at how many goodies were around.
"I never thought I would see éclairs in the middle of Paraguay," Heidi had joked.
It was true. Between the servants baking and the imported junk food, it was a selection fit for a king.
"I'll do my best to keep the children away from it," my wife assured her.
"Great!" said Heidi. That's a real help..." she paused "...just remember to give me a key to the lock!" she said, giggling shyly.
"Makes sense," I told my wife. "We do have lots of calories on hand. I think we may have a chubby fitness instructor on our hands before too long!"
We looked at each other with knowing glances and laughed.
After a week and a half the children already looked fitter. Ricardo didn't look so rotund and Marcela's potbelly had noticeably reduced in size. I had noticed Heidi hadn't given up on her routine for the children and it was paying off. I figured we would weigh them after a month or so.
One morning I poked my head in to see the group starting on their workout.
"Ok, now...wait what's this bulge?" Heidi asked as she reached in Angela's pocket. "Ah ha." She took out a bag of candy.
"It's not just me." Angela protested, "Go check in Larisa's room; she hordes her junk food."
"Thanks a lot," said Larisa, scowling.
Heidi was already eating the candy as they marched up to Larisa's room.
Sure enough, Heidi found doughnuts, cupcakes, Twinkies, etc., hidden away in Larisa's desk.
Heidi gathered them into her arms and ordered the group back downstairs where each child took a turn on the treadmill.
To my astonishment, Heidi lay on the couch, eating Larisa's stash of junk food while saying, "Faster, you can do it. Keep up the pace!"
Marcela looked exhausted as she panted her way through the workout.
"How come you get to eat that stuff?" Angela asked.
"Because I'm in shape!" Heidi snapped back. "Besides, it's one sure way to keep it off your chubby waistline."
Heidi wasn't setting a very good example, but the children seemed to accept whatever she told them. It seemed to me this girl Heidi was a bit lazier than she had led us to believe. But, as I had said to my wife, as long as she helped our kids lose weight, she could do whatever she liked.
A month after our new guest's arrival, the numbers were in. Larisa was down five pounds, Angela seven, Marcela seven, and Ricardo four.
My wife Paula and I lay in bed that night and I was remarking how effective Heidi had been so far.
"She really knows her stuff," I said. "She will have them in shape in no time."
"You're right, dear," said Paula. "I thought the kids would be more resistive, but they seem as happy as ever. Did you notice, though? I think Heidi is getting a little chubby.
"It's no wonder," she continued. "She eats such big meals, the servants even made a comment the other day."
What my wife said was true. I had really started to notice some new rolls around Heidi's middle over the last week. Her tight clothes could no longer cover her belly, which crept out from under her shirt. When she sat down, a nice roll of fat was visible hanging over her pants' waistline. She was by no means overweight, but definitely getting softer.
A month later the trend continued. All four of our children had begun to shrink. Larisa's clothes now looked loose and her face began to lose its pudginess. My wife and I were ecstatic.
On the other side, Heidi had grown! She had had to have one of the servants let out some of seams in her clothes (that is when there was enough extra material). Heidi's thighs were getting thicker and her pants were very tight as they stretched across a new, flabby belly which now bulged over her pants.
"More steak please," said Heidi as we enjoyed our lunch. She held her plate out to Margarita the servant. "I think steak and eggs is becoming my favorite," she beamed as she started on her seconds.
"What isn't?" my wife whispered to me, laughing.
After lunch, I watched Heidi walk away from the table off to take her siesta. "My, my," I thought to myself, "that rear end is getting wider too!"
As on the first day, and most every other day, Heidi's nap lasted well into the afternoon.
About dinner time, I went into the family room. Heidi was sprawled out on the plush couch watching the satellite television.
"Almost dinner time, Heidi!" I said.
My eye couldn't help but catch glimpse of her exposed belly that was visible hanging out of her shirt. It had really gotten pudgy in the last month or so.
That night we had an American food night. It was no surprise to see Heidi put away two cheeseburgers and a huge stack of French fries in about the same time it took most us to get through half of our more modest portions. She looked at the kids, who had been given a burger as reward for their efforts. To our surprise, Heidi went around the table with her plate to each of the children and snatched the remaining burgers from their plates.
"That's enough for now," she said. "We wouldn't want to ruin all our hard work now, would we?"
"Yes, Heidi," the kids answered almost too obediently.
"Now, we wouldn't want these to go to waste now would we?" Heidi said, being a little snotty.
I couldn't believe it, but she proceeded to eat all the remaining cheeseburgers as the children looked on.
"Well, I'm going to watch some TV. Angela, bring me a piece of that pie and some ice cream, would you?"
The weeks now seemed to go by very quickly. Our home life seemed to be uneventful with the ranch was ticking along smoothly. Heidi had now lived with us for 3 months. She now seemed like one of the family. Despite her sometimes snotty personality, she was quite well liked, both by the children and the servants.
I sat with my wife reading in bed one night, and she shared some thoughts about Heidi.
"I am almost getting worried about Heidi," Paula said. "She is really starting to gain weight now."
"I really haven't noticed; guess I have been concentrating on the kids," I said.
She continued. "I went to her room last night to check up on her. I knocked and found her in nothing but her bra and panties. 'She's getting fat!' I thought to myself. She now has a definite belly, not to even mention her hips and butt, which are growing, too! I would say she has put on twenty pounds."
"Hmmm..." I said.
Paula went on. "I couldn't resist saying something. I went up and gave a pat to her new belly and joked that she must be enjoying our cuisine her in Paraguay. I know it was a bit rude, but she laughed it off. She then began to look at herself in the mirror.
"'Yeah, I definitely look well fed,' she giggled, pinching a nice roll of flab around her tummy. 'I am not too worried, though; I told myself this should be a vacation more than anything. I figure as long I keep the kids in shape, I can allot myself a few pounds. Besides, the food around here is absolutely heavenly. Between you and me, it's no wonder your kids got so fat!'"
"Well." I said, after listening to my wife's encounter. "There is really nothing we should or can do. She is a grownup and if she gets fat while she is staying with us, so it goes."
"I guess you're right dear, it's probably for the best if we don't even consider it any further,." she replied.
The next evening as I prepared for bed and went upstairs I saw light on in Heidi's room. I stopped by to say hi and found her writing a letter home.
"Writing a little message back home, eh?" I said poking in my head.
"Mmm...chew...Yes!...chew...chew," she said swallowing the last of an éclair she was eating.
I saw she had several goodies by her side as she wrote. Before I knew it, she had already begun to open a candy bar.
"Gotta keep these away from greedy mouths...." she said, smiling, smacking her lips as she ate.
"Well, let me congratulate you; the kids are doing great. Larisa even had a date the other night. Her self confidence is sky-high thanks to you."
"My pleasure." she said. "Say, Raul, while you're here..." she started shyly.
"I was going to ask your wife this but, do you think that the servants could make me some new clothes? Look at this..."
She stood up revealing pants that were not buttoned. She made the gesture of trying to button them, but her belly clearly had gotten too big. My eyes must have widened as she pulled up shirt slightly to reveal a flabby abdomen. I had seen her in the hallway the night of her arrival, and I couldn't believe this was the same person.
"...Ahh...Ok...." I said. "I'll talk to Mara tomorrow. She is a quite the seamstress. She should be able to make just about anything."
I walked away a little turned on, I have to admit.
A couple of weeks later Mara had finished off two or three new outfits for Heidi. They were a little baggier and less revealing than her old ones, but I think she didn't mind, considering the extra pounds she now carried.
Heidi had now gotten the children so into a routine, she barely needed to prod them at all. They dutifully went through their exercise routine and had gotten used to the healthier meals. They had all dropped at least fifteen pounds and were looking healthier and more energetic than ever.
Heidi, on the other hand, had become incredibly lazy. She now sometimes even slept off her big breakfasts during the workouts. Ricardo laughed and pointed at her as she dozed on the couch while the others were sweating off the pounds. Other times she brought two or three leftover pastries from breakfast with her and ate them sensuously while continuing say things like: "Come on! Just three more sit-ups Angela!" or "Push yourself Larisa, you can do another half mile on that treadmill!"
The children's admiration for Heidi seemed grow as the weeks went by. She would always spend time telling stories of her experiences back in the U.S. They just loved hearing about it, for they had watched plenty of American television over the years. She always had time for them, that is, of course, if it didn't involve physical exertion. They often tried to get her to join in their games outdoors, or go into town to take them to the swimming pool, but she always made an excuse.
Now going into her fifth month of her visit, the pounds seemed to appearing on Heidi's body with no signs of slowing. The once baggy clothes Mara had sewn for Heidi not even two months ago now looked almost tight. She was clearly getting a bigger, flabbier belly. One of Mara's outfits, and the one that seemed to be Heidi's favorite, was a bib overall outfit. It had the pants cut short so she could keep cool. They had three buttons on each side, like most overalls. In just the last few weeks I noticed the denim now stretched a little tighter over her belly, which underneath looked like it wanted to sag well over her panties.
"She won't be able to close those buttons for long!" I thought to myself.
On Wednesday's, Heidi insisted the cooks always make her favorite lunch...steak and eggs. I often was out and about and didn't have lunch with the family, but this particular Wednesday, my wife was amused by that day's lunch and told of it.
"She is really a big eater these days," she said. "The servants told me they are making more food than ever! This is even considering that the kids barely eat any steak or eggs anymore. Looks like Heidi is taking up the slack for the kids...and then some!"
"Another thing," she laughed as she continued, "Angela was first to be served her plate of food, and for some reason Margarita was sometime in coming with Heidi's who sat next to Angela. I saw Heidi eye the steak and finally blurted out
"'New rule! Non-dieters get served first!' and with that she grabbed
Angela's plate from her and immediately took a big bite of the tender meat. She let out an 'mmmm...' as she ate. Angela first looked hurt, but then smiled as she saw Heidi's pleasure in devouring the food."
"She is growing to love her food, isn't she?" I asked rhetorically.
"Then, of course, she took her usual 3 hour + nap," my wife continued.
We both agreed we'd never met anyone like her and both chuckled to ourselves.
Perhaps around a week later, as my wife and I prepared for bed, she began talking about Heidi again.
"I think Margarita has grown to like Heidi. I see them talking more and more these days. They seemed at odds at first. You know how Margarita is always experimenting with new dishes?"
"Yes," I said.
"Margarita told me once her mother was the women of a thousand recipes; she is probably planning learning to make them all before she's done!" we laughed.
"Well, anyway," Paula continued. "Apparently, Heidi is always willing to test out new recipes for her. Margarita could never get the kids to try anything new in the past, so she's thrilled. I have seen Heidi sitting back in the kitchen at the counter many times late at night. It seems Margarita can only find the time to experiment well after dinner around 10pm. Ricardo convinces me to let him stay up after bedtime to help. I certainly don't have to worry about him breaking his diet and eating any of the food. He says it's all 'icky.' He just loves to help. You should see him proudly carrying Margarita's newest creation out to Heidi. I don't know if she's a very good judge of the cuisine though...she seems to love everything! my wife said laughing.
"That's pretty funny," I said smiling. "Do you ever wonder how fat she will get?"
"Heidi? I think she's got to go into a panic pretty soon. You watch, before we know it she will be on a strict diet and be out exercising the kids!" said Paula.
"Oh...I wanted to ask you about something," I remembered. "Margarita has a younger sister who's coming in next month, she's about twenty five or so, I think. I guess she's got no place to go and needs to a place to stay for a few months. Is it ok with you?"
"Sounds fine," my wife answered. "Margarita has been a loyal part of the household; we should do her the favor."
Heidi
Chapters 1-6
by HGee.
Chapters 1-6
by HGee.
Chapter 1
I watched Ricardo playing with the dogs out in the yard. I was struck by how out of shape he was getting and it worried me a great deal. My son was only eight, and like my other three children, he had become overweight.
Don't get me wrong, I am not overcritical with my children, but I do worry for their health.
Let me introduce myself, I am Raul, and my wife Paula and I live in the rural countryside of Paraguay in South America. Like many ranchers in the Chaco region, we primarily raise cattle for income and food. We have a happy life here, and are definitely considered in the upper income class that has allowed to lead a very modern life, especially by Paraguayan standards.
We have acres of land, a beautiful house, servants and a wonderful family. We have always been able to afford most anything we want. We have four beautiful children: Larisa (sixteen years), Angela (twelve years), Marcela (ten years), and little Ricardo (eight years).
For the children, it is a quiet, peaceful life. They all enjoyed it, except for Larisa, who was getting to the age where she desires more social contact with her friends. A short distance away is a town where she can shop for clothes, etc. but her favorite thing is to make the long trip to the city of Asuncion where she can shop and hang out with her friends and feel not so much like a country girl.
Let's see...back to the story. As I mentioned, I had become worried about Ricardo, and all our children, for that matter. We are proud of being able to provide a good life for them, but they have it a little too good. They have satellite TV, video games, movies, all the things we hear the children have in America. They also have all the food they want.
We live on a cattle ranch, so meat and dairy products make up a big portion of our meals. We have servants to prepare the food and they do an excellent job, making anything from a hearty BBQ feast to a delicate flan for dessert.
Like modern children, they also have a hunger for store-bought junk food like pies, candy, cookies, cupcakes, and potato chips. These things are sometimes hard to get here in Paraguay, but as I said, we are lucky enough to be able to keep our pantries stocked.
Needless to say, our kids have all gotten a little lazy and chubby. They are not obese, at least not yet, with Larisa at 155, Angela at 160, Marcela at 140, and Ricardo at 135. My wife and I may live a modern lifestyle, but we are no nutritionists. We have tried to tell the servants not to make or give the children too many snacks between meals, but they are very traditional and have a hard time refusing a hungry child. They know of the endless supply of food we have and can't see the logic in moderation.
As it happened, I was reading an American newspaper that we acquire through the mail. I saw an article about a program that was being run by a student exchange organization in the U.S. called AFS. What caught my eye was the headline, "STUDENTS HELP KEEP THE WORLD IN SHAPE."
As I read on, it described a new program that would send an American student abroad to teach families in other countries about good nutrition and exercise. I read of the increase in worldwide obesity that had triggered the start of such a program. I showed the article to my wife, and we immediately thought it would be a great way to help our children shed the extra weight. We decided to call AFS the next day.
"You sound like the perfect family," said the women on the other end of the line. "We want to give our exchange personal a chance to absorb the culture of another country as well help the family they are visiting. You sound like a family that can more than provide for an extra person."
I told her that it sounded good to us as well and said to go ahead and find a candidate. My wife and I breathed a sigh of relief and felt contented in the fact that we were on our way to helping improve the health of our young ones.
A few weeks later, an official looking envelope arrived from the AFS. "Meet your new TRAINER," said the letter inside. Included was a biography and picture of "Heidi Garrity."
My wife and I looked through the biography, "Let's see, Minneapolis, MN...22 years old...has a 2-year degree, taking a break from college...speaks English only...interests: working out, dancing, singing....will stay as for as short as six months, or as long as two years."
Then I got to her picture. "Whoa," I said under my breath.
"Don't get too excited!" my wife scolded me. She's less than half your age, you dirty old man.
I do have to say between you and me she was, without a doubt, very attractive. Milky skin with dark black hair and beautiful face. She reminded me a bit of the American movie star, Catherine Zeta Jones.
Indeed, she was a beautiful girl in person, too, I thought, as she stepped off the plane. Our family greeted her warmly as we walked to our car. She wore fairly tight black pants, and a tight tee shirt. She was about five-six, dark hair and eyes, moderate-sized breasts, shapely and lean (not really athletic or toned though, which I though was odd, but not at all fat either). I would have guessed her to be about 125-130 pounds.
As we made the long drive back home, we talked and tried to get to know our new guest. My wife and I had studied English in school, but were a bit rusty, but soon got along just fine. The children seemed to be in awe of Heidi from the start. I think it had to do with her being American and of course, her beauty.
"Oh, look at these chubby bellies!" she said, grabbing at Angela's fat rolls. "We'll do something about this!" she said crossly.
Right away, I noticed she had a sharp tongue and always said what she meant. She seemed a bit of a control freak, too. I guessed she had to use that personality to gain respect from the children, as she would be in effect "bossing them" around while working them back into shape. This aggressive technique was fine by us, how else could she break their lazy habits?
"This is a beautiful country," she told us as we drove the last hour or so.
"I haven't even seen your house yet and already I feel like home!"
We told her she was welcomed to stay with us for as long as she wanted, for it was in our interest to keep the children active and in shape for as long as possible.
"Let's plan on a year for now," she said. "I bet I will get very homesick if I think about spending more time than that!"
We told her that would be fine and we would take it as we went.
"What a paradise!" she said as she strolled around our ranch.
We had a truly wonderful yard and grounds. We then headed inside our large house.
As we all walked into the entryway, the 4 servants stood in a line awaiting us.
"Servants?" Heidi said, obviously surprised and excited.
"Yes," I said, "They will tend to your needs, everything from preparing meals, to fixing a hole in your sock."
Heidi smiled a big smile and continued to walk around her new home.
"So, Heidi, this is the family room..." I said as I showed her around.
Our family room has all the modern entertainment, a big screen TV, video games, and huge plush couches and recliners.
"This room screams laziness," Heidi said. "Kids, you we will start our regiment right here tomorrow!"
"Ok, " I said. "You're the expert."
We had a treadmill and a weight machine in storage, which we helped her bring out and move to the corner of the family room.
My wife then showed Heidi to the guest bedroom room that was right next to ours.
"Ok, Honey," my wife said. "This will be all yours until you decide to leave us; make yourself comfortable...the bathroom is on just the other side of our master bedroom."
She helped Heidi unpack her things, clothes upon clothes, hand weights, jump ropes, etc.
"I will leave you now, go ahead and come downstairs in a few minutes, as the servants will be ready to serve dinner."
Heidi was the last to arrive at the dinner table.
"I might tend to worry about a pretty young girl like you stuck out in country with us," I said. "I have to warn you, it might be hard for you to find a boyfriend in these parts!" I joked.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I think it's time for me to cool it on the boyfriends for awhile; I just got over some lousy experiences. Men!" she said frustrated.
"Well, I hope it's a vacation from that stuff," I said, trying to cheer her up.
Just then the food was brought out.
"Prime rib tonight," one of the servants said.
"Oh, meat, I....." said Heidi.
"Are you a vegetarian?" I asked.
"Well, I had this boyfriend who was into the vegan stuff, but....oh forget it," she said. "I won't last long on a cattle ranch if I don't start eating meat!"
We laughed as we dug to our delicious meal.
After dinner, our favorite desert flan was brought out and they offered the first piece to Heidi. She said that she had not tried it before and immediately fell in love with it.
"Good thing I am not the one going on the diet and fitness routine!" she laughed as she reached for her second piece of desert.
As the servants cleaned up after the meal, Heidi sat in the family room with Larisa, Angela, Marcela, and Ricardo. I overheard some of the conversation.
"I saw the way you guys eat," Heidi said. "Large portions at dinner, then desert, then I suppose you sit around here afterwards?"
"Then maybe Margarita gives us a snack from pantry, too!" Angela, the fattest child of the four, said while sitting on the couch with her belly hanging out just below her shirt.
"That has to stop," Heidi said sternly. "Your belly will just grow and grow if we don't put you on a diet. Now, I want to see all of you here tomorrow an hour after breakfast. We will start our routine," she ordered.
Heidi then bid them goodnight and headed upstairs as she was exhausted from her trip.
"She's beautiful," said Angela. "I want to look like her someday, I don't like this fat!"
"Yeah me, too, but you have the most work to do," said Marcela, rather cruelly.
"I have to get into shape; the girls tease me and I don't think the boys like my belly and big hips," said Larisa. "Heidi does seem like a bitch, though."
About 3 in the morning I heard a noise and sat up in bed. The door to our bedroom was open a crack and caught a glimpse of Heidi walk past and head to the bathroom. It took a moment to get my wits and realize everything was fine. I was about to lie down again, but I saw her on the return. She hesitated right in front of our door, then turned back, and then finally went back again heading to her room. I may be a dirty old man, but am only human, and I can tell you she wore only underwear and a bra, and she looked gorgeous! She was beautiful, shapely with the skin of a doll and slim, petite body. Don't get me wrong though, she had curves in the right places to boot.
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The next morning we sat down to hearty meal of steak and eggs.
"The meat didn't bother me like I thought it would," Heidi said as she apportioned herself a generous helping. "I would have thought my stomach would have protested, but I slept great!"
Heidi had told the servants to reduce the amount the children were served. They were given a reduced portion, and an added serving of fruit.
I chuckled to myself as I watched them glumly eat their breakfast.
After breakfast, Heidi settled into one of the chairs in the family room and watched a little TV as she waited for Larisa, Marcela, Angela, and Ricardo to join her for the start of the routine. When they arrived, Ricardo had a candy bar in his hand, and Angela a doughnut.
"Oh no, no more of that!" she snapped, snatching the goodies away.
Margarita, one of the servants, loved to spoil the children and was always passing them junk food throughout the day.
"Now..." Heidi said, beginning to munch on Angela's doughnut herself, "I want you four to each pick up a jump rope and give me 25 repetitions."
As the kids began clumsily to jump rope, Heidi leaned back in her chair, watching and shaking her head. She now began on Ricardo's candy bar as she sat planning the next activity.
Heidi got up and attempted to help Marcela coordinate herself.
"Well, one thing we've got is time," Heidi said. Sooner or later you guys will be jumping rope like pros!
"Ok, enough of that for now," she then said, rather impatiently, finishing the chocolate bar.
"Let me show you something, I used to dance. I am trained in ballet."
Heidi then began a beautiful dance. The children were very impressed at her grace and poise.
"That's what you can do when you are in shape," she said, trying to inspire them.
I went to tend to the duties of the ranch and next saw the group back at the table for lunch. The servants prepared asado, which is meat prepared on the grill in South American style.
So much for the vegan diet, I thought, as I watched Heidi put away more of the food than anyone at the table.
The children again had their special meal, but seemed a bit more resigned to the new plan than before.
"Ok, Heidi, I know you are an exercise queen, but we have tradition in Paraguay. After a wonderful meal like this, we all must now rest have a siesta for a half an hour before we go on with our day. And, yes, even the children will do this."
Heidi, though forthright, was not about to go against any traditions, so we all began the siesta.
"Heidi, Heidi..." My wife attempted to wake Heidi who had slept for three hours. "It's almost four o'clock; I thought you might want to be woken up.
Heidi stretched and yawned lazily. "Oh my, what happened? It must have been that big meal!" she said laughing.
"Speaking of big meals," my wife told her, "we eat dinner at about 5:30, so it's almost time."
"Oh, I don't think I will be hungry!" said Heidi.
"Just eat a little then," said my wife.
Then Heidi went to show the cooks some new ways to prepare the children's special meals. She told them to increase the servings of vegetables, fruits and how to cut down on the fat and carbohydrates. I think the servants went along with the new program, but did not understand. They had all come from very modest homes, and eating a lot of food when you had it was a sign of comfort and prosperity. This is why they always slipped the kids extra snacks and let them grab from the pantry.
I noticed Heidi had regained her healthy appetite as we sat down to our dinner plates. She ate more than even the previous night. My wife and I were pleased that she seemed so comfortable at her new home so quickly. I took her appetite to be a sign of that comfort.
"I think she has fallen in love with the flan," my wife whispered to me as we watched Heidi cut herself a second, large piece of dessert.
Next, Paula, my wife, told of a conversion she had had with Heidi. Heidi had apparently come down in the middle of the night looking for a snack and was going through the pantries and was amazed at how many goodies were around.
"I never thought I would see éclairs in the middle of Paraguay," Heidi had joked.
It was true. Between the servants baking and the imported junk food, it was a selection fit for a king.
"I'll do my best to keep the children away from it," my wife assured her.
"Great!" said Heidi. That's a real help..." she paused "...just remember to give me a key to the lock!" she said, giggling shyly.
"Makes sense," I told my wife. "We do have lots of calories on hand. I think we may have a chubby fitness instructor on our hands before too long!"
We looked at each other with knowing glances and laughed.
After a week and a half the children already looked fitter. Ricardo didn't look so rotund and Marcela's potbelly had noticeably reduced in size. I had noticed Heidi hadn't given up on her routine for the children and it was paying off. I figured we would weigh them after a month or so.
One morning I poked my head in to see the group starting on their workout.
"Ok, now...wait what's this bulge?" Heidi asked as she reached in Angela's pocket. "Ah ha." She took out a bag of candy.
"It's not just me." Angela protested, "Go check in Larisa's room; she hordes her junk food."
"Thanks a lot," said Larisa, scowling.
Heidi was already eating the candy as they marched up to Larisa's room.
Sure enough, Heidi found doughnuts, cupcakes, Twinkies, etc., hidden away in Larisa's desk.
Heidi gathered them into her arms and ordered the group back downstairs where each child took a turn on the treadmill.
To my astonishment, Heidi lay on the couch, eating Larisa's stash of junk food while saying, "Faster, you can do it. Keep up the pace!"
Marcela looked exhausted as she panted her way through the workout.
"How come you get to eat that stuff?" Angela asked.
"Because I'm in shape!" Heidi snapped back. "Besides, it's one sure way to keep it off your chubby waistline."
Heidi wasn't setting a very good example, but the children seemed to accept whatever she told them. It seemed to me this girl Heidi was a bit lazier than she had led us to believe. But, as I had said to my wife, as long as she helped our kids lose weight, she could do whatever she liked.
A month after our new guest's arrival, the numbers were in. Larisa was down five pounds, Angela seven, Marcela seven, and Ricardo four.
My wife Paula and I lay in bed that night and I was remarking how effective Heidi had been so far.
"She really knows her stuff," I said. "She will have them in shape in no time."
"You're right, dear," said Paula. "I thought the kids would be more resistive, but they seem as happy as ever. Did you notice, though? I think Heidi is getting a little chubby.
"It's no wonder," she continued. "She eats such big meals, the servants even made a comment the other day."
What my wife said was true. I had really started to notice some new rolls around Heidi's middle over the last week. Her tight clothes could no longer cover her belly, which crept out from under her shirt. When she sat down, a nice roll of fat was visible hanging over her pants' waistline. She was by no means overweight, but definitely getting softer.
A month later the trend continued. All four of our children had begun to shrink. Larisa's clothes now looked loose and her face began to lose its pudginess. My wife and I were ecstatic.
On the other side, Heidi had grown! She had had to have one of the servants let out some of seams in her clothes (that is when there was enough extra material). Heidi's thighs were getting thicker and her pants were very tight as they stretched across a new, flabby belly which now bulged over her pants.
"More steak please," said Heidi as we enjoyed our lunch. She held her plate out to Margarita the servant. "I think steak and eggs is becoming my favorite," she beamed as she started on her seconds.
"What isn't?" my wife whispered to me, laughing.
After lunch, I watched Heidi walk away from the table off to take her siesta. "My, my," I thought to myself, "that rear end is getting wider too!"
As on the first day, and most every other day, Heidi's nap lasted well into the afternoon.
About dinner time, I went into the family room. Heidi was sprawled out on the plush couch watching the satellite television.
"Almost dinner time, Heidi!" I said.
My eye couldn't help but catch glimpse of her exposed belly that was visible hanging out of her shirt. It had really gotten pudgy in the last month or so.
That night we had an American food night. It was no surprise to see Heidi put away two cheeseburgers and a huge stack of French fries in about the same time it took most us to get through half of our more modest portions. She looked at the kids, who had been given a burger as reward for their efforts. To our surprise, Heidi went around the table with her plate to each of the children and snatched the remaining burgers from their plates.
"That's enough for now," she said. "We wouldn't want to ruin all our hard work now, would we?"
"Yes, Heidi," the kids answered almost too obediently.
"Now, we wouldn't want these to go to waste now would we?" Heidi said, being a little snotty.
I couldn't believe it, but she proceeded to eat all the remaining cheeseburgers as the children looked on.
"Well, I'm going to watch some TV. Angela, bring me a piece of that pie and some ice cream, would you?"
The weeks now seemed to go by very quickly. Our home life seemed to be uneventful with the ranch was ticking along smoothly. Heidi had now lived with us for 3 months. She now seemed like one of the family. Despite her sometimes snotty personality, she was quite well liked, both by the children and the servants.
I sat with my wife reading in bed one night, and she shared some thoughts about Heidi.
"I am almost getting worried about Heidi," Paula said. "She is really starting to gain weight now."
"I really haven't noticed; guess I have been concentrating on the kids," I said.
She continued. "I went to her room last night to check up on her. I knocked and found her in nothing but her bra and panties. 'She's getting fat!' I thought to myself. She now has a definite belly, not to even mention her hips and butt, which are growing, too! I would say she has put on twenty pounds."
"Hmmm..." I said.
Paula went on. "I couldn't resist saying something. I went up and gave a pat to her new belly and joked that she must be enjoying our cuisine her in Paraguay. I know it was a bit rude, but she laughed it off. She then began to look at herself in the mirror.
"'Yeah, I definitely look well fed,' she giggled, pinching a nice roll of flab around her tummy. 'I am not too worried, though; I told myself this should be a vacation more than anything. I figure as long I keep the kids in shape, I can allot myself a few pounds. Besides, the food around here is absolutely heavenly. Between you and me, it's no wonder your kids got so fat!'"
"Well." I said, after listening to my wife's encounter. "There is really nothing we should or can do. She is a grownup and if she gets fat while she is staying with us, so it goes."
"I guess you're right dear, it's probably for the best if we don't even consider it any further,." she replied.
The next evening as I prepared for bed and went upstairs I saw light on in Heidi's room. I stopped by to say hi and found her writing a letter home.
"Writing a little message back home, eh?" I said poking in my head.
"Mmm...chew...Yes!...chew...chew," she said swallowing the last of an éclair she was eating.
I saw she had several goodies by her side as she wrote. Before I knew it, she had already begun to open a candy bar.
"Gotta keep these away from greedy mouths...." she said, smiling, smacking her lips as she ate.
"Well, let me congratulate you; the kids are doing great. Larisa even had a date the other night. Her self confidence is sky-high thanks to you."
"My pleasure." she said. "Say, Raul, while you're here..." she started shyly.
"I was going to ask your wife this but, do you think that the servants could make me some new clothes? Look at this..."
She stood up revealing pants that were not buttoned. She made the gesture of trying to button them, but her belly clearly had gotten too big. My eyes must have widened as she pulled up shirt slightly to reveal a flabby abdomen. I had seen her in the hallway the night of her arrival, and I couldn't believe this was the same person.
"...Ahh...Ok...." I said. "I'll talk to Mara tomorrow. She is a quite the seamstress. She should be able to make just about anything."
I walked away a little turned on, I have to admit.
A couple of weeks later Mara had finished off two or three new outfits for Heidi. They were a little baggier and less revealing than her old ones, but I think she didn't mind, considering the extra pounds she now carried.
Heidi had now gotten the children so into a routine, she barely needed to prod them at all. They dutifully went through their exercise routine and had gotten used to the healthier meals. They had all dropped at least fifteen pounds and were looking healthier and more energetic than ever.
Heidi, on the other hand, had become incredibly lazy. She now sometimes even slept off her big breakfasts during the workouts. Ricardo laughed and pointed at her as she dozed on the couch while the others were sweating off the pounds. Other times she brought two or three leftover pastries from breakfast with her and ate them sensuously while continuing say things like: "Come on! Just three more sit-ups Angela!" or "Push yourself Larisa, you can do another half mile on that treadmill!"
The children's admiration for Heidi seemed grow as the weeks went by. She would always spend time telling stories of her experiences back in the U.S. They just loved hearing about it, for they had watched plenty of American television over the years. She always had time for them, that is, of course, if it didn't involve physical exertion. They often tried to get her to join in their games outdoors, or go into town to take them to the swimming pool, but she always made an excuse.
Now going into her fifth month of her visit, the pounds seemed to appearing on Heidi's body with no signs of slowing. The once baggy clothes Mara had sewn for Heidi not even two months ago now looked almost tight. She was clearly getting a bigger, flabbier belly. One of Mara's outfits, and the one that seemed to be Heidi's favorite, was a bib overall outfit. It had the pants cut short so she could keep cool. They had three buttons on each side, like most overalls. In just the last few weeks I noticed the denim now stretched a little tighter over her belly, which underneath looked like it wanted to sag well over her panties.
"She won't be able to close those buttons for long!" I thought to myself.
On Wednesday's, Heidi insisted the cooks always make her favorite lunch...steak and eggs. I often was out and about and didn't have lunch with the family, but this particular Wednesday, my wife was amused by that day's lunch and told of it.
"She is really a big eater these days," she said. "The servants told me they are making more food than ever! This is even considering that the kids barely eat any steak or eggs anymore. Looks like Heidi is taking up the slack for the kids...and then some!"
"Another thing," she laughed as she continued, "Angela was first to be served her plate of food, and for some reason Margarita was sometime in coming with Heidi's who sat next to Angela. I saw Heidi eye the steak and finally blurted out
"'New rule! Non-dieters get served first!' and with that she grabbed
Angela's plate from her and immediately took a big bite of the tender meat. She let out an 'mmmm...' as she ate. Angela first looked hurt, but then smiled as she saw Heidi's pleasure in devouring the food."
"She is growing to love her food, isn't she?" I asked rhetorically.
"Then, of course, she took her usual 3 hour + nap," my wife continued.
We both agreed we'd never met anyone like her and both chuckled to ourselves.
Perhaps around a week later, as my wife and I prepared for bed, she began talking about Heidi again.
"I think Margarita has grown to like Heidi. I see them talking more and more these days. They seemed at odds at first. You know how Margarita is always experimenting with new dishes?"
"Yes," I said.
"Margarita told me once her mother was the women of a thousand recipes; she is probably planning learning to make them all before she's done!" we laughed.
"Well, anyway," Paula continued. "Apparently, Heidi is always willing to test out new recipes for her. Margarita could never get the kids to try anything new in the past, so she's thrilled. I have seen Heidi sitting back in the kitchen at the counter many times late at night. It seems Margarita can only find the time to experiment well after dinner around 10pm. Ricardo convinces me to let him stay up after bedtime to help. I certainly don't have to worry about him breaking his diet and eating any of the food. He says it's all 'icky.' He just loves to help. You should see him proudly carrying Margarita's newest creation out to Heidi. I don't know if she's a very good judge of the cuisine though...she seems to love everything! my wife said laughing.
"That's pretty funny," I said smiling. "Do you ever wonder how fat she will get?"
"Heidi? I think she's got to go into a panic pretty soon. You watch, before we know it she will be on a strict diet and be out exercising the kids!" said Paula.
"Oh...I wanted to ask you about something," I remembered. "Margarita has a younger sister who's coming in next month, she's about twenty five or so, I think. I guess she's got no place to go and needs to a place to stay for a few months. Is it ok with you?"
"Sounds fine," my wife answered. "Margarita has been a loyal part of the household; we should do her the favor."
