It's enough to make you puke!

One of the books on the New York Times best seller list is “I’m Glad My Mom Died”, written by Jennette McCurdy. Although it is classified as a non-fiction novel, the more accurate descriptions would be “auto-biography”.

This week, it is #3 on the list, so I picked it up on a recent trip to the library.

 

Since I am not a big television viewer, I was not familiar with the author, who has been a variety of shows for close to 20 years. Initially, she spent a lot of time on a Nickelodeon show titled iCarly, as well as its sequel, Sam & Cat.

 

Jennette’s mother was a very domineering woman. Although she wanted to be an actress, she was not successful in that career, so she decided that her daughter was the one who was going to be the star.

Jennette started acting when she was 6 years old, and finally quit when she was in her 20’s. Since her mom wanted her to stay looking young as long as possible, she put her on a very restrictive died. Although she was never diagnosed as being anorexic, that is precisely what she was.

I’ve known a couple of ladies who were anorexic, but they eventually were able to escape the scourge, and lead normal lives. Carried to its extreme, it can be fatal, as evidenced by Karen Carpenter’s death in 1983. Karen was 5’4”, and weighed 108 pounds at the time of her death.

Jeannette eventually broke free from anorexia, but progressed to something just as bad.

Bulimia.

Here's a description from the Mayo Clinic:

Bulimia (boo-LEE-me-uh) nervosa, commonly called bulimia, is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge — eating large amounts of food with a loss of control over the eating — and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way.

To get rid of calories and prevent weight gain, people with bulimia may use different methods. For example, you may regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives, weight-loss supplements, diuretics or enemas after bingeing. Or you may use other ways to rid yourself of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting, strict dieting or excessive exercise.

If you have bulimia, you're probably preoccupied with your weight and body shape. You may judge yourself severely and harshly for your self-perceived flaws. Because it's related to self-image — and not just about food — bulimia can be hard to overcome. But effective treatment can help you feel better about yourself, adopt healthier eating patterns and reverse serious complications

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bulimia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353615

 

When she was still dealing with bulimia, Jennette was binging and vomiting as much as 5 times a day, and was start to experience one of the symptoms, which is rotting teeth. Like anorexia, bulimia can also be fatal.

 

Jeantte went through counseling a couple of times, and finally brought it under control when she was in her mid-twenties.

The binging of food also led to the consumption of an excess amount of alcohol, which eventually led to treatment for that ailment.

Her relationship with the mother is a complicated one. On one hand, she misses some aspects of her mother, but when she left her mom’s gravesite for the last time, she realized that she would have had a complete mental breakdown if her mom was still alive.

Most of us feel a sense of remorse when our parents die, but it’s clear that Jennette is much better off now that her mother is dead.

 

Jeanette performed her one woman show (same title as her book) to two sold out performance in Los Angeles. She currently hosts a podcast titled “Empty Inside”, which features guests talking about uncomfortable topics.

I’m not sure if participating in the podcast would make you physically ill – but it might.