‘My 600-lb Life’: Gina turned to food to escape her father’s abuse and cope with parents’ broken marriage
Gina Krasley is a 28-year-old from Tuckerton, New Jersey, who weighs over 600 pounds. Tonight’s episode of TLC’s ‘My 600-lb Life’ deals with Gina’s story as she navigates the struggles of her life carrying an enormous frame.
Gina lives with her wife Beth and mother Cathy, who also support her as obesity has restricted her mobility entirely. All she does is eat and sleep and forcefully move around only to clean herself.
In the latest episode, Gina reveals that the weight gain in her was triggered by an unpleasant childhood, which put her in an emotional turmoil. Although her dependency on food began at an early age, it turned into an addiction as she sought comfort in it, unable to deal with her parents’ disturbed relationship.
While her mother Cathy accepts that she has been a "bad mom" to Gina and carries much guilt of letting her daughter turn obese, Gina also went through a rough patch due to her father’s ill-treatment of her.
Her father would punish her brutally for the slightest of mistakes. He would make fun of her weight, said she reeked and was good for nothing. Exposure to endless violence at a young age encouraged Gina to eat more. By the time she was 14 years, she weighed over 300 pounds.
Following her parents’ divorce, Gina continued living with her father. When things turning worse, she found her comfort in food.
She was over 450 pounds by the time she graduated high school at 19. She came out as a lesbian when she was 23, after meeting Beth, who she is now married to.
However, Gina and Beth’s marriage is now strained due to Gina’s increasing weight. Beth’s comments on her getting bigger by the day and eating a lot stings Gina, and she wants to seek help before it’s too late.
While her family and friends feel her weight has led her to live in isolation, Gina herself feels she doesn’t have long if she doesn’t work towards shedding the extra weight. She says she has reached a point where she is giving up and has very little hopes about leading a healthy life or have a family of her own.
'My 600-lb Life' airs on Wednesday on TLC.
