Chapter 1 - prologue

Fed Up

By Polarisdreamer (Primary Author/Writer)
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Piengoo (Editor & Artist)
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Prologue

“I'll try to make this brief.” The beautiful young woman delicately spoke. Uncrossing her legs, the nervous blonde leaned back into the embrace of the comfy couch. Avoiding eye contact, Heidi preferred to stare at the ceiling while she continued, “Married for two years, together five, no children. When my husband, Keith, and I first started dating, I was extremely attracted to his physical appearance. But… since we tied the knot two years ago…”

And just like that her tongue tied.

“I don’t know how to say this without sounding…” Heidi paused trying to think of the right word, “I dunno, b*tchy?”

Speaking up in a professional sounding tone, Dr. Keller, an elegant older woman nearing her mid-sixties, replied, “I’m a therapist. I’m not here to judge you. I’m here to help you. Say what you need to say, nothing’s going to leave this room.”

Letting out a nervous breath, Heidi nodded and explained, “To put the issue bluntly… he’s put on a considerable amount… of weight.”

“Oh?” The curious therapist nodded a little surprised.

For a second there she thought her newest client was about to confess to having an affair. The young lady seemed so deeply distressed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love him very much. We have virtually no problems together. He is an excellent husband, pulls his weight, no pun intended, around the house, and makes me very happy.” Heidi assured her new therapist, “but when I tell him he needs to lose weight he just laughs it off. I mean I don’t know if it’s his defense mechanism, or he just doesn’t care.”

“That must be frustrating.” Dr. Keller hummed, while she studied the posture of the young woman sitting in front of her.

Heidi was now leaning forward, hands clasped tightly, her left leg was jittering up and down. She was clearly uncomfortable talking about this subject, yet something about it had inspired her to seek out a therapist for the first time in her life. Dr. Keller was a bit puzzled.

“Unbelievably so.” Heidi grunted seemingly pleased someone acknowledged her feelings on this. Continuing in a quicker tone, Heidi vented, “I’m a very active individual, I run every day, and I go to the gym three times a week. I eat pretty healthy, except when I go out with my husband… He’s a bad influence on me… But what I’m trying to say is… Umm…”

And just like that she’d lost her train of thought. Heidi smiled at the old lady sitting across from her to fill the silence for a moment, while she tried to collect her thoughts. However, to Heidi’s embarrassment it was like her whole prepared speech had just totally left her mind.

“How is your husband a bad influence on you?” The therapist wondered.

“Well… I’m currently… about…” Heidi stammered before regrouping, “10 pounds over the weight I was when we got married.”

“Really? And that’s your husband’s fault?” Dr. Keller raised an eyebrow, as she studied the figure of the woman in front of her. Heidi didn’t look a kilogram over 120lbs.

To her, the 27-year-old looked like the modern reincarnation of the ancient goddess of love herself, Aphrodite. The resemblance wasn’t perfect, but it was there. Heidi’s bob hairstyle had a beautiful foundation of luscious blonde locks. Her eyes glowed a bright blue. Her frame, though a little short at 5’5, and a little sharp and angular thanks to her low weight, was still decidedly an hourglass.

“Yeah, it’s 100% his fault. His bad habits are rubbing off on me… In college our dates consisted of hiking, kayaking, walking, jogging, biking. I mean we’d drink at bars, and go on dinner dates and stuff, but whatever we ate we’d always burn it off in the sack.” Heidi honestly conveyed, before blushing slightly and adding, “I’m sorry, that’s probably a little too personal.”

“Nothing’s too personal for a therapist. Please keep going.” Dr. Keller urged not wanting Heidi to lose her train of thought.

“Well, what I mean to say is, now that he’s put on so much weight, we don’t go on active dates anymore. We go out, we socialize, we drink, and he overeats. We have a lot of fun, but… it’s not the same.” Heidi said sounding saddened, “He’s a lot less active in bed.”

“The weight’s affected his sex drive?” The therapist sought to clarify.

“No, no. I wouldn’t say that. He’s still nuts for me. All the time. Sometimes too much.” Heidi clarified before biting her lip and revealing, “If anything I’m the one who wants it less with him. He gets tired a lot faster now, so I have to put in more effort, but it’s hard because looking at him doesn’t put me in the mood like it used to.”

“I see.” Dr. Keller hummed feeling like she was coming to an understanding.

Sounding worried that she’d given off the wrong impression, Heidi backpedaled a little bit, “But this isn’t about me. If he was still in shape, I wouldn’t have this problem. I mean… I have tried to include him in my lifestyle, but he is very resistant.”

Raising an eyebrow, Dr. Keller asked, “How so?”

“He’s a meat and potato’s kinda guy, always has been. And he’ll sneak dessert before dinner if I don’t keep an eye on him. He just doesn’t have any self-control. I mean, I’ll tell him, ‘No veggies, no dessert’ but he never listens. Any excuse he can find, he’s overeating.” Heidi grunted sounding like her stress level was escalating, “And I mean, I didn’t care what he ate when he was at his lightest, he looked great. 6’0 198lbs of pure muscle. He was every girl’s dream. Though now… He’s somewhere around 280. And I’m just guessing. He hasn’t weighed himself in a year. It could be higher.”

“80 pounds is quite a lot.” The therapist acknowledged.

“It’s very noticeable.” Heidi assured the softspoken professional.

“How does it make you feel?” Dr. Keller wondered.

“It’s embarrassing… And aggravating… I stay in shape for him, and he doesn’t seem to appreciate that... I’m just fed up!” Heidi pouted, as she noticed her hands had balled into fists and were slightly shaking. Relaxing a bit, Heidi muttered, “Gosh, I sound so shallow… Be honest, is it unfair of me to want him to lose weight?”

‘At least Heidi’s self-aware’, Dr Keller thought to herself, while she articulated her artful response, “I’ll answer your question with a question. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?”

“Hmm.” Heidi smiled, “Exactly.”

“If you married someone thin and someone you were physically attracted to, then it’s not unfair to expect that your spouse will maintain their weight and health over the years. Weight and physical attraction are important factors for sustaining intimacy in a healthy marriage.” Dr. Keller sensitively conveyed to her worried looking client.

“Thank you.” Heidi nodded her head appreciatively, “My husband makes me feel like I’m crazy for complaining about this. Like it’s no big deal.”

“You’re certainly not crazy.” The therapist murmured.

“So, how do I get him to lose the weight and get back in shape?” Heidi earnestly wondered, before deciding to further explain, “I get on his case about it all the time, but he just shrugs off everything I say. It’s like he doesn’t understand how his weight gain turns me off, or he doesn’t care.”

“That’s a tricky question. There is a fine line between helping and hurting someone who is overweight. On the one hand, sometimes tough love is the only thing that will motivate a person while on the other hand, constant criticism can drive a partner to eat more, even if he wants to lose the weight.” Dr. Keller mused, while she studied Heidi once again. It looked like the woman was dressed up for a tennis match at an upscale country club.

“So… what should I do?” Heidi hummed a bit impatiently.

Trying to keep Heidi focused, Dr. Keller stayed serious, “First, ask yourself if there is anything verbally or emotionally, you’re doing to contribute to your husband’s overeating. Overeating can be an emotional reaction for many who turn to food to fulfill something that is missing or to cope with harsh criticism.”

“I mean… I don’t think I’m the reason he got fat.” Heidi shrugged a little peeved by the subtext of her new therapist’s suggestion, “Without me he’d be even fatter. His problem is that he stopped working out after college and now his metabolism isn’t what it used to be. He needs to look in a mirror and wake the f*ck up!”

Hearing how nasty she was sounding Heidi bit her lip and apologized, “Sorry, sorry. Can you see how it frustrates me?”

“I can.” Dr. Keller nodded, “Heidi, people don’t want to be told what to do, especially about what is almost certainly a sensitive subject.”

“Then how do I solve this problem if I can’t tell him what to do?” Heidi burst feeling disappointed.

“Have you thought of any possible solutions?” The therapist prodded.

“I’ve thought about withholding sex once in a while until he gets his act together…” Heidi muttered under her breath a little embarrassed.

“I would not advice withholding affection.” Dr. Keller quickly interjected.

Feeling snappy, Heidi barked back, “Hey I said I’ve only thought about doing that! I haven’t actually done it!”

“Good, I’m glad.” Dr Keller sighed, “If anything, he probably needs a bit more affection from you to start making serious lifestyle changes.”

“Affection is not his problem; I shower him with affection all the time. He’s spoiled. Did I mention he’s an only child?” Heidi babbled.

The softspoken therapist was detecting a worrisome pattern. Every time fault was directed Heidi’s way, she deflected.

“No, you didn’t mention that.” Dr. Keller sighed, as she felt she’d identified what was wrong between husband and wife, “In my professional opinion, I think you and your husband need to spend a little time in each other’s shoes. You know, he needs to understand how you are feeling, and you need to understand how he is feeling.”

“Easier said than done.” Heidi pouted, while she crossed her arms underneath her perky bust, “Nothing I say gets through to him about his weight.”

“Hmm…” Dr. Keller hummed. That did present a problem, assuming Heidi was telling her the truth.

“Come on, I’m at my wits end here…” Heidi pleaded, “What should I do? I’ll do anything to get my marriage back to the way it was two years ago.”

“Anything?” Dr. Keller wanted to clarify. She’d just gotten a very unorthodox idea, but it just might be just what the doctor ordered.

“Of course!” Heidi responded without hesitation.

“Well, since the holiday season is right around the corner, why don’t you try eating as much as your husband? So, he can better see what his behavior looks like.” The concerned therapist suggested.

Looking instantly repulsed by the idea, Heidi grunted, “If I ate like my husband, I’d blow up faster than he did.”

“If you put on a few pounds, all the better.” Dr. Keller countered, “He’ll get a taste of what he’s been putting you though and you’ll get a taste of what he’s been going through.”

“But I don’t wanna get fat.” Heidi snobbishly burst. The disgust was practically dripping off of every word.

“I’m only suggesting you try this little experiment from thanksgiving until New Year’s. Five weeks. If you gain anything, it will probably only be a few pounds, nothing you couldn’t sweat off in January.” The old woman reasoned.

This time Heidi didn’t immediately respond. It looked to Dr. Keller that she was actually considering the pros and cons of her suggestion.

After what felt like a full two minutes, Heidi shrugged, “I guess it would be nice not to have to count calories during the holidays…”

“That’s the spirit. Once the holidays are over, have an honest talk with your husband, and then schedule another visit with me, we’ll go from there.” Dr. Keller smiled warmly.

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