Using Psychology
to Lose Weight
It was her daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and there was to be a family party as well as a birthday celebration with friends. Susan invited her friends, and they were all going out to a nearby water park and then for pizza afterward. Susan was pleased with the arrangements.
Meanwhile, the family part was coming along nicely. Both Susan’s grandparents were coming, and so were an uncle and aunt on her father’s side. Only Mathilde’s brother wasn’t sure if he could make it. He was still unsure three days before the party, so Mathilde counted him out. The day before the party, her brother called and said he was coming. He wanted to know what to get his niece for her birthday, and when Mathilde couldn’t think of anything, her brother exploded at her. “It’s my niece, and I’m not sure what to get for her. You’re a woman. The least you could do is help me out. Mathilde came up with a few suggestions, none of which her brother liked, and he hung up in a huff.
Mathilde overeats almost every chance she gets. She nibbles before meals. She doesn’t tell anyone about this. She eats regular-size portions at meal times when she’s eating with other people. Afterwards, she nibbles again, in private, in secret. Only she doesn’t think of it like this. In fact, she hardly notices she does this. If you were to ask her about her overeating, she’d point to the regular-size portions she eats at meal times. She is at least 40 to 60 pounds overweight. She doesn’t like being so heavy, and she makes her dislike known to her family and to a few close friends.
Why do you think Mathilde eats the way she does? Got any advice for Mathilde?
