No guests!” Viktor barked, glaring at his wife, “I want no one here. Katya, look at yourself, what have you become? You’re eating enough for three, you look like a shapeless heap. Again you’ll gather your friends, and you’ll demolish a two-week supply of food in one evening? No celebrations!
Lately, Katya had been feeling vulnerable. She realized that her husband was drifting away from her. The reason was her weight gain—Katya had put on a lot of weight after giving birth. At first, Viktor made no comments about her appearance, patiently waiting for Katya to finally take charge of herself. She knew she needed to lose at least thirty kilograms, something she, her parents, friends, and even neighbors had repeatedly told her. Standing at one hundred sixty-two centimeters, Ekaterina weighed almost a hundred kilograms three years after her son was born.
Viktor was more worried about his wife’s health than her appearance. Katya often complained about pain when walking, shortness of breath, and a strange discomfort on the left. It was impossible to go for a walk with her; she couldn’t even climb one flight of stairs without resting. Viktor tried many times to reason with her. Initially, he was gentle—on her birthday, a year after giving birth, he presented her with a gym membership.
Katya, fully aware of the problem, was initially pleased:
“Vitya, is this the gym that opened recently? How much did you spend on this membership? Those classes are very expensive!”
“It doesn’t matter,” Viktor dismissed, “just go and get healthy! I’ve paid for a personal trainer who will work just with you.”
“Great,” Katya was delighted, “I’ll take myself in hand and finally get my body in shape! Thank you, dear, the membership is the best gift!”
Initially, Katya attended the workouts with enthusiasm, arriving on time and working hard. She lied to the coach, claiming she was following all his instructions. After two months, she received her first reprimand:
“Ekaterina, I don’t understand what’s happening. We meet four days a week, we’ve had over thirty sessions, and there’s no result! You haven’t lost weight, you’ve gained! Where did these three kilograms come from?”
Katya began to make excuses:
“I don’t know, Dmitry. I follow all your instructions: I eat right, walk a lot, count calories every day. Maybe you put together the program wrong?”
“Ekaterina, I think you’re deceiving me,” the coach sighed, “Please understand that training without proper nutrition isn’t effective! You need to review your diet and definitely give up junk food. You continue to eat fast food; I saw you choking on some bun today!”
Caught red-handed, Ekaterina, despite her coach’s requests, did not adhere to any diets. Unable to give up her favorite, unhealthy food, she had never before had a weight problem and naively believed that the pounds gained during pregnancy could be shed solely through physical exercise.
Katya took the coach’s words as a personal insult—she got angry:
“I just ate a tiny piece!” Ekaterina snapped, “What’s so terrible about that? And don’t you dare reproach me with this! What kind of expert are you if you can’t solve my weight problem? I refuse your services, I no longer intend to train with you!”
Katya stopped going to the fitness center. For a long time, she lied to Viktor, saying she continued to train, but he eventually discovered the truth.
“Katya, you’re not going to the gym anymore?” Viktor casually asked during dinner, “You train so much, but I see no changes. We eat the same food, but you should be preparing separate meals for yourself. Or am I mistaken?”
Katya, pouring cream sauce over her pasta, shrugged:
“No, I shouldn’t. I don’t have time to cook separately for myself! Can’t you see I eat small portions? And I still go to the gym four times a week. Why are you even asking?”
“The thing is, one of my good acquaintances works at the fitness center. When I bought the membership, I set a reminder on my phone not to forget to renew it. I called today to ask about the conditions, check if the account details had changed. And my acquaintance tells me your membership expired long ago! That you stopped attending training two months ago. I wasn’t lazy, I went there, found out what was going on, talked to your trainer. Kat, please tell me, are you kidding me? I tore a bunch of money out of the family budget and spent it on that damn membership! I was willing to continue paying just so you could get yourself in shape. And what? You lie to me!”
Katya flinched—Viktor had never raised his voice at her before.
“Vitya, let me explain, why are you yelling right away? Yes, I really don’t go to that fitness center anymore, but only because they’re all charlatans there! What did the trainer promise me? That after a month of regular workouts, the weight would start to drop! But what really happened? I went there for two months and didn’t lose a gram. He even dares to criticize me! You should have heard how he spoke to me. I respect myself, Vitya, and I definitely won’t allow some random man to yell at me! Who does he think he is? What kind of expert is he if he can’t even talk to clients properly? I’m paying him money, he should be licking me from all sides!”
“So, this is it,” Viktor slammed his fist on the table, “Katya, I’m tired of asking you nicely. I’ll tell you the truth: I don’t like you this way! You know I’m worried about your health. You’re only twenty-eight years old, and you hurt everywhere, probably from your head to your heels! Don’t you understand that extra weight is a huge strain on your body? When I married you, you were slim. Look at our wedding photos! And now, what have you turned into? I’ll be honest, I no longer feel attracted to you. Yes, I try to fulfill my marital duty, but you have no idea how hard it is for me! I don’t understand what’s stopping you from losing weight? Do you actually like yourself this way?
Katya sobbed. Of course, she would have liked to return to her former shape, but quickly, without much effort. She was ready to take pills and lose weight with their help, but without diets. Food had been Katya’s only joy in recent years, helping her cope with stress.
Her husband’s words deeply wounded her—she retorted:
“By the way, you promised to be with me in sickness and in health! Yes, I’ve gained weight, but does that fact prevent you from loving me? I will lose weight, definitely! But only gradually, not immediately. Maybe I should see a dietitian, not some miserable coach who knows nothing about proper nutrition!”
“Go wherever you want,” Viktor waved his hand, “it’s useless to talk to you, you don’t want to change anything. It’s obvious, Kat! I’m giving you one last chance. You have exactly six months. If you don’t start losing weight by then, I’ll file for divorce. And then think whatever you want about me. I want a healthy wife first and foremost. How do you plan to have a second child? Are you sure you can carry it? I have no such guarantees!”
Katya realized that her husband was giving her an ultimatum. On the one hand, she was very hurt. She never thought that Vitya would cling to something as trivial as extra pounds. After arguing with her husband, Katya put her son to bed and decided to vent—she called a close friend. Straightforward Vika, hearing Katya’s complaints for the hundredth time, grimly remarked:
“Katka, I’ve told you this before and I’ll repeat: get a grip! Your Vitya isn’t made of iron, he’ll tolerate your antics, and find someone more talkative. What are you, a child? You know that your husband likes slim women. If you want to keep this marriage, you’ll have to lose weight!”
“And you too,” Katya got angry, “I actually called you, Vitya, to get support, and you took Vitya’s side! Why is everyone biting me? Can’t you understand that I just can’t lose weight?”
“Kat, you just need to eat less,” summarized Viktoria, “and that’s it, the problem will disappear by itself! Let me give you the contacts of a good nutritionist? My boss lost twenty-five kilograms with her help in a year. And, by the way, she hasn’t gained it back—her weight has been stable for three years. You have to start somewhere! At least try for the sake of your family. Do you really want a divorce, Katya? There are so many single women who dream of getting married. Your Vitya will be snapped up in no time, and you won’t be able to do anything about it. Take advantage of the chance your husband is giving you. No one but you can do it.”
Katya wrote down the number just in case, but instead of following her friend’s advice, she went online and registered on a forum where women shared their successes in fighting excess weight. Katya now spent her evenings there, not even trying to solve her problems. On the contrary, she quickly found like-minded individuals and embraced their ideology.
With Viktor, relations rapidly deteriorated—instead of seeking a compromise, Katya increasingly told her husband:
“You should love me as I am! I’m your wife, the mother of your child. I support body positivity, I believe I shouldn’t have to lose weight to satisfy someone’s whims. I love myself the way I am, and you, Vitya, simply must accept that! I don’t understand what’s bothering you? I take care of the household, raise our child, and provide you with reliable support. And I look attractive, no matter what you say! I won’t lose weight, I don’t see the need. My new friends think so too. Finally, I have people in my life who are ready to support me!”
Viktor disagreed with his wife’s opinion. When the man realized that talking to Katya was futile, he created a profile on a dating site and there met Lyudmila. He even managed to meet her a couple of times, but it never led to an affair. Lyuda immediately warned her new acquaintance that she was only interested in serious relationships, and Viktor was not yet ready for a divorce. Deep down, he still hoped that his wife would come to her senses. To resolve the conflict, Vitya involved all relatives, but Katya responded to any remarks with a rehearsed phrase:
“I’m not obliged to lose weight for you. Leave me alone, the extra weight doesn’t bother me!”
Katya’s forum friends often met in real life. On weekends, the women gathered in a coffee shop and had a blast: they gorged on pastries and discussed everyone who didn’t support their point of view. Katya passionately complained:
“Such problems with my husband, girls! Can you imagine, he refuses to accept me as I am, demands that I lose weight! But since I met you, I realized that I don’t need to. I’m beautiful just the way I am! How do I explain to him that I’m right?”
“Don’t you dare give up your beliefs,” her friends advised Ekaterina, “you need to bend your husband to your will! Just alienate him from yourself. This method works infallibly, it’s never failed before, right, girls? Who has tried it on themselves? Share your opinions!”
Katya’s mind was thoroughly washed. She didn’t understand that she was destroying her marriage with her own hands. Viktor didn’t want to bend to anyone; in recent months, he became increasingly convinced that he no longer loved his wife. Viktor was far more interested in his new acquaintance. He actively courted Lyudmila, but she still didn’t let him close.
Viktor made the decision to leave the family a few days before his wife’s birthday—when the man returned from work, Katya commanded him in an authoritarian tone:
“Go to the store and get everything on the list. We have guests the day after tomorrow, I’m inviting my friends for my birthday.”
“Those you run to every Saturday?” Viktor asked grimly, “and what are they doing here?”
“They’re coming to congratulate me,” announced Ekaterina, “I want to have a good time, so I’m inviting them. Vitya, hurry up! I have very little time, I need to marinate the meat, chop the salads, and bake a cake. Not to mention various snacks! I have very little time—only a day and a half.”
Viktor briefly looked over the list his wife handed him.
“Four kilograms of beef, three chickens, six packs of mayonnaise, three sticks of sausage… How many guests are we expecting, Katya?”
“Four people,” shrugged the wife.
“You plan to eat all this in five people?” Viktor was horrified, “are you serious?”
“Yes,” Ekaterina calmly replied, “the table should be lavish! I’m not going to embarrass myself in front of my friends. We all love to eat, so I’ll cook a lot. Whatever’s left, we’ll finish ourselves. What are you worried about?”
Viktor couldn’t stand it—he crumpled the piece of paper and threw it at his wife.
“I’m sick of you!” the man roared, “I can’t stand to look at you anymore! You gorge yourself, drowning in mayonnaise, and you’ve gathered the same ‘cows’ around you. I’m leaving, Katya. That’s it, I’m filing for divorce tomorrow. So, my dear ex-wife, you’ll have to run to the stores yourself. Shake that body a little!”
Katya didn’t want to let her husband go, but Viktor packed his bags and left. Ekaterina was firmly convinced that her husband would change his mind, but the divorce still happened. Katya, of course, blames her ex-husband, her new friends support her. And Viktor is happy with Lyudmila, he finally managed to win her over.