Motivation Case Study:The Case of...Maria Tokarski, the Happiest Loser

Maria Tokarski had been a normal weight for her height throughout much of her life, but after her first child was born she found that she just couldn't lose the extra weight she had gained during her pregnancy. Caring for an infant took a lot of her time and energy, and she wasn't as focused on her health and appearance as she once had been. Rather than returning to her normal weight, Maria slowly gained more until she was almost twice her pre-pregnancy weight.

Maria's weight gain affected her mood, her social life, and even her marriage. But when her physician delivered the news that it was affecting her health, Maria found the determination to make a change. It took almost two years of regular exercise, careful monitoring of her diet, and regular support group meetings, but Maria eventually returned to her former slim figure. On her son's fifth birthday, Maria pulled out her favorite pair of jeans that had been in storage since just before her maternity days and was overjoyed to find that they finally fit her once again!

1) What may have been some of the motivational and environmental factors contributing to Maria's weight gain after childbirth?

2) If you were Maria's physician, how would you explain to her the weight-set-point hypothesis?

3) Which approaches to motivation might help to explain Maria's unflagging determination to lose all the weight she had gained, and why?

4) If Maria were your friend and she asked your advice on weight-loss strategies, what would you tell her?

5) In what ways do you think emotion was tied in to Maria's weight gain and her subsequent weight loss?