Vote in This Week's Poll: Did you gain weight when you got married or moved in together?
Monday July 6, 2009
One thing that happens after finding the man or woman of your dreams, besides living happily ever as you skip through flower-filled meadows, is this: You get fatter. This is true according to many couples I know and a study showing that marriage is associated with a significant 2-year weight gain. Just some things that contribute include:
- Shared environment - You tend to eat the same foods and do the same things when you live together, so one person may be influenced by the other to eat more and sit more
- Less incentive to be thin - When you're dating, you tend to work harder to look good
- Having kids - This makes you tired, busy and stressed
We've talked before about getting your spouse or partner to exercise (something almost impossible without superhuman powers), and now I want to know about what happened after the wedding. Did you gain weight? What do you think caused it and what did you do about it? Post a comment and tell us your experiences with marriage, living together and weight gain.
Source:
Robert W. Jeffery and Allison M. Rick. Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Body Mass Index and Marriage-Related Factors. Obesity Research (2002) 10, 809–815, 2002.
Comments
We’ve been married 10 yrs. I’ve had our two kids. HE has gained 50 lbs. and I’ve gained maybe 5! What’s up with that? LOL
I am shocked at the percentage of people who gain weight after marriage! It is not showing respect to your spouse, or yourself, if you let yourself go after you have gotten your mate secured! I think we should all take pride in our appearance and not abuse our bodies – not just for our significant other – but for ourselves as well.
Right-On, Tami!
Well said….
It’s easy to get carried away when you first move in or get married. You get comfortable with yourself and your mate. You go out to eat, you have some drinks, and have a grand ol’ time just being with eachother. For me, personally, I gained 35 lbs between when I really got into a solid relationship (about a year before getting engaged) and about a year after being married (a 5 year time span). It happens to the best of us, but you just have to realize how serious of a problem it can become and make a change.
wow tami must be an easy life you have. i didn’t gain much weight but what do you do when you go from athletic student to nursing house wife of a disabled child. sure instead of whining i got back to working out but ppl have jobs and numerous things to take care of, its not like they mean to be disrespectful and mean to let themselves go. there are ppl who don’t care or don’t anything but that is rough on those that are at least trying to get back on the horse.i’d rather give credit and positive reinforcement to those at least making the attempt.
and i get so tired of hearing about working out for appearance this is a good #1 reason ppl fail at a plan,that’s a lot of pressure.how about health or strength as a goal. if you can have strength to do more in your day then that benefits a family more then looking “hot”. not saying to not take care of yourself and be presentable but maybe that wording could have been more clearer. and being healthy is easy on the family from a finical standpoint.
but i will tell my dh that even though he works two jobs about 10 hours a day and more on the weekends and at least tries to get active with sports that he is so disrespectful to me for being slightly overweight. its like i should be angry at him instead of supportive.
Well K – you have totally misunderstood my comment. First of all, I too raised a handicapped son who required constant care. I too had gained weight (only 5′2″ and at my highest was 163) after two kids but, even though I was overweight, I tried to keep my self presentable. Looking ‘hot’ is not at all what I am talking about! It is about not going to the grocery store in sweat pants and hair in rollers! It is about caring enough about yourself on the inside as well as the outside. Don’t you feel more confidant when you look nice?
As far as “health and strength”, well – I see it as a number one priority. But they go hand in hand with keeping ourselves ‘up’. I happen to work with a widowed lady who is 99 years old, and whenever I go see her, she has make-up on, dressed nice, hair combed – even matching jewelery! She lives in an assisted living facility and has no one to look good for – but it makes HER feel better that she took the time to put forth a little effort in herself.
I have lost the weight and for a middle aged woman consider myself pretty healthy. I do take the time to exercise and eat healthy and so does my husband. I appreciate that he too works hard but still cares enough about himself to keep in shape. It doesn’t take much.
we didnt gain weight when we married or started living together it was the prenancies that did the weight gain for both of us. darn kids!
My husband and I had been together for about 9 years before we had children and I was very fit during all that time, never gained any weight. Then after we had our first child I gained a little weight. After our second child was born, boy howdy lots more weight. Then a disability hit and even more weight. I am now at 5′3″ 170lbs. Though I do “carry” it well and most people are shocked when I tell them what I weigh. Not sure why. But, my children are now 15 and 12, and I am doing a workout regimen which my children are involved in. It is nice as we are doing something as a family on top of becoming healthier.
I had a baby at 40. Right after her birth I ordered a jogging stroller from the U.S. (we live in Paris where these aren’t available). I would put the baby in the stroller and we’d go off for a run as a family either early in the morning, after work and at the weekend. Like many other families, we live a hectic life where both my dh and I work. The family runs gave us wonderful time together, I wasn’t reliant on the availability of a babysitter and it helped me get rid of all my pregnancy weight. While this maybe common in America, it is rare to see it in our city (in fact we’ve only ever seen one other family with a jogger where we live). That stroller was the best investment ever! One can find many excuses not to work out but if you are determined to, you can find the time. Look after your body, you’ll thank yourself for it in later years!