Lately, I’ve been wondering why I am gaining weight so easily. But, after a certain period of not doing anything about it and enjoying the beauty of this life alongside my partner, I realized something.
I have a man who loves me, my life is pretty predictable, I am happy with what I am doing, and I am curled up deep inside my comfort zone. Of course, I am gaining weight.
Now, I know that the idea that loving couples gain much weight then singles might sound a little bit ridiculous and slightly far-fetched. Most of you are probably rolling your eyes right now, BUT I have evidence to support my statements.
(Un)fortunately, science is here to back me up and confirm my theory. Because, according to several studies, partners who genuinely love each other and are committed in a happy, long-term relationship and are more likely to gain weight.
A research study published in Wiley Online Library conducted by Penny Gordon-Larsen and Natalie S. The analyzed the weight measurements more than 8,000 people and came to a conclusion that a woman who is married is likely to gain 24 pounds, in the early stages of her marriage (the first 5, 6 years). Additionally, they concluded that women who weren’t married but only lived with their partners gained 22 pounds. Lastly, the ones who were in a happy relationship with their men but weren’t living together gained 13 pounds.
If you are wondering whether they forgot the men, they didn’t. The research study revealed that men were also prone to gaining weight, particularly during their transition from being single to getting engaged in a happy relationship. In fact, the results showed that men who lived for more than 2 years with their partner were likely to gain more than 30 pounds the ones who were only dating.
The researchers concluded that the number of the results related to obesity is tightly associated with happy, romantic and long-term relationships. However, even though this study showed that weight gain can be a serious issue for happy couples, at the same time it also discovered a significant decrease in drinking and smoking which showed that some of these couples were determined to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
Furthermore, another research conducted at the National Institute of Health examined newlyweds and analyzed whether marital satisfaction is negatively or positively associated with weight gain. The participants in the study were couples who were married for 4 years. The researchers analyzed their emotional and mental health and discovered that the ones who have been happily married were more likely to gain weight than the ones who stated that they weren’t happy with their partner.
Their conclusion was that the happy couples who genuinely love each other gain more weight because they feel comfortable with who they are and don’t feel the need to be attractive to another person. On the other hand, couples who are unhappy are less likely to gain weight since they are overexposed to stress.
If you are still not convinced that gaining weight might have to do with how happy your relationship is, another study done by the New England Journal of Medicine discovered that gaining weight is actually contagious.
In other words, if one partner is gaining weight, the other one is likely to start putting on some weight as well. This is due to the fact that couples spend a lot of time together and ultimately pick up each other’s habits.
However, regardless of the fact that these studies have been conducted by health professionals, it is important to understand that they don’t really apply to us all. The goals of these studies were understanding the life of couples and helping the ones who are fighting obesity.
In the end, there are always exceptions to the rule. The fact that these studies showed that happy couples tend to gain more weight doesn’t mean that you are not happy with your lover.
So, what’s your opinion? Have you gained more weight since you’ve fallen crazy in love with your partner?
Feel free to share your experience with us!
