Getting Married Will Make You Obese
Posted by: Annika Harris
Filed in:
relationships
1:40PM, Tuesday June 16th 2009
Couples that live together are twice as likely to become obese than those that live separately, according to new research. Although cohabitation does result in some health benefits, like decreased cigarette smoking and lower mortality, Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, found that married couples and those living together had greater weight gains than other people of the same age, and the couples had a greater risk for obesity. She said age may not be the cause of the weight gain, but the pressure of changing behaviors could be. People living together tend to eat together, cook bigger meals, and eat out more frequently than when they were single, said Gordon-Larsen. Spouses, she added, can be good influences on each other, as long as, they realize what’s going on. That may be how they avoid packing on the extra pounds. [Telegraph via Impact Lab]
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CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 01:46 pm: [report]
No, this is a logical fallacy. Marriage just makes you not care that you are fat, because then you can be fat ‘together’.
GreenAura
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 01:53 pm: [report]
The exact opposite occured in my marriage. We decided we should lose weight together. He lost 60 pounds and I lost 30 and now we both look better than we did in high school! We are kind of competitive, which helped because we were constantly trying to out-do the other’s weight goals. Now we’ve kept off all the weight for nearly 2 years!
joyy
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 01:59 pm: [report]
@GreenAura - well done! it takes what feels like tons of effort for me to work off my 5-10 lbs of ‘winter weight’ every year, so dropping 60 and 30 lbs is a big accomplishment in my eyes (not that you really care much about my opinion, of course!)
I’ve lived with my bf for a little over 2 years now, and these are the healthiest two years I’ve had since hs when I was constantly in sports and still little from being, well, little. He’s active, and that helps me stay more active, even when I’m being a bit of a slacker. He’s also really clean and eats pretty healthy - <3 the good habits rubbing off on me!
writergirl
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 01:59 pm: [report]
I don’t think marriage made us fat…but stress from different sources sure as hell did. Now, we’re losing weight together and so far, so good!
I Go To 11
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 02:14 pm: [report]
Actually, since my fiance and I moved in together almost a year ago, we rarely eat out. I used to eat out all the time, mainly because I don’t like cooking for just myself. Since I do most of the cooking for us, I decided once I moved in that we should eat healthier; we’ve both lost weight because our normal diets are pretty low in fat now. Neither of us can tolerate fried/fatty/completely calorie-laden foods anymore because it literally makes us sick. So while I see this could be true for some couples, it’s definitely not a “one-size-fits-all” type of thing.
GreenAura
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 02:50 pm: [report]
Thanks joyy!
Lynn
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 02:50 pm: [report]
I’m eating so much better than I was before BF came along. My single nights were filled with microwave pizzas and hot chocolate, but he’s all about being healthy so now it’s rice and veggies half the time. Plus, I’m much more likely to put in an effort when I have a boyfriend 1) because if it’s just me, I don’t see the point in going to the trouble of spending any time cooking (which is poor logic, but that’s my mindset) and 2) because when I’m single, no one sees me naked, so a few extra rolls are a much smaller deal.
On the whole it’s a nice thing, to have someone pushing me to be healthier, but it can get to be a bit much when I can’t even eat half a candy bar without him commenting.
EarthGoddess
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 04:36 pm: [report]
My husband and I are both guilty of this, but we recently decided that we’ve had enough and want to be healthier. We planned to start a walking/jogging routine at an outdoor track near us, and then it rained for almost a week. Ugh. Wonder if God’s telling us it’s not meant to be! LOL
Backliteyes
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 04:54 pm: [report]
@EarthGoddess: Or he’s testing your commitment!
landesign
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 05:11 pm: [report]
My wive’s habits rubbed off on me. I used to eat terribly.
Now its more fish, or chicken, low carbs, plenty of water.
Now if I could only get control of the coffee.
becktasm
wrote on June 16 2009 @ 10:12 pm: [report]
Haha when my boyfriend and I moved in together he gained 30 pounds in three months. Granted, it’s not much on his 6’7” frame, but there are stretch marks. It was so cute- when he first got them, he freaked out because he didn’t know what they were. The problem was that he’s not a very good cook and I am, and I don’t skimp on the butter, cheese, and cream. I know what my dishes contain, so I control my intake, but all he sees are nummies and so he eats as much as he can hold. I don’t mind his weight gain- if he wants to lose it for himself that’s fine, but I love him and he’ll always be sexy to me. =)
landesign
wrote on June 17 2009 @ 02:59 am: [report]
@Becktasm. Your right. Small portions helps. You guys would
love my pancake recipe. Good for a few more pounds. LOL
missduplicity
wrote on June 17 2009 @ 05:50 am: [report]
LoL. This is definitely true in our case. Personally, I blame myself for never having learned to cook things without the use of a microwave….my husband is a GREAT cook, but he loves to cook French food, pasta, and basically anything else that is 80% carb and 10% high trans fat. We also love to go out and eat and enjoy ourselves, and he is the type of man who never settles for just the entree….we have to have drinks, appetizers, desserts…
I’d say we’ve both expanded considerably in our 3.5 years of marriage. But no matter. We’ll join a church softball league in our 30s and even the score.
The GOOD thing about marriage is that, when you DO decide to shed those porker pounds, you already have your work-out partner built in.
joyy
wrote on June 17 2009 @ 07:30 am: [report]
@missD - a rec softball league is lots of fun and will keep you more active but won’t do anything for losing weight, trust me. I’m playing twice a week on various work teams (neither are my own office, lol), and it’s not doing a damn thing for this lingering winter weight of mine. So I’m back to biking to work, as that always does the trick. Softball is great, but you’re going to need some cardio and diet tweaking as well if you want to lose any weight.