We know what you're thinking: In that case, why not just shack up and not get married?
Oh, if only it were that easy.
After following the weight and relationship status of 6,949 individuals for several years, the UNC nutrition epidemiologists found that even unmarried cohabiting lovebirds pack on the pounds. Read: Living Apart: The Key To Wedded Bliss?
Unfair, isn't it? But wait. It gets even more unfair. The study found that unmarried women living in sin for up to five years face a 63% increased chance of obesity while their male counterparts face no increased risk at all.
And it just gets worse over time. As Penny Gordon-Larsen, one of the two authors of the study, told Time magazine: "With women, we saw incremental risk after one year. The longer she lived with a romantic partner, the more likely she was to put on weight." Read: 50% Of Women Regret Marrying Their Husbands
The big question, of course, is: Where does all this weight come from? After questioning 1,293 couples for a separate part of the study, Gordon-Larsen and the study's lead author, Natalie The, have some ideas. Among them: That mealtime (and thus, eating) might become more important for couples living together than for people living alone; that working out might become less of a priority after tying the knot; and that, well, maybe after all the prepping to fit into a size six on the wedding day, people just let themselves go.
On top of that, scientists have known for a while that obesity is socially contagious. In other words, if you spend time with people who carry a few extra pounds — whether they're your husband or your friends — it becomes easier/more acceptable for you to do the same. Read: Weight Loss Lessens ED Risk
But there's a flip side to this last part that bodes well for cohabiting couples. It also seems that fitness is contagious. In a University of Connecticut study she conducted last year, Amy Gorin found that when one half of a married couple participates in a weight-loss program, the other half loses an average of five pounds.
Personally, we can't think of a better reason to have our husbands go to the gym.
More From YourTango:
- I'm Just Not That Into His Weight Gain
- Head Over Meals: How Love Makes You Fat
- Lose Weight, Have More Sex
- Fun And Free: The Exercise Date
- How Yoga May Be The Answer To Better Sex
- The Joy of Flex: Exercise Better Together
- Does His Weight Gain Mean Less Sex?
- Study: Married Couples Gain The Most Weight
Written by Kristen Meinzer for YourTango.com
