Why Do People Gain Weight After Getting Married?

Ever notice how most people who are married are more overweight than those that aren’t?

Please see Weight gain hits women after marriage, men after divorce.

The article states:

“Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women,” study co-author and sociology professor Zhenchao Qian theorized in the news release. “On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain.”

While this is only a theory, there might be some truth to it. I would like to however think that most men are just as involved as their partners in their family life. Generally speaking, getting married, and even more so having kids, adds larger roles to both genders. There’s usually less time for yourself, and this tends to push taking care of yourself aside in favor of the little ones.

The article goes on to state:

The researchers also found that people over age 30 were most likely to gain weight after marriage or divorce, and the risk grew stronger as people grew older.

This may be because they’ve settled into certain patterns of diet and physical activity, the researchers said.

I think this is the real problem. People settle into patterns. They become comfortable with the status quo. When one partner puts on some weight, the other partner feels less pressure to maintain their weight. And then the cycle continues.

It is difficult to break old habits, and the longer you have become set in your ways, the harder it is to break out of them.

That is why I say getting into shape is a lifestyle change. You can’t just go about your same life and expect different results. You can’t just go on a 10 day or 10 week diet. If low activity levels, fast food, and comfort foods sounds like you, then you know what the problem is. You need to sit down and think if you are ready to change your life for the better. It is a lot of hard work at first.

But I can guarantee you this: Once you reach that level of physique that you always wanted, and you start eating those healthy foods, and your sense of well being is vastly improved…you will never want to go back to your old ways again.

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