Various researches have revealed that the likelihood of gaining weight after marriage is pretty high, and generally, it’s easy to notice that just after six months of getting married, couples tend to look fatter or bigger than when they were single.
So, why are married couples gaining weight so easily?
1. EATING PATTERN CHANGES
Obviously, couples eat differently from when they are single; two people coming together with different eating habits would definitely have an effect on each other; they would want to cook better meals, try new dishes and the woman would definitely want to impress her husband with her cooking skills — and you know what this means.
This change in eating habits would definitely make couples gain more weight over time.
2. SLEEPING PATTERN CHANGES
With marriage comes responsibilities; married couples have a role to play to each other and this would most likely change the way they sleep. You should know that a lack of sleep can increase the likelihood to gain weight — and couples sleep less compared to when they were single.
3. EATING OUT
The early stage of marriage is characterised with eating out and lots of date nights, and you know what that means — weight.
4. YOU PAY LESS ATTENTION TO YOUR WEIGHT
It’s easier to pay enough attention to your weight when you are single than when married. Once you are married, you tend to exercise less and you even put less pressure on yourself to remain in shape; also the zeal to remain attractive is higher when you are single — that’s the point you tend to look most attractive in order to look appealing to the opposite sex.
5. LESS SOCIAL PRESSURE
Pressures from your peers tend to be high when you are single; friends put pressure on each other to remain fit and attractive always. However, that pressure tends to drastically reduce after marriage. Many friends would even take the weight gain as part of the territory.
6. PREGNANCY
In women, pregnancy also increases the likelihood of gaining weight. Women tend to eat more and crave junk foods when they are pregnant, while also exercising less. This contributes to part of the reasons why pregnant women end up gaining weight more often than not.
7. PRIORITIES CHANGE
With marriage come different responsibilities and different priorities compared to when you were single. When single, looking attractive to the opposite sex was a priority, but with marriage comes kids, work and more responsibilities — this changes your priority.
8. STRESS AND UNHAPPINESS
Married couples tend to be more stressed than those who are single. Stress and unhappiness can make couples turn to food and unhealthy foods; this can also cause them to gain weight.
British researchers particularly found that women are more likely to turn to high-sugar and high-fat foods when dealing with issues in their marriage.
9. MARITAL SATISFACTION
Just as stress and unhappiness can cause couples to gain weight, research has also shown that marital satisfaction can cause couples to gain weight.
A four-year study published in the Health Psychology Journal found that the more couples are satisfied with their marriage, the more likely they would gain weight.
Now, you can understand why married couples tend to put on weight when compared to when they were single.
ViV