Women often struggle with their weight after marriage, and for good reason. A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that women who were married became obese 27% faster than those who weren’t. Here are some reasons as to why this might be, as well as tips on how to maintain a healthy weight.
-Family dynamics change: Once you get married, your family dynamics change. You may find yourself having less time to cook or prepare food because of work or other commitments.
-You have less motivation: The study found that married women had much lower levels of self-control. When you’re single, it’s easier to make healthy decisions when there are no external motivations involved in your decision-making process because you care about yourself more.
-There’s no accountability: One thing that can help people stick to a healthy eating plan is accountability. But when you’re in a relationship, there’s no one else to keep you accountable for your.
The Study
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, looked at how marriage affects weight gain. The study looked at 2,767 married women and found that 27% of them became obese within 5 years of getting married. As for unmarried women, only 8% became obese after the same amount of time.
This article will discuss why this might be happening and what you can do to maintain a healthy weight.
Why Married Women Gain Weight
When you’re single, it’s easier to make healthy decisions because there are no external motivations. But when you’re married, you may find yourself having less motivation or accountability to stay on track with your diet and fitness goals.
Here are some suggestions on how to maintain a healthy weight after marriage:
-Plan healthy meals: Plan healthy meals before you get married for the first time and make sure your partner is down with the plan too. If you want to go out one night, try and come home and cook up something healthy that can be eaten for lunch or dinner the next day.
-Be accountable: Try and find an accountability buddy who will help keep you on track. If not, create a blog or website where you can post progress reports so you can see if your efforts are paying off.
-Create a system: Create a system in which one person is responsible for cooking each night so there’s still someone holding everyone accountable for what they eat.
Family Dynamics Change
-Once you get married, your family dynamics change. You may find yourself having less time to cook or prepare food because of work or other commitments.
-You might not know how to cook on your own without your mom’s help, and there are no one else who will do it for you.
-This can make you rely on more processed foods, which are usually high in fat and salt.
You Have Less Motivation
The study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that married women had much lower levels of self-control. When you’re single, it’s easier to make healthy decisions when there are no external motivations involved in your decision-making process because you care about yourself more.
A major reason for this is that when you’re in a relationship, there’s no one else to keep you accountable for your food choices. You might find yourself making unhealthy choices because they’re easy and don’t require any work or consideration on your part.
But when you live by yourself, you won’t have someone telling you what to do or how to behave when it comes to food. This can help single women avoid making bad decisions and the health consequences that come with them.
How to Maintain a Healthy Weight After Marriage
Women often struggle with their weight after marriage, and for good reason. A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that women who were married became obese 27% faster than those who weren’t. Here are some reasons as to why this might be, as well as tips on how to maintain a healthy weight.
-Family dynamics change: Once you get married, your family dynamics change. You may find yourself having less time to cook or prepare food because of work or other commitments.
-You have less motivation: The study found that married women had much lower levels of self-control. When you’re single, it’s easier to make healthy decisions when there are no external motivations involved in your decision-making process because you care about yourself more.
-There’s no accountability: One thing that can help people stick to a healthy eating plan is accountability. But when you’re in a relationship, there’s no one else to keep you accountable for your choices and actions around food and exercise.
What are the consequences of being overweight?
Being overweight or obese has serious consequences for your health. Here are some of the things that can happen to your body when you’re overweight:
-Diabetes: Having excess weight can lead to insulin resistance, which results in type 2 diabetes. This is an extremely serious condition because it affects your whole body and prevents the cells from absorbing glucose properly.
-Heart disease: Being overweight or obese is associated with heart disease; the more excess weight you carry, the higher your risk of developing this condition.
-Liver disease: Excess fat in your liver increases the likelihood of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is associated with obesity, high cholesterol, and fatty deposits in the liver that may eventually lead to cirrhosis.
-Asthma: If you have asthma, being overweight makes it harder for you to breathe because fat around your abdomen obstructs airways.
-Sleep apnea: When you have sleep apnea, being overweight will only make it worse because there’s more fat for air passages to go through before they get to your lungs.
Tips to maintain a healthy weight post-marriage
-Know your triggers: Know what your triggers are, and be prepared for them. For example, you may find yourself eating more when you’re bored or stressed.
-Plan ahead: You can plan healthy meals in advance that are easy to prepare. One of the best ways to do this is by meal prepping on Sundays so you have food ready to go for work or school during the week.
-Organize your calendar: List out all of your commitments on a calendar so you can see when time is going to be scarce. This way, you’ll know when it’s time to cook or prepare food instead of ordering takeout.
How to avoid weight gain
The best way to avoid weight gain is to work out regularly. That’s because regular exercise not only helps you burn calories, but it also improves your mood and boosts your energy levels.
If you’re not able to work out regularly, try making healthier food choices. There are plenty of recipes available that are healthy and delicious. You can even take part in challenges with friends or family members to see who can make the most healthy meals.
Why does this happen?
Women who are married often have less time to cook or prepare food because of other commitments.
That’s not the only reason that women gain weight after marriage, however. The study found that married women had much lower levels of self-control than single women. When you’re single, it’s easier to make healthy decisions when there are no external motivations involved in your decision-making process because you care about yourself more.
Another reason is that there’s no one else to keep you accountable for your diet like there would be if you were single. All these factors may seem like they work against your best interest, but don’t worry! We’ve got some tips to help you maintain a healthy weight even after marriage.
Conclusion
The study found that after marriage, women gain an average of 11 pounds in the first year and another 5 pounds in the following years.
While these numbers may seem a bit discouraging, this post will provide you with a few tips on how to maintain a healthy weight after marriage and combat weight gain.
