Eating healthy and exercising regularly is the easiest way to a healthy you

Eating healthy and exercising regularly is the easiest way to a healthy you

Relationships are hard, not only do they impact on how you concentrate and how you feel they also have a staggering effect on your appetite.

A recent study has found that both marrying and getting divorced can have a 'weight shock' effect that leads to rapid weight gain, especially in the over-30s.

The research tracked the weight of more than 10,000 people over 20 years. It found that women tend to experience large weight gains after being married, but for men it is divorce that gets them piling on the pounds.

"There have been similar studies done before, but this one - with its high number of participants and long monitoring perios - makes the link between marriage and an increase in BMI (Body Mass Index) more definitive," says Mr Williams, scientific advisor for the All About Weight organisation.

In previous studies researchers have speculated that men and women put on weight after marriage because they are no longer trying hard to stay attractive to their partner.

Williams continues: "It is common for both partners to tend to try particularly hard to lose weight for their wedding, and all to often this is done using unhealthy fad diets for a quick fix. These diets are not sustainable and often do nothing to encourage longer term healthy eating.

"In the first few months of marriage, the relief of being able to stop following an unpleasant diet combined with the excesses of the celebrations and honeymoon, means there is often a rebound effect, with some people gaining more weight than they lost for their wedding.

"This study clearly proves that there is a connection between weight gain and marital transitions which is gender sensitive, and this is important and useful information for those of us who work with overweight and obese people."

He said what he found most interesting in the study was the correlation between divorce and the tendency for men to gain weight. The reasons for this are likely to be different to those behind marriage related weight gain.

"There is no doubt that divorce related weight gain is partly psychologically induced in many cases," said Mr Williams. "That is one reason why it is important to have counselling at such a time and be wary of the urge to eat for comfort when we feel upset."


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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