Who amongst us thinks it was necessary to conduct a scientific study in order to prove that a woman gets fatter when she lives with a man? A recent 10 year study of 6,000 Australian women (published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine) showed that if you are a female who wants to stay thin the answer is to stay single and childless. According to this recent research you don’t even have to be married to gain weight, you can simply just live with a man and gain a significant amount of weight. To be fair, men who live with a woman or are married put on poundage as well.
According to the study a childless woman with no partner gained 11 pounds over 10 years while a woman with a mate but without children gained 15 pounds. And finally a woman with a mate and children gained 20 pounds over that same time frame. Wow, what a significant difference being with a man makes in terms of poundage. But why? Why does a woman with children gain so much more weight than the single gal who resides without a male mate?
Perhaps the weight gain is related to women eating more when they live with men. Men may tend to eat more than women in general. Bigger portions. More servings. Maybe the average male makes less healthy food choices. Or is it possible that when eating together men and women just tend to make less prudent food selections? When men and women begin to live together do women care less about physical appearance?
Women often try unhealthy (and often unorthodox) methods of weight loss while they are being courted and certainly before impending nuptials. The pressure to be a “svelte” bride can be overwhelming. The expectation to look “perfect” on the big day or waif- like in pictures (just like the photograph of the model in the bridal magazine) can cause all sorts of food restriction issues. It makes sense that after the pressure is “off” that a woman would want to eat right along side her man.
Having children, maintaining a meaningful relationship, pursuing a career and caring for aging parents can take its toll on women. Many times we lose the ability to put ourselves first, or even second or third. If we only have an hour of “down time” at the end of the day, it rarely is spent on physical activity. I’ve seen so many clients make wonderful family dinners, yet they don’t sit down and eat with the family! Many ladies with small children eat while standing up and sometimes even eat leftovers while cleaning up. Eating without a plan can cause very poor nutritional habits as well as additional and unwanted calories. I’m not suggesting dieting! Food restriction (and eventual binging) is not the answer, but rather part of the problem. As women we need to adopt and stay with healthy habits. We are the trend setters in our families. Start with yourself and show those who care about you that you are important. Your health and your weight will make a difference in how you feel and therefore how you are able to deal with life in general.
Women truly need to outline a healthy eating, exercise and stress reduction plan in order to fight impending weight gain. Piling on the pounds as we get older can increase our chances of developing diabetes, certain types of cancers and heart disease. Of course it is very difficult to balance our complex lives, but we can’t lose sight of our health because we feel secure in our relationships. Wait a minute, the study didn’t say anything about being “secure” in a relationship. So remember, living with a man in and of itself doesn’t make us complete. We should always find a way to maintain healthy habits. So start with yourself! Your family will thank you for being healthy and happy as the years go by. No doubt the man in your life will support your quest for better health. After all, that’s what being together is all about!