If you’ve spent months dieting to achieve a slim silhouette for your wedding day, it seems you’re unlikely to stay that way after you’ve tied the knot. Several studies are citing the same common reasons for weight gain after marriage. Whether it’s down to marital bliss, changes in lifestyle habits or simply not caring how you look, being married means you’re more than twice as likely to be overweight, especially around your belly.


Obesity is a major problem throughout the western world with abdominal fat in particular giving you a greater chance of developing diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. But why should being married put you at a greater risk of obesity than the rest of society? Researchers from the Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity undertook a study on 17,341 people between the ages of 20 and 70 and revealed their findings in March 2010.

Apparently married couples tend to let themselves go once they’ve got that ring on their finger. Professor Kiortsis, president of the Hellenic Medical Association, said excess belly fat was directly linked to lifestyle changes. And in another study, according to a survey of 3,000 married women undertaken by Yakult in 2009, around 22 percent of women put on an average of 20 pounds within a year after getting married, with over half saying they were no longer concerned with how they looked. It seems after marriage, many couples simply no longer feel the pressure to keep themselves looking slim.

Single people may spend hours toning up at the gym in an effort to remain attractive to their partner, but this often falls by the wayside after marriage. Instead, evenings are more likely to be spent at home watching television and eating. And newlyweds often want to impress with their culinary skills, possibly inspired by the numerous ‘celebrity chefs’ ever present on the television shows they’re watching. If one partner is cooking for the other and overloading their plate, they may feel obliged to eat it all for fear of offending the cook. Naturally, too many large dinners will eventually lead to weight gain.
Of course, women have the added burden of pregnancy and childbirth. For many mothers to be, those believing in the old adage of eating for two may result in them piling on the pounds that prove almost impossible to shift later on. And if they’ve lost the incentive to look their best or are overwhelmed with the efforts of looking after a new baby, losing weight isn’t a great priority. Babies and children also tend to put a damper on once energetic sex lives which was great for burning up calories. Instead couples find the responsibility of caring for children ties them to the house leaving less time for going out on the town or taking part in personal sporting activities.

Simply living together doesn’t let partners off the hook either. Researchers at the University of North Carolina also found that married couples were twice as likely to become overweight when compared with the general population. However, they discovered this same phenomenon occurred with couples just living together, with women in particular, more likely to pile on the pounds.

It’s not all bad news on the health front after marriage. Being married is also linked to reduced stress and anxiety levels as well as an increased life span. However, before saying ‘I do’, perhaps couples should consider whether they’ll still fancy their partner if they’re carrying an extra 20 pounds or so, even if it does mean larger love handles.