Hot topic - Marriage and Obesity

Long time, no post.

I'm not in the mood to review, so I'll just post a link to a blog I liked and talk about it.

"New research shows that within a few years of getting married, individuals are twice as likely to become obese than their unmarried partners who are dating."

More here: Does Getting Married Cause Obesity?

I've been married, divorced, and am now remarried. During my first marriage I packed on the pounds willingly, albeit subconsciously. My first husband and I were never meant to be together, from the way I did laundry to the way he held affairs with coworkers. After the split, I ended up losing weight (mostly from depression) and got back into the dating field.

Eventually I met my current husband and we are working on the 'happily ever after' every couple strives to achieve. Have I packed on the pounds again? Actually, not really. After learning of an allergy and a brain growth that stunted any weight loss and correcting it, I shed several pounds before learning I am pregnant. My husband has also avoided layering fat for the winter and has stayed the same waist size.

We both agreed that we refused to gain the weight that some of our friends and family members had done. Even in pregnancy, when my mother in law giggles that I need to 'eat for two', I usually cringe and put down whatever I was eating in fear of gaining 70 pounds (like her) or 80 pounds (like her daughters). My husband, K, smiles at me and reassures me that I am not the size of a bovine, nor do I eat like a chicken. Under careful supervision from my doctor and my own healthy eating plan, I've only gained five pounds for the first trimester, an average gain.

So how did we avoid the massive amounts of weight gain? To start with, K and I both love to cook. We love fresh ingredients and loathe packaged dinners (unless one of us is sick or the coupon was just too good to pass up). K also has a job that keeps him on his feet for up to 10 hours a day, and we both decided to join a gym. A few weeks ago, we walked a 5k together for Alzheimer's awareness. While these past few weeks have been difficult for me because of morning sickness and extreme exhaustion, I've still managed to hang onto some of my normal sized work clothes.

I think people do let themselves 'go' once they get married. I also think this ties in with reduced amounts of sex after marriage. The mentality is "I got the prize, so why do I need to make the effort?" For any married readers who stumble upon this blog, DATE each other. Dump the kids for a night, put on some nice clothes and dust off the cologne bottle, and go on a date.

Just my thoughts.