Marriage Pounds.

Options
I'm not married. I'm not even dating anyone but I just want to be pre-warned and have plenty of motivation and support for when I do.

Is it true that when you get married you gain a lot of weight? I've seen it happen so many times, but I wasn't sure what the cause was. Is it because you're just so relaxed with yourself that it just starts jumping on? If you haven't gained weight when you first got married, how did you keep it off? Any special tips on how to avoid those pounds? I know, I know. It's the same as any other time..eat right and exercise, but the way I've seen it, it's almost inevitable.

Replies

  • MrsMills712
    MrsMills712 Posts: 350
    Options
    I found it to be true. You get comfortable and lazy, so you spend afternoons together watching tv or movies while snacking on the couch, or go out to eat alot with friends. My biggest problem was making dinner & not wanting to waste the money spent on the food, so I would eat more. My husband and I would fix our plates and would have about the same amount of food. Guys can eat more because they burn more. I had to seriously start sizing down my portions and not try and compete with his appetite.
  • kmunis
    kmunis Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    I don't think everyone whoe gets married gains a lot of weight. My weight gain was a long road that started with quitting smoking, went through two kids and sedentary desk jobs with no exercise routine. Although I was on overall healthy eater, I did not pay much attention to portion size. 13 years of marriage later I'd gone from a size 8 to over 200 lbs. Happened slowly so it tends to creep up on you. And since my hubby loves me the way I am, I never felt a real motivation to do anything about it until it got really out of control.

    So happy to be on the road to a healthier me and DH has been so supportive. He even stated working out regularly too once he saw all the positive changes I was making.
  • Jovialation
    Jovialation Posts: 7,632 Member
    Options
    I moved in with my bf almost 3 years ago. I put on 50 pounds in the first year and a half. Not even kidding.
    :sad:
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Options
    Errr. Yes.

    BUT not so much because I got married as WHEN I got married. I got married immediately after leaving university, where I was very busy and doing a lot of sport, which I couldn't keep up once we moved to London and had jobs. Also I can't think of anyone I know who didn't put on weight between 22 and 27 (the time between when I got married and when I got pregnant for the first time), for the same reasons. Rowing is almost impossible once you are out of an institution, unless you are prepared to get up to train at 6am, which neither my husband nor I were/are. I did go to the gym, but I never liked it. I am a sport person, not a exercise for it's own sake person. I can't work out effectively in a gym.
  • shannahrose
    shannahrose Posts: 585 Member
    Options
    This was definitely true for me. My husband and I got married in September and I worked my butt off leading up to it and weighed 148 on the big day. Fast forward a few months, cold weather hit, and we opted for late night tv & snacks instead of after dinner walks. We both put on weight, but went back up to 164 at the highest. I've since re-focused and quit the after-dinner snacking and started training for a 10K and am currently back down to 156. My husband usually runs with me if he gets home early enough, which has helped us stay committed and motivate each other.

    Once I decided that enough was enough, I hit my stride again. But getting married is a huge change in many ways, and for me, it just meant finding a way to sneak exercise back in while still having time to spend together.
  • mandylanerocks
    mandylanerocks Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    its true. something just happens where you don't feel like going out & being active anymore because you're living in the same space. you get to see each other every day & you have a common area now so you don't have to find something or somewhere to go. thats how i've experienced anyway. i still wanted to be active but my (now ex) husband just wanted to stay home even more since we were married. we didn't have to go anywhere to be with each other since we lived together. so that really cut down on calories being burned :(

    needless to say, i'm not with him anymore & i did lose some weight that i gained!! :) i'm living with my boyfriend now, & we are always trying to make plans to go out & be active! we both love to just be OUT. so thats a plus!

    so i must say it just depends. if you're active people individually, don't let marriage make you less active. BE ACTIVE together! :)
  • julieevink
    julieevink Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    It is so very very true. I got married last August and put on about 8 lbs within 6 months. At supper I would say oh he's eating that and so can I or he's having chips tonight and ice cream and....you get the picture. Unfortunately he's a carpenter and is working actively all day long and has about 7 inches on me so I can't eat as much as him!!! After I realized this and put a stop to it the weight has came off plus more pounds :) I find the easiest thing is take the serving size you are going to eat and after you eat it get up and leave the table or you keep eating right along with him. At first he didn't like this but after I told him what I was doing he's just fine with it!
  • monkeefun
    monkeefun Posts: 271 Member
    Options
    I gained a good ten pounds immediately after getting married, but I wouldn't blame marriage. In the five years I've known him, I've put on 40+ pounds, 15 or 20 of which within the year surrounding the wedding. However, I was also under a lot of stress - I was working the night shift, which leads to a screwy sleep AND eating schedule, never took the time to work out. On the rare occasion I DID work out, I didn't give it my all because I was depressed about getting fatter. I was stressed about paying the bills AND paying for a weddin, especially when I had to take time off work due to an injury - and then even moreso when I got accepted into nursing school. Getting accepted was wonderful - paying for it and cutting my hours at work for it were NOT. There were a couple medication changes in there as well. Then right before the wedding school started full time. I went from working on my feet 32-40 hours a week to sitting on my butt behind a desk for the same amount of time. And through it all I would NEVER touch water, unless it was to boil something to eat. I drank regular Pepsi like it was water through it all - 3 or 4, sometimes 5 a day. Bottles, too, no less. 16 or 20 oz everytime.

    No wonder I packed on pounds.

    A lot of factors besides marriage led to my gaining weight, and I'm not proud of it. Does marriage alone make people gain weight? Maybe, by getting comfortable. Certainly not the case for me though!