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Syosset, New York - People have joked about it for years. She gets
married. She gets fat. But the truth is that both men and women pack on
more pounds after saying "I do" than they would if remaining single.
Love, it appears, makes you happy - but it makes you fat, too, says
Glenn Livingston, Ph.D., who conducted a fascinating survey of more than
1,500 single and married people nation-wide about their weights.
He found that coupled men and women, across ages, reported being more
than 5.2 pounds farther from their ideal weights as compared to singles.
"Coupled people are more 'settled' and generally suffer less stress
from loneliness, boredom and finances," said Dr. Livingston, a clinical
psychologist and CEO of Executive Solutions.
"Less stress means fewer uncomfortable feelings, so that overall,
marrieds become more accepting of their imperfections, less bothered
about weight issues than before. And despite the stereotype, married men
are as likely to gain weight as married women."
"Carbo Cravers" (33.6% of the sample) were the fattest marrieds -
almost 18 pounds heavier than their single counterparts.
"Carbo Cravers are heaviest because they don't stop eating that pasta
and bread that they so love and still grab on the run, but they're now
also eating regular meals. Those extra calories mount fast," Dr.
Livingston explained.
"Food Finessers" (22.1%) tipped the scales at 10 pounds more. "Food
Finessers are picky eaters, maybe even underweight by choice when
single, but they're influenced by their mates to 'loosen up and eat',"
he continued.
The "Chocomaniac" (chocolate lover) (29.7%) gained about five pounds
and the "French Fry Head" (fast food lover) (10.8%) stayed nearly the
same.
One type, the "Food for Funner," (3.8%) actually loses when in love
(about five pounds).
"This type uses food for entertainment. When coupled they turn to
their partner instead."
Executive Solutions is a full-service international marketing research
firm established in 1984 which specializes in the latest qualitative and
quantitative research methods and counts numerous Fortune 500 companies as
clients including Kraft, Pillsbury and The Atkins Center.
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