Posted on 04/06/2006 5:28:41 PM PDT by wagglebee
MOVING in with your boyfriend can be bad for your heart. In an effort to please their partner during the “honeymoon” phase of cohabitation, women eat more unhealthy foods and often put on weight, according to researchers.
But men benefit from sharing a fridge with a healthconscious female and tend to improve their diet when they ditch the bachelor life.
As partners adjust to each other’s eating habits, men find themselves consuming more vegetables and less fat and sugar, a report by the University of Newcastle’s Human Nutrition Research Centre says. Women tend to eat more meat, full-fat milk, rich sauces and heavy meals in general. But in the long term the woman has the stronger influence over a couple’s diet.
It is also the woman who is more likely to turn to food for comfort when the initial joy of living together fades, eating more at times of emotional stress and putting on weight if the relationship breaks down.
The report, by the dietitian Amelia Lake and published in Complete Nutrition, reviewed studies done in Britain, America and Australia of the lives of cohabiting and married heterosexual couples.
Dr Lake said: “You can’t just blame an unhealthy lifestyle or diet on your partner, as there are many other things that affect what you eat and do. But research has shown that your partner is a strong influence on lifestyle.
“Couples should use the opportunity of the honeymoon period to make positive changes to their diet and lifestyle by working together and supporting each other. But couples who have been in their relationships for longer should remember that it is never too late to make changes and again this needs teamwork.”
For men and women, food takes on a more symbolic role once they are living with a partner, and many couples see it as important to have a “proper meal” together.
“Marriage or cohabitation is often a shift from teenage grazing or cooking-for-one to establishing a family identity.”
Although today’s women may still do the weekly shop and cook the dinner, as their financial independence grows they are tending to place importance on looks rather than wealth in choosing a mate, another study suggests.
Studies in the past have found that men seek a beautiful woman while women seek a rich man. But a new survey from the University of St Andrews, reported in New Scientist, found that as a woman’s level of “resource control” increased, so did her preference for physical attractiveness in potential partners.
When Jo met Gary
JO TOUGH, 33, weighed nine stone when she moved in with Gary shortly before they married 12 years ago.
“All of a sudden my social life revolved around food,” she said. “Gary is a really good cook, and he introduced me to creamy pasta sauces and, in particular, curries.”
For a long time Jo did not recognise the effect that her new lifestyle was having. “I was putting weight on gradually so I didn’t really notice.”
That meant that four years ago, when she attended her local WeightWatchers in Sunderland, she found that she had gained almost 4 stone.
“I lost the extra weight over about ten months, and now our eating habits have changed quite sharply. Gary still cooks, but there is less fat, and more fish and vegetables.”
It's BS. Occam's Razor shreds this article.
The explanation is very simple. Men lose weight because women cause stress. Women gain weight because once they have a man hooked they really don't have to care if they remain attractive.
I tend to agree with you!
I've never yet seen a man lose weight from living with a woman. From my experience, they both gain weight every time.
My wife and I have both managed to keep our girlish figures.
"Men lose weight because women cause stress."
How about hair loss?
Women make you shave daily too, it sucks.
Yeah, right.
"Why honey, I'm eating all this fried chicken and potato chips just to please you."
I had a feeling you'd find this thread sooner or later!
You know me too well! Of course I was one of the few in my group of friends who waited til marriage before even contemplating having a woman henpecking me at my place. ;o)
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