Love is fattening, or at least it seems to be.

Do we tend to gain weight when we are in a couple?

Starting a relationship with a partner also means turning to some new habits and behaviors. This can be especially clear when we look at our nutritional habits. nutritional habits of people in love or, better said, in the perception that these people have about their habits when it comes to eating and taking care of what they eat.

This is the research topic addressed by the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO), which has addressed the relationship between the fact of being in a relationship or single and the repercussions of this on the tendency to be overweight.

Love is fattening, or at least so it seems

To this end, the SEEDO promoted a survey study in which 2,314 people participated, most of whom are middle-aged women (between 31 and 40 years of age). Of this population sample, 81% affirmed that there is a correspondence between the existence or not of a couple relationship, the phase of this relationship and the different degrees of weight gain.The relationship phase and the different degrees of weight gain.

Some opinions on eating and dating

The results regarding the amount of weight that respondents say varies depending on their relationship situation is, on average, 4.5 kg. Specifically, 4.5 kg gained by the fact of becoming a partner and having a well-established relationship.

The explanations given by the respondents are centered on the opinion that the moment of active search for a partner also involves watching eating habits to offer an attractive image, while this need loses importance once the relationship with another person has been formed.

73% of the people surveyed believe that the overweight factor affects quite a lot or a lot when it comes to finding a stable partner, while only 38% believe that it still has the same or more importance when it comes to maintaining a consolidated relationship. In addition, 42% admit that during the times when they do not have a partner they try to take more care of their diet and eating habits. Along the same lines, 24% of people snack less when they are single, and curiously 47% snack more just after breaking up with a relationship (especially sweet foods, who knows if it is a compensatory desire for the reward system that works during falling in love and other addictions).

As we all know, when it comes to being overweight, it is not only what we eat that affects us, but also our habits to keep in shape by exercising. When asked about this issue, 33% of the people surveyed say they do more sport when they are single, and 35% do less sport once the relationship has ended.

In addition, some of the respondents also associate this slight tendency to become overweight with episodes of stress and worry facilitated by the romance.

Sleep is also no exception to this set of daily changes that are affected by entering into a relationship. affected by the arrival of a boyfriend or girlfriend on the scene. Thirty-six percent say they sleep a little less when looking for a partner, a percentage that is surpassed by the 44.5% who say they dedicate fewer hours to sleep when breaking up with the other person.

More research is needed!

As almost always and in all topics related to habits and social dynamics. This research was done through surveys, with questions prepared a priori and with little capacity to collect all the subtleties of the opinions expressed in it. In addition, it is possible that there may be differences between the respondents' perceptions and those of the respondents themselves, it is possible that there may be differences between what the respondents perceive and the reality of the situation.. That is why in the future we hope to see more studies in which objective data on the relationship between sentimental status and obesity are collected.