Why Men Gain Weight After Marriage: 5 Reasons & Remedies

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Marriage is a beautiful union that bonds hearts, minds, and lives. It’s a journey of love, commitment, and mutual growth. However, alongside the deepening of this bond, many men find something else growing unexpectedly—their waistlines. 

In this article, we’ll explore why men gain weight after marriage, uncovering the five reasons behind this common trend and providing five effective strategies to help reverse it. 

Whether it’s comfort eating or reduced personal time, understanding these dynamics is the first step towards reclaiming your fitness and well-being.

Why men gain weight after marriage: 5 possible reasons

Marriage marks a new chapter filled with shared joys and challenges, including lifestyle changes that can impact one’s health. While many cherish the deepened emotional connection, this new journey can also lead to unexpected changes in physical health, such as post-marriage weight gain. 

Let’s examine five common reasons why men might find themselves gaining weight after marriage.

1. You’re happy and your waistline knows it 

You’re content and bitten by the love bug. Snuggling up on the couch with your significant other does sound better than throwing on your gear and running in that downpour. (We thought so.) 

Gaining weight in a relationship and, consequently a marriage is a common observance. When you become relaxed and focused on your spouse, the desire to attract another partner wanes.

Another study concluded that packing some pounds is a predictor of marriage satisfaction. 

If you have gained weight, don’t panic – it probably means they’re the one.

2. Bulking to excess body fat

Wondering why people gain weight after marriage?

Hitting the gym 5 days a week might not be feasible in a marriage. Priorities can change, meaning your lifestyle will have to adapt. 

You may have a busy lifestyle but in a different way now – household chores, professional obligations and bringing your children to after-school practice. You’re a whole lot busy and have a whole lot less time to focus Gaining weight in a relationship on yourself.

Couples may arrive at the natural sedentary phase as the relationship develops. Outdoors is replaced by indoors and couple’s workouts have flown out the window. The initial excitement of those weekend hikes and experiencing new activities together has taken a backseat for the moment.

Starting a series, cooking a meal or staying at home enjoying each other’s company are necessary for bonding. However, if not monitored, inactivity can result in weight gain.

3. Social changes and new circles

When in a couple, men often find themselves in larger social circles. These social “obligations” (we know you enjoy them) may include dinner parties, eating out with friends, and going for drinks.

Alcohol consumption may increase as you keep flapping your social butterfly wings. Combined with a decrease in activity rates, alcohol will contribute to weight gain when consumed in excessive amounts. There can be a certain amount of social pressure exerted to participate in. these events. 

Attending food-centric gatherings such as barbeques and house-warmings will make it harder to stick to a strict diet and exercise regime.

4. Stress and emotional eating

Marriage can bring excitement, life-long companionship and a new way of life. At times, it can also be stressful and emotional. Previous pressors that may not have been so, well, pressing, can become major strains.

Emotional eating can be triggered by multiple reactions *: stress, boredom, and anxiety to name but a few. For many men, emotional eating may become a coping mechanism to deal with unpleasant emotions. 

Comfort foods are often highly caloric yet offer low -if any- nutritional value. Sleeping patterns are often disrupted by stress, creating an adverse effect on appetite and metabolism.

Sympathy weight, or Couvade Syndrome, is another common phenomenon that can bring about unwanted weight gain in men. Expectant fathers may experience a wide range of emotional and physical symptoms in response to their partner’s pregnancy. 

A 2007 by City University London suggested that 97% of non-pregnant patterns could be impacted by this syndrome. 

For men suffering from significant weight gain despite implicating lifestyle changes, a traditional diet may not produce the desired results. Exploring medical and non-invasive options such as weight loss balloons can provide men with the support and motivation to start their weight-loss journey.

5. Hormonal changes

While delectable dinners and tasty takeouts are a contributing factor, hormonal changes are another source of weight gain in men.

The decline of testosterone levels can be a sensitive topic to broach as it typically coincides with aging. A gradual decline can result in increased body fat and a sharp decrease in muscle mass. 

Marriage can often be the scapegoat for unintentional weight gain as hormonal changes may not be the first cause that springs to mind.

Cortisol can be produced by high-stress levels, triggering cravings and causing hard-to-remove-fat in the abdomen area.

5 ways to reverse weight gain in men after marriage

Now we know some of the reasons why men gain weight after marriage and after they’ve said “I do,” here are five healthy weight loss methods.

1. Renew your vow of partner workouts

If you’re finding it hard to summon the necessary motivation on your own, enlist the help of your spouse. Having someone to cheer you on, help you reach your fitness goals and lovingly force you to do those 10 burpees is a powerful asset. 

Consider setting some couple fitness goals—chances are, they might be feeling a similar way and are looking for the courage to start!

2. Routine revamp

Weight loss is not a quick fix; it requires a lifestyle change.

Adopt a holistic view of your daily and weekly routine. Ask yourself the following questions: What activities are detrimental to my weight? Where can I carve out dedicated hours for exercise? What and where trigger my cravings the most? 

By asking yourself these questions, you piece together your triggers and can begin to construct a healthier and enduring lifestyle.

3. Mindful eating

Mindless eating is rife and is something we’ve all done, unwittingly. Propped in front of the TV, one handful of crisps can easily become an entire packet.

Mindful eating involves eating without distraction, recognizing hunger cues and chewing food thoroughly and slowly. These principles allow you to not only enjoy your food more but stop you from over-indulging.

4. Set realistic goals

A key to weight-loss success is being realistic. For men who have gained some marital pounds, they may want to dive head-first into the deep end. However, breaking down your goal into bite-size steps reduces the risk of failure and keeps the focus on the progress, not the outcome. 

Tracking progress is essential. Additionally, celebrating non-scale wins such as a new gym PR is a fantastic way to boost morale.

5. It’s not you, it’s me – diet do-over

It’s time to wave goodbye to your old eating habits, as this is one of the most effective weight loss tips for men to remember. 

Devote yourself to a healthy eating regime. Batch-prepping and meal-planning will help drop extra kgs and extra £00s from monthly household expenses. 

Experimenting with healthy cooking methods such as steaming, boiling and grilling can introduce you to meals not doused in oil.

Watch this video to learn how to make healthy eating easy for everyone:

Final thoughts

Gaining weight once in a loving and committed relationship can happen for a variety of reasons. Understanding your triggers, enlisting the help of your partner and having the desire to scrap unhealthy habits can help get you back on track.