Is Your Spouse Making You Gain Weight?
It’s not all in your head — losing weight can be more difficult in midlife. According to AARP, several weight loss hurdles emerge after 50. They include hormonal changes, a loss of muscle mass and changing sleep habits. But there’s another factor that can pose a challenge toward weight loss: having a spouse.
Elisabetta Politi, a dietitian at Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center in Durham, North Carolina, told the Today Show that studies show we mimic the actions of the people we have meals with. She recalled a patient told her, “My husband is the reason why I gain weight. He is a very slender person who eats as much as he wants and doesn’t gain weight. He definitely hasn’t been a good influence on me.”
An 8,000-person study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Wiley, showed there was a positive association with obesity when going from singledom to dating, to marriage or living together.
Excerpted from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
