Love is Making You Fat

Being single can be stressful. Swipe right. Swipe left. Get out of my darn DM box with that nasty (BLEEP).

We've never had more ways to interact and communicate, but as a whole technology and social media are also making us more lonely and anxious.

It's easy to find new people to talk to, but that comes with both good and bad. This new epic level of communication also means you have to weed through more noise. 

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But the single life also brings with it another level of stress: the pressure to look better.

You know how it goes. Life is great, the sun is shining, and then bam, the break-up text hits. "I'm not happy. See ya! Adios."

Depression hits. Binge eating hits. A few lonely, all-too-quiet nights follow. Then, suddenly, you realize what must be done.

Holy crud! I'm single again. I better get my backside to the gym.

The pounds fly off. You find a mysterious new vein in your arms. Life is suddenly good again.

A simplification, of course, but it seems there may be some truth to this whole pattern and process.

Find Love, Find Obesity?

Weeks pass and you meet the "right one." Life is glorious. You smile more, you frolic more, and both of you are able to relax. There is a reduced pressure to look sexy AF.

Not that your intention is to get fat; far from it. There is just no urgent and compelling reason to remain at your peak. 

The new happy couple relaxes. They eat more. Drink more. Move less. Celebrate.

You wake up many months later only to find a shocking weight gain on the scale.

If you've been here, you know this is the gospel. But it's not just speculation; a new study reveals that relationship weight gain is a real thing.

The Study: Love Causes Weight Gain

Two thousand Americans that were in relationships were surveyed. The result? It was discovered that 79% of these individuals have gained weight. And the average weight gain?

36 pounds per person.

Now obviously, the duration of each relationship was different but we do know this: During the first year subjects gained 17 pounds. That's a rather girthy one-year gain if you think about it.

17 pounds a year equates to 170 pounds in a decade. Can you say fast track to morbid obesity?

Ah, but love is not equal! Of the study's participants, men gained 22 pounds the first year while women only gained 13. Apparently, the male species relaxes a bit too much.

During the survey, it was discovered that the primary causes of this weight gain were:

• Frequent dining out
• Ordering takeout
• Drinking while cooking at home

64 percent of those studied were simple blunt. They stated that a major cause of the weight gain had to do with the very fact that they felt very secure in their relationship and the pressure was off to look their best.

Another interesting fact was unearthed. Younger couples (ages 18 to 24) hit their relationship "comfort level" the fastest, while older couples (ages 45 to 54) gained weight the slowest.

The study was conducted by OnePoll.