A new study says single living may be better for your waistline. That’s right, marriage could mean more pesky pounds, says sociologist Joe Teachman at Western Washington University.
If college students gain the infamous ‘freshmen 15’ in their first year of college, what do we call the weight gain that inexplicably comes from new and exciting relationships? The ‘flirty 15’? The ‘tango 20’? Whatever you choose to call it, it’s a real thing.
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Teachman examined data from a study conducted in 1979 via National Longitudinal Study of Youth, which includes body mass index [BMI] on more than 3,000 African Americans over a 20-year period from adolescents to middle ages. In an article titled Body Weight, Marital Status and Change in Marital Status published in the Journal of Family. What he found may come as no surprise – those living without a partner were thinner than those sharing a home with someone else. Single were found to have a lower BMI than married couples or live-in couples. The singles included both widows and the divorced.
Additionally, the article suggested that “men and women with mates may be less concerned about their weight as they are not actively seeking a mate.”
And, it looks like wives have it the worst. While both the men and the women gained weight throughout the 20 year period, Black women had the most rapid weight gain.
Ouch.
**Heads to gym.**