However, it is a common belief that people after marriage often tend to gain weight. Not only women, but men also gain a lot of weight after their marriage. But scientists believe it has nothing to do with sex as there are no physiological reasons to establish that.
One: married couples spent more time slumped on the sofa watching television and eating large meals together than single people. And two: their sex lives dwindled over a period of time so they did not get enough aerobic exercise to burn off all those extra calories they were consuming.
If you eat too much and exercise too little, you're likely to pack on excess pounds — including belly fat. Getting older plays a role too. As you age, you lose muscle — especially if you're not physically active.
But once married, the pressures of the singles market are gone, which results in higher BMI in married people. Traditions of social obligation also suggest that those in relationships eat more regular meals (and richer foods) due to an expanded social life which come with marriage.
Go ahead and blame your weight gain on your relationship status. It's just science. Married men and women are more likely to be overweight than single people even though they're also more likely to monitor their diets and eat healthier food.
Interestingly, research co-authored by Novak determined that, among those who had been married for more than four years, happy couples were twice as likely to put on weight than couples who reported not being as content with their relationship. It wasn't a dramatic amount: about five to 15 pounds over four years.
The hard belly is caused by the build-up of visceral fat, a soft belly is caused by subcutaneous fat, which is located near to your skin. Subcutaneous fat makes your belly jiggly, unlike the visceral fat. One cause behind the build-up of visceral fat could be your genetics.
Functional reasons for a distended abdomen tend to involve digestive problems that cause gas and/or digestive contents to accumulate. Causes might include: Gas from functional indigestion, food intolerances or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Constipation causing a build-up of feces and back-up of digestive contents.
As men age, their levels of testosterone and human growth hormone wane, making it much tougher to burn calories and build muscle. As muscle mass deteriorates, it's replaced by new layers of fat, especially around the waist and stomach: middle-age spread.
Not only women gain weight after marriage but also their husbands. In fact, the study in 'Obesity' said that women, on an average, gained 24 pounds in the first five years of their marriage, whereas men gained 30 pounds in the same period.
But the main reason for girls' hips to grow after marriage is their physical relationship. When all girls have sexual relations with their husbands after marriage, it causes hormonal changes in their body. It also affects other organs like their waist and hips. After marriage, women's hips gradually begin to grow.
Men's testosterone level changes when they get married, shows new research. The male sex hormone, testosterone, controls the formation of muscles and bones, hair and voice. It also influences libido, virility, and has a big impact on personality.
However, the study did show the differences in how men's health may respond to the act of getting married versus the experience of getting a divorce. “Studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage,” Qian said. “And they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain.”
Researchers from the University of Bath say the average married man tends to add 2.5 pounds due to letting themselves go and eating less healthy foods.
Gaining weight solely in your stomach may be the result of specific lifestyle choices. The two S's — stress and sugar — play a significant role in the size of your midsection. Certain medical conditions and hormonal changes can contribute to abdominal weight gain.
Sometimes, excess fat around the belly is due to hormones. Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, stress, hunger, and sex drive. If a person has a deficiency in certain hormones, it may result in weight gain around the abdomen, which is known as a hormonal belly.
What can cause a hard stomach? A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
As many men age their testosterone levels tend to decrease and they tend to gain more belly fat. Body fat has an enzyme called aromatase that converts testosterone into estrogens. When someone has higher estrogen levels in their body, their hormonal system tells the body to slow down its production of testosterone.
Weight gain after marriage can be common, especially in the first year of marriage. The weight gain might be due to a number of factors like an increase in eating out (or ordering in), a shift in free time for exercising, loss of motivation to workout, and less time for healthy habits when starting a family.
Exercise as much as you can
Your body will thank you if you give it proper rest and workout. As much as eating is important, the workout is equally important. Experts say, 30-45 minutes of workout sessions like yoga, running or gymming can help you lose weight quicker.
Apparently it can "reduce caloric intake and appetite and alter levels of appetite-regulating hormones", Bustle.com reported. So, not only are men burning more calories than women during sex, but the oxytocin that is being released during the process is also helping to keep the weight of men under control.