According to a research… falling in love fattens
On 10th April 2016, a research was carried out among almost 10000 people –between 20 and 45 years old– 90% of those were women and the rest were men. The main objective of this study done by the University of Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Health Society, was to determine the opinions of responders on whether falling in love makes us to gain weight or not, and to verify it scientifically.
It is said that love makes us look or feel younger, fresher, more lively, and that it also makes both physical and emotional pains less severe. But this new study shows and ensures that those who are in love tend to gain a few extra kilos. This weight gain may vary depending on the stage of development in which lovers are.
But, does the feeling of loving fatten? It is well known that in the act of falling in love, in that divine sensation of happiness, union and security, is involves a series of hormones and neurotransmitters that stimulate our attachment, our nervousness and our desire towards the other person, from the pheromones, endorphins, dopamine, serotonin to oxytocin, adrenaline and norepinephrine. As they say, love is a hormonal cocktail. Although many of these hormones are involved in our appetite system and how we use the nutrients in our body, it has not been proven that the feeling of love directly makes us gain weight. However, it has been studied the possibility that the actions that we carry out when we are in love can cause weight gain, and that is what takes us by surprised.
There are three main reasons why people gain weight and these are accomplished for consecutive periods. The first one is relaxations, followed by the one of intense but short-lived passion or admiration over the other, and finally, the couple is already consolidated, then pregnancy arrives, which makes women increase up to 20 kilos in nine months. On the first point, the study indicates that 73% of the responders consider that controlling weight is very important when looking for a partner. However, this percentage drops to 68% when the relationship is already consolidated, indicating that when you are in the middle of a relationship, you are much less aware of how important is to maintain the ideal weight. But let us not to forget the lack of love, which can also be a reason to eat more for no reason other than anxiety. 51% of food that you choose are sweets. But when you talk about a more consolidated relationship, then the more frequent pecking of dishes or the dinners and desserts come out afloat. But when you are single or looking for a partner, social life is more fluid and continuous, which leads us to move more than when we are in a couple and prefer the quietest activities. 92% of responders believe that maintaining the ideal weight should not depend on the stage of the relationship or singleness, so it is recommended to check with the balance once a month.
There is no need to put statistics on this, although some experts have done some studies, we can simply take a moment and think about the following questions: What activities do I frequently do with my partner? How do we celebrate the special moments? And of those moments, in how many of them is the food or drink present? In half of them, in the majority or almost all of them? If, as a couple, we go to parties or meetings, we fo to the cinema, to the theater or to dinner outside home, and give candy as a present to our partner, prepare the food that the other likes in order to surprise him or her… we can understand that eating together is one of the activities we do most when we are in love and so, without realizing it, we are adding calories to our days. We can dine in a luxurious restaurant, or have a hamburger in the street; we can go to the cinema and share cakes, drinks and chocolate; we can go to a party and find ourselves sharing a third drink; it’s our anniversary and we made ourselves a banquet… Feeling love for someone gives us pleasure, and as human beings what we want is to prolong and expand that pleasure; so in couples we look for other sources of pleasure, and among them is food.
With thanks to Naomi Gilad
