Happily ever fatter?

By Ayah Murad

Clinical Dietician

Studies indicate that happy couples tend to gain about two kilos after marriage. Whatever the reason may be (hormonal, habit or priority changes), falling into the fatty pitfalls of marital bliss is not inevitable! Just as you planned your wedding together, it is now time to plan your health together. 

The most critical solutions start with communicating and setting goals together, including those relating to your health. Tell your partner exactly what you are hoping to do, and then explain how you plan to do it. Supporting and motivating one another are important to carrying out your shared mission. Make controlling your triggers a couple’s activity, negotiating together the most suitable ways to avoid each other’s food-related triggers.

When possible, cook together!

Sharing moments while you are cooking together can help you communicate and learn from each other, share laughter and advice, hence appreciate one another. Cooking together has an added health bonus since eating healthier, home cooked, balanced nutritious meals is proven to make couples happier and less stressed which in turn makes you naturally eat nutritious meals. Cooking together also leads couples to experiment more with seasonings, which boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat (like ginger, cinnamon, cayenne and turmeric). Adding spice to your marriage has many meanings, after all!

Mastering time management together

Most working couples find cooking too time-consuming as they come back from work exhausted. So they buy readymade meals or visit one of their relatives and indulge in whatever is in front of them. Taking shortcuts is not a solution.

Health is linked to your mood, your behaviour and your energy so it has to be one of your first priorities. The main reason that it is your last priority is due to poor time management.

Time saving tips 

for couples

• Pack enough healthy snacks for work so you are not leaving the office famished

• Before leaving the office, eat a cup of yoghurt with fruit on your way back home to help you control your appetite

• Do not rely on your partner to prepare your snacks: get in the kitchen to prepare your work snacks with the understanding that you’re both busy — appreciating your partner’s time is an important ingredient for a happy marriage!

• Prepare together your semi-cooked meal a night before and once you come back home all you have to do is fully cook it which you can even do while setting the table

• Substitute salads with dark green leafy vegetables to cut down on prep time

• Shop on a weekly basis, preparing the week’s menu ahead of time. A great timesaving grocery shopping app for couples is Bring! (Available on Google Play) 

‘Cheating’ on 

your date nights

A weekly “cheat meal” has been proven to boost your metabolism and ward off feelings of deprivation. Save your “cheating” days for your date nights out with your spouse. But eating out with your spouse does not have to mean going overboard with your food intake. Every restaurant has at least one healthy option. Do not be shy to inquire about cooking methods and customising your meal with healthier additions or substitutes. You can even mix and match from different dishes. Since restaurants tend to serve large quantities, make it a regular habit to share with your spouse instead of ordering separate dishes.

Ripple effect

You worked hard to look good on your wedding day but now you spend nights on the sofa snacking. Obesity experts are familiar with what they term “the ripple effect”. That’s when one spouse’s behaviour has a direct impact on the health habits of the other: 

•Men whose wives become obese are 78 per cent more likely to become overweight themselves 

•Women with husbands who gain excessive weight are at an 89 per cent risk of becoming obese 

Similarly, studies show that people are much more likely to meet fitness recommendations if their spouse is physically fit too. So how can you support your spouse? Be a cheerleader, not a judge. Encourage and cheer your partner for trying. Do not have not met. Be an active participant in their healthy behaviours, eating the same healthier dishes, walking with them, making healthy choices a part of the time you spend together.

Find ways to celebrate occasions without focusing the celebration on eating. Do something that reinforces spending time together outside of cinema popcorn and restaurant outings. Amman has plenty of non-food offerings, such as concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings and more. You will find that these activities have the added benefit of injecting life, love and energy back into your relationship. Explore new fitness activities together like yoga, bowling, biking or hiking, or pick something you have never done before (or recently) together like challenging puzzles, cooking classes at Beit Sitti or a pottery session at My Pottery Shop.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine