How Marriage HURTS Your Chances of Losing Weight

Married people are 'less likely to shed pounds after weight loss surgery'

• Nearly 65 per cent of people getting weight loss surgery are married
• But, being married hurts your chance of reaching goal weight post-surgery
• And, being married makes it harder to maintain weight loss, study says
• Weight loss surgery can also cause a marriage to deteriorate
• So, doctors should focus on pre-surgical psychological prep for couples

It’s often said that people let themselves go after they get married.

They tend eat more - and gain weight - while experiencing newlywed bliss. 

But eventually, many married people turn to the gym, diets or even weight loss surgery to shed those excess pounds.

In fact, nearly 65 per cent of people seeking weight-loss surgery are married.

However, a new study revealed being married may hurt their chances of weight loss after surgery.

Furthermore, weight loss surgery can cause a married relationship to deteriorate, according to researchers from Ohio State University.

Study author Megan Ferriby, a graduate student in human sciences, said: ‘Food is so central to family routines and celebrations and when you undergo a surgery that so vastly impacts your ability to eat as you did before, family members take notice.’

The team of Ohio State researchers set out to determine what role being married plays in the success of a weight loss surgery.

They analyzed 13 studies on weight loss surgery published between 1990 and 2014.

The team looked into the influence of marriage on weight loss after surgery – as well as the effects of surgery on the quality of a relationship.

Many of the patients in the studies underwent gastric bypass surgery, while others had surgeries to reduce the stomach size or place a band on the stomach.

The researchers found that six studies addressed marriage and weight loss.

Four of those six revealed patients who were married lost less weight.

In one of those studies, 180 gastric bypass patients were evaluated.

In that study, it was determined that married surgical patients were 2.6 times more likely to not reach their goal weight one year following surgery.

 Married surgical patients were 2.6 times more likely to not reach their goal weight one year following surgery

Similarly, another study determined that unmarried patients were 2.7 times more likely to adhere to post-surgical exercise and diet goals.

None of the analyzed studies showed better weight loss for married patients, according to the researchers.

And, when they looked at relationship quality in 10 studies, they found some patients’ marriages went downhill post-surgery.

Husbands grew dissatisfied after wives’ surgery.

That dissatisfaction was higher in instances when the wives became more assertive.

However, three studies that addressed sexuality found that couples’ sex lives improved.

Ms Ferriby and study co-author Dr Keeley Pratt, assistant professor of human sciences at Ohio State, said the findings demonstrate the importance of working with patients’ families through the surgery process.

A supportive or engaged spouse can have a positive impact as patients hope to reach their goal weight, the researchers suggested.

Additionally, in situations where a spouse is not supportive, health care teams could work to strengthen the relationship and improve spousal support before the surgery.

The researchers found that spouses and family members should participate in conversations before and after surgery.

That inclusion makes the patients more likely to reach – and maintaining – their goal weights.

Changing behaviors and routines in a family can be ‘unsettling’.

Thus, hospitals should focus on pre-surgical psychological preparation for their patients and family members, the study said.

The study was published in the journal Obesity Surgery.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3417943/How-married-HURTS-chances-losing-weight-Married-people-likely-shed-pounds-weight-loss-surgery.html#ixzz3z7L5Z5v5