Her Turn: Is Your Partner Making You Fat?

For better or for worse, in good times and bad, and especially through thick and thin, couples share everything—and not always for their mutual benefit. Researchers at the Human Nutrition Research Centre at England’s Newcastle University, for example, found that women tend to eat more fatty foods, and exercise less often, after moving in with a male partner—findings reflected in recent research that shows that fat can indeed be contagious. Add to this the fact that women burn about 26 percent fewer calories per day than guys do, and you’ve got a potent recipe for piling on pounds. What’s worse, your partner might be more than partly to blame for your newly acquired bad habits.

Studies show that when you shape up, your better half suddenly has a choice: undertake a transformation of his own or inadvertently sabotage yours by spiking your diet with high calorie foods. Many times he’ll choose the latter, often subconsciously. After all, the better you look, the more other men will check you out, and the more he’ll be reminded of his own corporeal excesses. Such sabotage can also be a sign that he misses your old life—the one where you ate deliciously unhealthy foods together and had fun doing so.

But that’s just his wing-addled brain thinking—and with a little gentle eating guidance from you, he’ll be inspired to unearth his abs once again. Start by getting him to go green more often. According to a survey by the National Cancer Institute, only 5 percent of the men surveyed said they don't like the taste of fruits and vegetables. So while your guy wouldn’t recognize a bundle of bok choy unless it jumped off the produce shelf and bit him in the butt, there’s a good chance he’ll enjoy eating it once it’s sautéed lightly in some olive oil with garlic and placed in front of him at the dinner table. There are other stealth ways to swap the calorie-dense, fat-laden foods that normally dominate his plate with nutrient-rich eats. Heat up a cup or two of spinach and mix it into some whole wheat pasta. You'll be replacing processed carbs with filling fiber. Another idea: Combine a cup and a half of frozen mixed veggies with a half cup of cooked rice —doing so will save you 130 calories, versus eating 2 cups of rice alone—enough to prevent a 14-pound weight gain every year.

And since a study by Johns Hopkins researchers found that the more engaged a person is in a TV program, the less aware they are of how much they eat while watching it, you need a smart strategy to keep game night from intercepting your get-lean plans. It may be as simple as switching out the chips and dip for a giant bowl of light microwave popcorn sprinkled with a tiny bit of Parmesan cheese or chili powder. Most brands contain just 20 to 25 calories per cup popped, so even if you scarf 6 cups, you've consumed only 150 calories. If his team wins, why not suggest a celebratory roll in the hay? A 30-minute sex session burns from 80-200 calories. Kicking off that ritual will benefit your waistlines and your bond. 

Want the male perspective? Click here for His Turn.