When we’re on our own, taking on a challenge like losing weight can sometimes feel overwhelming. It can be difficult when there’s no one to support us or to reinforce our resolve to eat better. It’s easier to go off your diet or skip your workout routine when no one else is looking. If you’re in a relationship and you both want to lose weight, losing weight as a couple only makes sense.
You can stay committed to your goals, give each other encouragement, and inspire one another. Most importantly, it can have a lasting impact on the health of your relationship. If you have children, your commitment to one another can be an inspiration for them and a prime example of how people can work together to accomplish their goals. There are a few reasons why losing weight as a couple makes it easier.
You Can Create New Healthy Habits Together
When two people come together as a couple, they tend to fall into a rhythm. This rhythm becomes their daily, weekly, and monthly routine. Once it’s established, it can be difficult to change. If you and your partner’s routine isn’t a healthy one, then you have all the more incentive to make a positive change.
Creating a healthier routine is easier as a couple because you have someone you trust to fall back on when you want to revert to your old habits. For example, instead of selecting a single individual to be responsible for preparing healthy dinners, you can switch off day by day or design the responsibility around each other’s work schedules. If your partner doesn’t want to cook on a certain night, you can trade a day with them. This will keep you from your old habit of ordering pizza or resorting to fast food.
You’ll Be Part of a Team
Studies have shown that team-based weight loss produces slightly better results than even a dedicated solo effort. There are plenty of fitness groups, weight loss groups, and other organizations that exemplify this. Having a support structure in place gives you a foundation to start each day from, instead of feeling like you’re starting from scratch.
If you’re losing weight as a couple, your team is right at home. You can even compete with each other to reach goals faster. A team mentality can hold you to your course, even if one of you wants to stray. It’s easier to accomplish a goal if someone else’s success is dependant upon your own.
What to Look Out For When Losing Weight as a Couple
Losing weight together can have a huge positive effect on both your health and your relationship, but there are a few things to watch out for. For heterosexual couples, women and men have biological differences and don’t always lose weight at the same pace. Men tend to lose weight faster because their bodies contain lean, fat-burning muscle and their hormones slightly increase their resting metabolic rate. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they keep the weight off at the same rate, but men do tend to see a more immediate impact. Remember, just because one of you is losing weight faster, doesn’t mean the other isn’t trying hard enough.
It’s also important to consider how you will interact with each other during your weight loss journey. You shouldn’t have to police one another. If one of you makes a slip, don’t use it as an excuse to slip yourself. Instead, try positive reinforcement. Discuss these topics beforehand so you have a clear understanding of how you’ll tackle problems together.
Losing weight as a couple can make weight loss easier and more fun. It can also help you build a stronger bond with your partner.
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