Is it True You Lose Weight When You Are in Love?

Written by Megan Ayala. Last Updated: September 30, 2021

Losing weight is a common goal for many. Unfortunately, many fail to do so successfully.

If you’re looking to lose weight successfully, falling in love might be the answer. Many naturally assume that you need to lose weight to find someone to fall in love with. However, there is increasing research that shows that being in love can increase your weight loss efforts drastically [1].

In this article, you will learn why you may successfully lose more weight when you’re already in love.

Reasons You May Lose More Weight While In Love

1. Less Overcompensating

One of the key reasons for people in love having greater success with losing weight has to do with their emotional state. Have you ever dealt with heartbreak? If so, you’re likely well aware of how awful it can feel. Likewise, you likely recall opening the freezer and grabbing your favorite pint of ice cream to emotionally cope.

\While the initial stages of heartbreak may have you avoiding food altogether, the next stage involves you shoving everything you can into your mouth. This is due to fact that the areas of your brain that regulate your emotions are the same area that regulates your emotions [2].

Because of this, you will find yourself dealing with fluctuating emotions that can lead to you consuming fatty foods that can pack on the pounds. However, when you are in love, you have the opposite effect.

Your emotions are much more in line and you deal with much less stress. As a result, your body doesn’t respond in a way that could contribute to weight gain.

2. You Have Greater Motivation

One of the biggest reasons people fail to lose the weight they desire is due to a lack of motivation. Simply wanting to lose weight is not likely to put you into a position to accomplish your goals. Many lack the motivation needed to maintain consistency. Consistency is the number one requirement to reach your weight loss objectives.

When you are in a healthy relationship, you have more motivation than if you were alone. After all, you have a partner that you adore and one that you want to continually strive to improve yourself for.

When you are in love, you have high enthusiasm for self-improvement.

This is something you don’t generally have when you are alone. By getting yourself in a healthy relationship with someone you love, you will put yourself in a position to have the motivation you need to reach all of your weight loss goals.

3. You Have A Support System

Another reason a lot of people end up failing to achieve their weight loss goals has to do with a lack of a support system. A support system is a must for those looking to endure the trials and tribulations that come with losing weight. As mentioned previously, losing weight is a difficult task.

Because of this, you want to have people in your corner that are cheering you on. What better cheerleader than someone you are in love with?

Having someone that loves you rooting for you to succeed is going to help you get through the hurdles that you will experience throughout your difficult weight loss journey.

Having a support system when you are looking to lose weight can be integral to your success.

4. Your Body Producing Oxytocin

One of the main reasons you will find yourself successfully losing weight when you are in love has to do with your body’s natural physical response.

When you are in love and happy, your body will produce oxytocin. This is a hormone that is produced naturally in your body. This hormone acts as a neurotransmitter and it can make you feel positive emotions. This is generally why dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin are all considered your body’s “happy hormones [3].”

These are the hormones that can have a positive impact on your behavior and your ability to relax. All of these things can help you when you are aiming to lose weight because you will experience less stress and anxiety. Both stress and anxiety have been shown to lead to unhealthy and unwanted weight gain among both men and women [4].

Thus, by effectively reducing any stress and anxiety you are experiencing, you can dramatically decrease the chances you put on excess weight.

5. You Will Be More Active

When you are in love with someone, you generally want to be around them at all times. Being in love brings out positive emotions. These positive emotions correlate to wanting to be more active. Have you ever felt like you didn’t want to leave the house? These are generally signs and symptoms of experiencing depression.

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When you are in a relationship with someone that you genuinely love, you won’t feel depressed, stressed, or anxious. Because of this, you will want to go outside and do things that can help you get moving.

Whether it’s going for a walk while holding hands or going on a bike ride, you will find yourself doing much more than if you were single. Simply getting more active is one of the best ways to keep excess weight off.

6. You Will Be Having More Sex

Another major reason you will find yourself losing a lot more weight when you are in love has to do with your sex life. When you love someone, you will typically find yourself having sex more often.

This alone can be a recipe to help you keep weight off. There was a study that showed that sex burned more than 100 calories for men [5].

While it’s not as much as you would get from 30 minutes of running, it certainly helps. Simply getting more activity and more exercise into your daily life is one of the best ways to keep weight off and sex does exactly that.

7. You’ll Want To Be Healthier

Simply being in love with someone and having someone love you can make you appreciate life more. It can make you want to experience life to its fullest potential. It can also help you boost your self-confidence and want to be healthier. All of these things can lead you to make positive changes to your diet and exercise habits.

A partner will encourage you to eat healthier. You will be more mindful while eating at the dinner table. Many people struggle with eating too much because they watch television or Netflix at the table. This leads you to overeat which leads to weight gain.

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When you are more mindful at the kitchen table, you pay more attention to what you’re eating and how much you are eating.

All of these things will lead you to curb excess calories and filling your diet with healthier and more nutrient-dense foods. Simply wanting to be healthier for your significant other can lead you towards weight loss without even trying.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons you end up losing more weight while in love. Wanting to be a better version of yourself for your significant other is a big one. Likewise, having someone in your corner that is rooting for you to succeed can be highly motivating.

While it may sound like a myth, falling in love is certainly a ticket to successful weight loss.

However, falling in love could be considered just as difficult as losing weight in the first place. If you do find yourself in love and losing weight, now you know why.

References:

1. https://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a28347/oxytocin-love-hormone-weight-loss/
2. https://www.delish.com/food-news/news/a53291/science-broken-heart-not-eating/
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/love-hormone#emotions
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/stress-and-weight-gain#diagnosis