I feel terrible to say yes, but yes it has. I think moving in with my boyfriend led me to acquire some of his habits. He eats everything and anything, doesn't matter what time it is. Breakfast can consist of 6 eggs, 4 slices of toast, and maybe more if he feels hungry. My boyfriend has a fast metabolism, and put on...oh, 10 lbs, which he needed. Me? It's almost laughable.

Obviously, I am changing, and have decided to find the will power to go back to what I was and my previous habits.

yah i always gain weight when i start a relationship
because dates are always based on eating, mainly for me, but also i agree with the security of finding a mate argument...and finally, it's hard to keep up with boys who have the ability to eat whatever they want and never gain weight...so you pick up their bad habits like eating late at night etc.

i think there's some truth to this...for me it's both good and bad. now that my boyfriend and i eat dinner together most nights, i definitely cook "proper" meals on a more regular basis, which is good in terms of balanced nutrition. but i definitely also eat more, period, and especially more meat. really, the big change is that we now make or eat big, robust, bacon-and-eggs type brunches every weekend which used to be a much more occasional event for me. thankfully it's usually preceded by some cardio in the bedroom.

however, even before he and i got serious, i'd started to get more disciplined with my running and fitness again. so, for now at least, it all evens out!

I've always thought this was true. Thank god I am single!

Yes, but less because I feel I can "let myself go" and more because I picked up his eating habits (eating bigger portions, always getting dessert, eating all all hours hungry or not).
I have finally come to terms with this and am working my way back to being my original size.

i gained a good amount of weight with my last serious boyfriend. he was a big guy & we'd get these huge take-out dinners from restaurants every single night. since then, i've dated people, but i always kick up my cardio to balance things out & keep my weight on track.

I haven't gained a pound in a year of marriage. I swore I would not be one of those women that didn't maintain themselves.

When I moved in with my ex I gained like 15 pounds because I'd never had regular mealtimes before then, and I wasn't used to eating a big heavy dinner... but since I was cooking for him anyway I started eating in the evenings too and it was horrible for me!

But as soon as we broke up, I dropped the weight (almost) as fast as I dropped him

No, a relationship has never impacted my weight. I've always been fit and shapely. Eating well and exercise are part of who I am.

In fact, during the 15 years my husband and I've been together, I've progressively become more fit and in shape. I do it for me, and of course, he happens to love it.

Incidentally, the idea of letting myself go during a relationship (especially a marriage) is completely outside my way of thinking. When a marriage is concerned, personally, as a wife, I want to feel and look my best. I do this for me, as I get a lot of self-satisfaction from this, and I do it for my husband. In a way, I want to give him MY BEST for making the decision to commit to me (and forsaking other women, per his wedding vows). I deeply appreciate him for that, and I want to be the best version of me that I can be (as opposed to a fat, sloppy, unhealthy version). Does he appreciate this? Absolutely.

Likewise, he does the same for me. My husband has kept himself lean, healthy, and handsome. To me, he is as attractive (albeit older) as when I first met him 20 years ago.

Truthfully, I personally do not identify with the notion of letting myself go when a relationship (especially a marriage) is involved.

Maybe a little bit. But I was already gaining back lost weight before I got together with my current bf. Now I'm starting to lose it again but this time I'm keeping it off!

Only when I got pregnant! Ha!

Other than that, I don't subscribe to the notion of "letting one's self go" in a relationship. With marriage and two kids, I still invest in my physical well-being.

No, but it probably helps that my finance is a health nut!

Yes! I've finally started to lose the 15lbs I gained in the first year I dated my fiance.

I started gaining weight when I went on the pill which was for my relationship and it is difficult holding yourself back from eating everything that your mate eats because he has a faster metabolism. So I have to be more careful but I wouldn't want to let myself go. We regularly exercise and try to eat healthy including fresh fruit.

p.s. I did not gain the weight because I felt like I could "let myself go." In fact, I feel the opposite. I think now that I'm in a long term relationship, it's even more important to "look good." If I feel good about myself then I will be a better partner for my fiance. I gained weight because all we ate was fast food. So gross. I'm healthier now than I was before I met him because he cooks amazingly delicious and healthy foods for me.

Amanda, you've been gorgeous in every picture I've ever seen you in on this site. I think you're miles from letting yourself go.

Since starting my relationship I'm losing weight and my man is finding it. I don't count calories or limit certain foods. I have an active job that keeps me at my size.

spacekatgal THANK YOU! That's so sweet. You're getting a gift!

I gained weight with my current bf because in the beginning our dates strictly revolved around eating. My bf loves his food and adventually my will power broke down and I allowed myself to indulge too much and too often. I'm back on track now losing the extra 15 lbs that gained on top of the 15 lbs that I usually gain over the winter. Yeah, 30 lbs! 17 lbs down and 13 lbs to go.

I gained 40 lbs because I got pregnant after our marriage.

I lost 35 lbs of it but I'm still 5 lbs over the weight when we first met. Yeah, I couldn't dedicate precise exercise time as often as I used to (by going to the gym or going running/jogging/walking alone), but at least, I get to chase my son around who's learning to ride his bike.

But my husband's kind of 'worse,' he's like 30 lbs heavier. (He was 50 lbs heavier, but we've been working on his food intake and he's started to exercise so he lost 20 lbs).

Unlike other posters, I couldn't pick up his eating habit because it's unsuitable for me (he probably just eats once a day==yes, big portion and snack throughout the day).

I would never let myself go...I've never been in a serious relationship, but I know that my bf would have to be committed to exercise and healthy eating as well.

My eating habits have changed, but definitely for the better. I struggled with an eating disorder for a long time. I was in recovery before we started dating, but his eating habits and his watchfulness over mine have definitely made it easier for me to keep myself on track.

Also, I want to look good for him, even after being with him for a long time!

I havent lost or gained any weight since I was 16 or so.
I like to think that my husband lost some when we got married though, because now he gets to eat actual food, not hot pockets all day long.

This article reminded me of a scene on some sitcom, it went something like this:

[Wife storms in]
Wife: Get up, we're going jogging! And we're going on a diet!

Husband: But.. we said we could be fat now... it was our gift for our 40th birthdays..

Wife: Well that was before the new skinny neighbor moved in.

Eh. I don't know. I think it has it has do with age too. Are we talking about couples who are 25 or 45? In the USA? Where we all drive our cars everywhere and sit in an office? Where we park our cars as close as possible at the grocery stores? Do you live in a place with winter for 8 months? It depends on many things. But sometimes families want dinner at night, and if you have children, what are you going to do, have a few chips and watch TV for a diet while your three year old manages for himself? You wind up cooking meals and you wind up eating more. I think it's IMPORTANT not to gain too much. You have to be sensitive to the physical attraction factor of your relationship. It can be a struggle. Sometimes I sit there at the dinner table and watch everyone eat while I sip a coke or something. So I give in sometimes. He cooks breakfast. I can't eat it. I have to cook my own. He makes lunch. I can't eat it, so I have a salad. It gets ridiculous. I have gained around seven pounds now after ten years of that. I run about sixteen miles a week and can't lose it. Maybe because I'm in my 40's now. Anyway as a size six I don't fit into the obesity after marriage category.
I understand how it happens though and I feel sorry for those couples.

This is definately true...I definately adopted my boyfriends bigger portion size etc when we moved in together. Plus he does all the cooking...definately trying to get back on track though. It's like gaining the freshman 15 all over again!

I did not have the notion to "let myself go" by any means. Absolutely not. But sh*t happens. Actually, since I have gained weight, I feel much better than I did. Granted, I went from rarely eating to eating 3 meals a day, usually out, so here I am. I didn't let myself go by any means, and it's not as if you gain weight and stop wanting to look good, smell good, etc. In fact, I don't know a single married woman who has done that. I am sure there are many, but I don't know any. I am losing the weight. I think I have learned a valuable lesson: eat 3 meals a day all your life, don't eat out all the time, and your metabolism doesn't stay the same as you get older =)

totally agree ... i gained so much weight probably because i was eating out more and eating things that had more calories than i used to eat.

My guys loves it when I have a little more on my stomach! I'm not heavy in the slightest but his love for my body is very encouraging. It has helped me to want to take care of it even better He was a little sad to see my pooch go, but doesn't mind my new found abs either.

On the bright side, I would like to think that the weight gain is called "love pounds" as my mother referred to it.

I think there is some truth to this one. Most people probably care more when they're single. But after settling in with their mate for a long while then they tend to relax TOO much and allow themselves to let go weight wise.

And I don't think most people get obese. I think they just gain 10-15 lbs extra before they notice and want to actually do something about it.

Kudos to those who have managed to stay fit and slim. However, it's not so attractive being judgmental. Some people maintain their weight better than others, some must take medication, some get injured and must lay off exercise for awhile in order to heal, all of which contribute to weight gain. Just bear these things in mind before you berate a 'fat, sloppy wife' who has 'let herself go.' You may not know the whole story.

That said, I'm age 50, 5'5" and 132 pounds, and am regularly thought to be at least ten years younger than I really am, but I have friends less fortunate. So be kind to each other.