Your Kids Are Making You Fat [View all]

[marmar]

(MarketWatch) Mom and dad, your beloved little angels are making you fat, and the reasons behind this may surprise you. The good news: You can nip that extra poundage in the butt (or arms, or abs) with some easy lifestyle changes.

Several studies show that becoming a parent may be a straight shot to a less-than-svelte waistline. A study of more than 10,000 men over a 20-year period published this month in the American Journal of Men’s Health found that the typical six-foot tall man who lives with his kids gains an average of 4.4 pounds after having his first kid; that’s compared to just 3.3 pounds for a dad not living with his kids. Men without kids actually dropped some pounds over the course of the study.

Furthermore, a study published in 2013 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that parents — particularly women — tend to gain more weight than their non-parent counterparts (you can see their increased body mass indexes here), and a 2011 study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine found that by age 55, parents reach an average BMI in the obese zone (over 30), while the average BMI for those without children merely reaches the overweight zone (25 to 29) by that age.

“Parenthood contributes to a long-term, cumulative process of weight gain for American women and men,” the authors of the latter study write. .................(more)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-kids-are-making-you-fat-2015-06-10