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When You Go on a Diet, Your Spouse Loses Weight, Too, Study Suggests New research shows that healthy lifestyle changes have a “ripple effect” on other family members. You’ve decided to become newly committed to getting healthy to lose a little weight. You wish your partner was on board, but he or she has no interest in going on a diet. That’s okay — it’s likely they’ll slim down, too, concludes a new study. The research, published in February 2018 in the journal Obesity, looked at 130 married couples. In each, one overweight or obese spouse was enrolled in Weight Watchers. After six months on the program, the nondieting partner also lost a modest amount of weight — about 5 pounds (lbs) — compared with a control group.

Even better, 32 percent of the nondiet spouses lost at least 3 percent of their initial body weight over this period of time. That’s significant, given that someone can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by losing just 5 to 7 percent of their body weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are likely two things at play here, explains study coauthor Amy Gorin, PhD, professor of psychological sciences at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “You start eating healthier, so your spouse may be motivated to do so as well. Also, if you’re responsible for grocery shopping or cooking, you may bring healthier foods into the home, so they may lose weight by being surrounded by a healthier environment,” she says. RELATED: The Weight-Loss Plans to Try and the Diet Fads to Skip if You Want to See Results A study published in December 2013 in the journal Obesity suggested that weight loss can be “contagious” among groups. But the opposite may be true as well: Social influence can play a role in participation in athletic activities among young people, making obesity more likely within certain groups, a study published in January 2012 in the journal PLoS One suggested. “There is pretty solid evidence that weight gain is contagious among spouses and friends, but less is known about how weight loss might spread in these same groups,” adds Dr. Gorin. “This study adds to a small but growing body of literature suggesting that weight loss is contagious among spouses,” she says.

   

“I see this all the time in my private practice,” says Martha McKittrick, RD, who's in private practice in New York City. “Previous studies have shown we slim down or gain weight based on those people around us. And a spouse would have even more of an effect as we are with them more often.” Indeed, weight loss and healthy habits may affect the entire family, too — not just a spouse. “Whatever changes you make at home or in your everyday life will naturally rub off against them,” says Amy Shapiro, RD, founder of Real Nutrition NYC in New York City. When someone comes in to see Shapiro, he or she knows that the entire family will likely start eating more veggies and more whole grains. “They definitely reap the benefits. We talk about great ways to prep food. And no one in the family complains, either,” she says.

   

RELATED: 9 Steps to Help Lower Your BMI What’s more, a transformation in your health beyond weight loss — better blood pressure numbers, for instance — can be motivating to a partner, too, notes Shapiro. To put this principle into practice at home, make healthier changes in a subtler way, suggests McKittrick. That means no bragging about your discipline, which can be off-putting. “Buy healthy food, make tasty substitutes, like cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles with meat sauce, and find new, fun food products,” she says, adding that the emphasis should be on being healthy rather than “dieting.” You may also want to come prepared with why you’re making those changes, adds Shapiro. White bread may not be the devil, but you’ve replaced it with whole grain for more fiber, for instance. And encourage fun foods, too, just done in a moderate way. Rather than keeping ice cream in the house, ask your spouse to take a walk with you to get a scoop. Share chicken Parmesan when at your favorite Italian restaurant, along with a salad, she suggests. All these changes add up over time.

   

RELATED: 10 High-Fiber Foods to Add to Your Diet Bottom line: Even if your spouse isn’t on board with your new healthy lifestyle, it may not matter. “This study suggests that your spouse will likely benefit if you lose weight yourself,” says Gorin. “So, if you are concerned about your spouse’s weight, focusing on your own weight management might prompt your spouse to lose weight, too.”