[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
Seeing life in pink, having butterflies in your stomach, a knot in your stomach… Being in love is a hormonal, physical and psychological upheaval. What adventures await you, you throw yourself into the void and the unknown to embrace this new life together.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
We go through the “honeymoon” phase as some call it, the beginnings, where everything is perfect, wonderful when suddenly, after a few weeks (or months for the luckiest) there is a sudden return to reality : your partner has flaws (damn!) and you are the very definition of the adage “hunt the natural, it comes back at a gallop” and, icing on the cake, when you put on your favorite jeans you realize that It doesn’t suit you anymore!
Disaster ? Of course not ! This is all normal, don’t panic.
As a Dietitian Nutritionist I will give you my advice to help you feel comfortable in your body, in your head and therefore, even better in your relationship.
Link between food and love
I’m in love so I’m losing weight:
You may have already heard that when you are in love you can simply “feed on love and fresh water”? The love of others nourishes us, yes, it fills us, gives us the energy necessary to experience our first emotions. This is how eating comes second, we cuddle ourselves first! His stomach is satisfied… With love!
The older ones may even say to us “eat that you hang out”, being indignant at this loss of appetite but in reality there is no emergency… Everything will return to normal, when it is the right time for you and your child. body ! Incredible right?
Heartbreak and weight loss
Many people lose their appetite when faced with heartbreak! No more desire, no more appetite, from now on it is the sadness of no longer seeing the loved one which is the master of eating sensations… Food is bland, we no longer have taste… Then, over time, Luckily it works!
Routine in the couple
The time of beginnings has passed and we settle down as a couple, we discover the routine of the couple and very often this is when the kilos of love appear. Love wrists, it’s you I’m referring to!
Dinner time is awaited by the lovebirds, we cook small dishes to please each other, a desired and awaited moment of sharing. But the rhythm of our days differs and we can arrive in the nest before our loved one, snacks without hunger can happen to keep us occupied… The meal is then eaten without appetite which prevents us from enjoying the meal. Then, we add to that a sweet in front of your beloved series and without hunger, once again, we start to get into the habit of eating.
Then one-on-one meals perhaps become repeated TV shows, we eat without appetite, without real desire and the pounds thus accumulate over time.
My advice for keeping two people in line
Share meals face to face
Introduce a new healthy routine into your relationship. Ask your partner to turn off the television at mealtime, sit down at the table, set it up, help yourself to the plate and sit facing each other.
You will therefore concentrate on your meal, chat with each other, and spend a well-deserved moment of relaxation after a long day.
If you like sweets in front of the evening movie you can keep your dessert which you can enjoy at that time.
Organize your weekly menus together
A good way to eat balanced throughout the week without feeling deprived is to plan ahead. You can organize the week’s menus together, do appropriate shopping and thus eat peacefully/healthily without worrying, after the day’s work, of “what are we going to eat this evening?” “.
Cook for two
A good way to make yourself want to sit down at the table, to taste and savor the food rather than swallowing it without thinking, is to take the trouble to cook and for two people, please!
A shared moment of complicity and exchanges.
You will realize that the meal does not have the same flavor when we take the trouble to prepare it together.
Do you speak
It is essential to communicate with your partner about your respective eating sensations: who is hungry, at what time, at what intensity. So you will tune your violins and respect everyone’s feelings!
Physical activity for two
A note on physical activity is essential, especially when you have sedentary jobs and in the evening it’s: in the car and heading home! Find a time slot that suits you both and together, go work out. The meal following the activity will be even more appreciated because you will each feel quite hungry.
In short, you will have understood, to regain your figure while being in a relationship the secret is to listen to yourself, take the time and wait until you are hungry to eat!
So yes, let’s proclaim a big YES to love, this emotion which electrocutes us, which makes us vibrate, an exhilarating experience certainly but love sometimes inhibits our food sensations, invites us not to listen to them: either we eat too much, or not at all ! How to do ?
As a Dietitian I would like to tell you: what does it matter! There are cycles in life, moments when we discover a part of ourselves through the other and yes, this makes us forget our hunger, our satiety but if we take the time to come back to ourselves ( once you have managed to dissociate yourself from the other) you will be able to (re)learn again to listen to your hunger, your satiety and to enjoy a fabulous meal as a couple, eye to eye!
As with cycling, listening to your body and what it has to tell us cannot be lost, you simply need to get the habit back on track.