14 DAY TRIAL // Women usually gain weight during pregnancy, but they’re not alone in piling on the baby fat, as a new study comes to show. According to its findings, as cited by the Daily Mail, men too gain a lot of weight during their partner’s pregnancy – up to one stone (over 6kg), to be more precise, because they find it harder and harder to resist the temptation of all the treats around the house.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on 5,000 men, revealed that most of them are not even aware they’ve grown plumper until they try on older clothes and find they don’t fit anymore. Consequently, they join their partners shopping for new clothes, labeled as “paternity” items. Because this is no longer an isolated phenomenon, the weight gain (including the cravings and the need to change the wardrobe) is now referred to as “male pregnancy.”
“The average woman puts on about two and a half stone during her pregnancy, and it’s not at all uncommon for her to crave more fatty foods and need more regular snacks. So if the kitchen cupboards are suddenly brimming with snacks and food, it’s no wonder blokes are tempted to tuck in as well.” a spokesperson for OnePoll tells the Mail about how come men start to eat more once their partner becomes pregnant. Nevertheless, it’s not only the snacks that contribute to the piling pounds, as some of the men admit they’re being fed larger meals, while also being showered with more attention.
Another explanation for the weight gain during “male pregnancy” is that many couples start eating out more once they find out about the baby, in one last bid to enjoy each other’s company before the child arrives. Restaurant dinners and takeout food are, as we all know, extremely dangerous for the silhouette, especially if they become a regular occurrence. Still, the fault is not entirely women’s for why men gain weight during pregnancy, the poll also indicates.
As the OnePoll spokesperson puts it, men let themselves go once they hear of the baby coming. “The only problem seems to be that men are choosing to snack on unhealthier options such as sweets and cakes – and I don’t think women can be blamed for their partners drinking more beer!” says the spokesperson for the aforementioned publication. On the other hand, men are equally responsive when it comes to going on a post-pregnancy diet, so they don’t say that each cloud has a silver lining for nothing.