Weight Loss News

Love, not diet, key to weight loss, Italian survey says

by The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa

ROME -- Forget dieting, there's nothing like love to help you shed those extra pounds, according to a survey in an Italian health magazine.

Eight out of 10 Italians find that a new love interest is the best way for men and women to get into shape, Dimagrire (Lose Weight) said in its February issue.

Chocolate, other sweets and carbohydrates stimulate neurotransmitters cause a general feeling of well-being, but also pile on the calories, one nutritionist said.

"So, if being in love brings the same happiness, the organism doesn't need these foods to achieve well-being," Amleto D'Amicis was quoted as saying.

But the slimming effects of romance don't last forever.

For one-third of Italians, the pounds stay off only until marriage and for 23 per cent, a first child can bring those love handles back on for both mama and papa.

A lucky few -- about 12 per cent -- never put the weight back on.

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