Dating: Turn The Heat Up, Keep The Weight Off

After being off the market for months (maybe even years) you’re finally ready. You've revamped your wardrobe; vacuumed the cat hair off the couch; started smiling at strangers.

You’re back on the market and ready to date.

But after one, two, maybe even four weeks of being back in the singles’ game, you realized something: all these dinners out, movies in, and stressful nights spent waiting for returned calls and text messages have you gaining something aside from new love interests.

That’s right—all this waiting has you gaining weight.

The Dating Game Is High-Calorie

For most of us, dating is the most wonderful, awful part of being a single adult. The upside? We get to dress up, go out, act flashy and talk about ourselves to people who've not yet built an opinion about us.

But the down side can be rough, especially on our bodies.

Dating means putting yourself out there, which is stressful. Stress is proven to lower the immune system, making us more likely to fall ill and less likely to feel our best.

Plus, what do we do when we’re stressed? We eat.

It’s not just the stress of dating that ups our appetite, though. What do we do on dates? We eat.

And how do we share the details of our new-found dating life with friends? Over ice cream, donuts, 3,000 calorie lattes, or boxes of cookies.

So the long and short of it is dating= eating. And eating= gaining weight.

Keeping up appearances?

When we venture back out onto the market, we’re usually a little disillusioned about our bodies. Either we were recently hurt by a previous romantic partner and feel badly about ourselves; or we've been putting our all into our physical appearance, and are riding on a high of self-esteem. Either way—or any way that falls between—our egos are delicate.

When meeting new people, especially those you’re potentially romantically interested in, it’s very important to keep up a solid, healthy diet and exercise routine.

Sure, I’m biased—I’m a doctor. But take a peek at any lifestyle enhancement plans— for instance, the Truth About Six Pack Abs reviews of real-life success stories and tell me: are diet and exercise not the best way to keep your self-confidence at its peak?

Get yourself on a daily exercise regime, whether through a gym or of your own volition, and maintain a healthy, balanced diet, limiting alcohol. You’ll find yourself feeling more energetic, outgoing, and happy.

In other words, you’ll be the best date anyone’s ever been on.

Dining out doesn't mean eating crap

The old standby for a date is dinner and a movie, everyone knows that. But many people are also afraid to serve up alternative options from the standard diner meal or a carb-loaded Italian dinner, so eating out with a date can easily become eating very, very badly.

Don’t be afraid to offer the option of a home-cooked, healthy meal. If that’s too intimidating, scope the internet for healthy bistros nearby, or suggest you and your date visit your favorite healthy dining spot.

Avoid getting bogged down by the greasy, high-caloric, junk food that many chain and fast food restaurants serve. Suggest an after-dinner walk, too, to keep yourself from sinking into a food coma.

(Plus, a moonlit walk is oh, so romantic.)

Stress makes you fat.

All the carb-cutting and treadmilling in the world can fend off the worst culprit of weight gain: stress.

Dating is a stressful time, and it’s natural to be on edge. After all, you’re putting your neck—and heart, and self-esteem, to name just a few things—on the line, so emotional logic would follow that you’re going to be a little uncomfortable being so vulnerable.

But there’s a difference between simply feeling stress and allowing yourself to be consumed by it.

The Diet Solution Program reviews a few suggestions–that you give yourself 15 or 20 minutes a day wherein you focus on yourself. Check-in emotionally, asking how you’re doing, what’s worrying you, and going over a few affirmations for the day. Then, give yourself a physical once-over, identifying areas of your body where you feel strong, or working on accepting areas that you’re not so confident in.

In the end, keep a positive attitude no matter how many times you strike out. If you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you’re putting yourself first. Sure, you might night meet mister- or miss- wonderful on date number one, but if you’re putting your health and well-being first, you’ll inevitably land yourself in a relationship with someone who really deserves to be with someone as wonderful as you.