"Same Weight as My Wedding Day: Here Are 3 Reasons I Stay Fit—Marriage Won’t Be My Excuse!"

ONCE the honeymoon period is over, marriage can play havoc with your waistline.

Second helpings become second nature and over time, the scales can start to tell their own story.

Four women reveal whether gaining a husband also meant gaining dress sizesCredit: Lorna Roach

Nearly half of all couples – 48 per cent – admit to gaining , with 11 per cent piling on the pounds within just a few months of saying “I do”.

Married women gain nearly 2st within the first five years, according to research published in the journal Obesity.

But is wedded bliss really to blame? Four women reveal whether gaining a husband also meant gaining dress sizes…

‘I weigh the same as on my wedding day a decade ago – marriage is no excuse to get fat’

Reflexologist Charlotte Harding, 39, has not piled on weight after getting married and goes to the gym five times a weekCredit: Lorna Roach Charlotte with her husband Richard on their wedding dayCredit: Supplied

Reflexologist Charlotte Harding, 39, lives with her husband Richard, 42, a lecturer, and two children, aged 13 and 11, in Ferndale, South .

She says: When I met my husband in 2007, I was 8st 5lbs, a size eight, and I’ve stayed the same ever since. After each of my , I bounced back into shape within a month.

It’s a conscious decision – I go to the five times a week and we eat healthily, with lots of fruit and veg, plenty of water and rarely .

Richard has always told me that he’s not attracted to bigger women.

And I don’t blame him, because if he put on weight, I’d still love him – but I wouldn’t fancy him in the same way as I’d feel he was letting himself go and that he didn’t want to make the effort for me. He’s 6ft and weighs 12st.

And I would tell him honestly that he needed to do something about it.

A lot of my concerns around looking good are for reasons. We want to live for a long time and I think if you look good, you feel confident and you’re in a better frame of mind and a better wife and parent.

I suffered from post-partum and getting back to the gym helped me so much.

I would never fat shame another woman, but I hear stories of women getting caught up in and not having time to look after themselves – and their husbands end up straying. I don’t worry about that, I know it would never happen.

It’s not the woman’s fault, but I think prioritising yourself and your is attractive to a man. In general, if you feel good then you’re smiling which is attractive – it’s an upward cycle.

The physical side of our is very important to us – we were making love within a couple of weeks of having the and we still go away for dirty weekends. If I was bigger though I think I’d be embarrassed by my body.

Even if I I would keep my top on during .

‘I’ve gone up three dress sizes since saying ‘I do’ – takeaways and contentment are to blame’

Manifesting coach Sharan Sammi says she’s put on about 3st since getting married 13 years ago, and so has her husbandCredit: Lorna Roach Sharan, 44, is married to entrepreneur Gursh Sammi, 47Credit: Supplied

Manifesting coach Sharan Sammi, 44, is married to entrepreneur Gursh Sammi, 47, and lives near Wolverhampton, , with their daughter, who is nine and their 11-year-old son.

She says: My husband and I are both foodies and our weight has crept up thanks to regular cooked breakfasts and takeaways.

We’ve put on about 3st each since we married 13 years ago and want . I first gained weight when Gursh and I started at university in 1999.

I’d always been a size 8 – I’m 5ft 8 – but even then, contentment was creeping in and after a couple of years I was up to a 12. I felt less pressure to stay slim and more comfortable because I’d done the hard work of attracting Gursh.

In 2002 we split up and, heartbroken, I dropped to a size 6. But we got back together in 2010 and I was a size 8 until our in 2012.

For health reasons I was determined to get back to my wedding weight of 10st

Sharan Sammi

I felt great, I loved being able to wear any clothes and look good.

Once married I had two children and my focus shifted. I soon gained weight and after my second pregnancy I was especially self conscious.

Last December, I had a wake up call after seeing a photo of myself with an enormous mound of . I felt I’d let myself go and I needed to do something about it for the sake of my health and living for a long time for the children.

I weighed 13st and was pushing a size 14 – the heaviest I’ve ever been.

I knew my clothes felt tighter, the contentment of , juggling work and being a mum meant I’d put it to the back of my mind. I got on the scales and expected to be 2 stone lighter. I thought they were broken.

Gursh, who is 5ft 11 and almost 15st, has no issues and says there’s just more of me to love, but for health reasons I was determined to get back to my wedding weight of 10st.

As an incentive, he offered to treat us to an October holiday in , so we’re now going to the gym up to four times a week, having healthy breakfasts of sourdough, avocado and beetroot, and power-walking during lunch breaks.

So far I’ve managed to lose a stone. I’m down to 12st and a size 12.

Now, when I order a takeaway, Gursh reminds me about our holiday… but then in the next breath suggests we have cake.

I know we’ll get there as long as we keep motivating and supporting each other.

‘Marriage has made me comfortable – I was a size 10 but now I’m not shy about my jiggly bits’

Lauren Roberts, 32, says her weight piled on after becoming comfortable in her marriage and after pregnancyCredit: Lorna Roach Lauren with husband Gareth, 32, on their wedding day

Lauren Roberts, 32, works in PR and lives in Chippenham, Wilts, with husband Gareth, 32, a surveyor, and their three-year-old son.

She says: For years I weighed 11st and at 5ft 2in, I was a comfortable size 12. I exercised three or four times a week and could eat what I wanted.

Although I gained around 7lbs during the first , I lost over a stone before my wedding in September 2021, by going to the gym twice a day and sticking to a diet of chicken, fish and salads.

I got obsessed with looking perfect on my wedding day. I didn’t want to look at my wedding photos and cringe.

On my wedding day in September 2021 I was a size 10 and weighed 10st 2lbs. As I lost weight I was over the moon, I’d never had the commitment to do it before and I was proud of myself.

But afterwards, my regime relaxed. My goal had been achieved and then we started to try for a baby and my priorities changed. I got comfortable in my marriage.

I think the problem is that we’re so comfortable now – neither of us feels shy about our jiggly bits

Lauren Roberts

Five months after the wedding I fell pregnant and gained 4st.

I lost 2 stone in the first two months after our son was born and I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans within seven weeks. But when I stopped after six months the weight piled on.

We both love takeaways and order a large 14-inch pizza each, plus chicken dippers or potato tots.

And when we cook, we end up making enough for four, and eat the extra portion.

After, we’ll snack on Doritos or chocolate, washed down with a bottle of .

I’m now 12st 5lb, but Gareth is slimmer than on our wedding day. He’s 5ft 8 and around 13 stone but muscley – he is very sporty and still goes to the gym after work. It doesn’t worry me that he’s fitter than I am, I know it will motivate me eventually but I mostly work from home and find it hard to get up the motivation to go.

At the minute I am too busy to care as I’m juggling childcare and work.

I think the problem is that we’re so comfortable now – neither of us feels shy about our jiggly bits.

‘I was a size 22 bride, but after losing 11st, I no longer fear my husband can do better’

Mel, 50, gained weight but then got gastric bypass which helped her lose 11st – she now feels much more confidentCredit: Lorna Roach Mel Osborne pictured with her husband SimonCredit: Supplied

Actor Mel Osborne, 50, lives with her husband, Simon, 57, an HGV driver, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, and their two children aged 19 and 16.

She says: “I’ve always been a big girl – when I was 12 my mum refused to buy me Easter eggs, saying I didn’t need more chocolate.

But at 5ft 8in, I carried it well and wore fashionable clothes, so it never bothered me.

I was around 17st on my wedding day in October 2005 and a size 22, and felt great in my bright red dress.

But my weight crept up over the years, particularly after my pregnancies, as I’d gorge on cooked breakfasts, stodgy sandwiches, and big pasta dinners loaded with cheese.

Simon – who, unlike me, is very active – has always been slim. He’s 6ft 2 and 14st 7lb.

But he has never made me feel anything other than completely secure and loved.

However as I grew older I lost my youthful bloom and felt that people must wonder what my handsome husband was doing with someone like me.

In 2018, after my dad died and weighing 24st and a size 30, I joined and lost 4st.

But then came along and I lapsed again. I gained around 3st.

In 2024 my doctor suggested a gastric bypass as I was feeling under the due to my weight. I had the operation in January 2025, weighing 22st, and have since lost 11st.

I’m now a size eight to 10 and feel far more confident. Losing weight has improved my relationship with Simon, but only because of how I feel.

A couple of months ago we went to a concert and danced all night. Before, I couldn’t even have stood for the course of the concert, let alone danced.

It’s improved every part of our relationship because I’m so much happier.

My husband always thought I was more than good enough for him, but now I feel the same way too.”