Researchers have found a new way to lose weight without doing a workout, following a diet, or taking any pills.
According to Spring, new research revealed that when one partner diets, the other partner also loses weight without even trying.
The research also demonstrated that the non-dieting partner can lose an average of 4 lbs of their body weight without any effort, which is dubbed “the ripple effect.” It means that the weight loss spreads out from the person on diet to their close others.
The first author of the study, Professor Amy Gorin, said, “When one person changes their behavior, the people around them change. Whether the patient works with their healthcare provider, joins a community-based lifestyle approach like Weight Watchers, or tries to lose weight on their own, their new healthy behaviors can benefit others in their lives.”
For this study, one partner of 130 couples either joined a diet program or was put in a self-guided group. After six months, it was found that the untreated spouses also lost an average of over 4 lbs.
Gorin explained, “How we change our eating and exercise habits can affect others in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, spouses might emulate their partner’s behaviors and join them in counting calories, weighing themselves more often, and eating lower-fat foods.”
The study published in the journal Obesity found that around one-third of ‘untreated’ partners lost at least 3 percent of their body weight in six months. However, it is not yet discovered whether the ripple effect includes other members of the family or not.
