Why do lovers lose weight faster?

05/30/2023
More articles on psychology and wellness on the Wispence blog

When we are in love, a number of chemical processes take place in our bodies that affect our mood, appetite, and metabolism, and can eventually lead to weight loss.

One of the main chemistry involved in falling in love is the release of hormones such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These hormones are "happiness hormones" and contribute to increased mood and feelings of well-being. As a result, people often experience a decrease in appetite as these hormones increase satiety levels.

In addition, falling in love can also lead to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol levels are lowered, our body can better digest food and consume fewer calories. Also, lower cortisol levels can help increase muscle mass and increase metabolism, which can also help with weight loss.

Finally, falling in love can stimulate physical activity and sports, although this is more of a psychological aspect. When we are in love, we often spend time with our partner, which can be an incentive to play sports and exercise together. In addition, our partner can inspire us to take up new sports, which will help us to diversify our workouts and increase the effect of them.

Thus, falling in love can become a motivation for a healthy lifestyle and weight loss, thanks to the chemical processes in the body associated with the release of “happiness” hormones, reducing stress hormone levels and stimulating physical activity. However, as always, a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition should be based on constant habits, and not just on falling in love.

couple in love

For centuries, people were sure that love, attraction and affection come from the heart, but already in the 19th century, scientists proved that the brain, hormones and other substances are responsible for all these emotions, that is, love is chemistry. The most important organ for love is the brain, not the heart, no offense to the poets who glorify this wonderful feeling.

Love and falling in love is a complex biochemical process that occurs in our body, when not only the brain, which is haunted by this feeling, is in an excited state, but also almost all systems and organs of the human body.

When you happen to meet someone you like, the brain triggers the release of various hormones. As a result of exposure to hormones, your behavior changes dramatically and you behave differently than usual.

When it comes to love, oxytocin acts first of all - the hormone of hugs or affection, which is responsible for the state of pleasure, reduces the level of anxiety and pain, relieves physiological and psychological stress.

But love cannot be attributed to the action of oxytocin alone, because in reality everything is much more complicated. A group of scientists led by renowned anthropologist Helen Fisher from Rutgers University came to the conclusion that the state of love can be divided into three stages: lust (passion), attraction and attachment, and each of these stages turns on its own set of hormones.

At the first stage, estrogen and testosterone are most actively released. In women, estrogen activates the desire for physical intimacy with a loved one, testosterone - turns on sexual desire in both partners. Ever since primitive times, the immediate reaction of the body to a meeting with a potential partner is the production of these hormones. It is these hormones that induce a person to procreate.

When you experience attraction, dopamine, adrenaline, and serotonin are released. These hormones also influence our behavior in their own way. Dopamine - causes a surge of pleasure, comparable to the action of narcotic substances, makes you experience a strong emotional overload, because of this state, a person in love can neither eat nor sleep.

Adrenaline is released by the adrenal glands when we are aroused to suppress some bodily functions and enhance others. Dating someone new can be stressful because of the uncertainty, and since adrenaline is a survival hormone, it encourages the person to keep dating despite the risks and dangers involved. Also, lovers often experience the physical special effects of adrenaline: dilated pupils, increased sweating, heart palpitations, a feeling of nervousness, described in poetry and prose as "butterflies in the stomach." They begin to flutter precisely because of the effect of the hormone adrenaline.

The hormone serotonin comes into play to balance mood, appetite, sex drive, and sexual function. This hormone is an essential chemical for starting a relationship. It is serotonin that makes the mind think of the beloved and no one else. At the attachment stage, oxytocin and vasopressin come to the fore. Although the level of oxytocin rises already at the initial stage of a romantic relationship and reaches a peak after six months of relationship with a partner.

No wonder that lovers "dry with love." It’s even hard to imagine how the body withstands these crazy hormonal swings, under the influence of which people are capable of much for the sake of their beloved, strive to be even more beautiful, and this makes them even happier. As a result, such activity when falling in love helps to lose extra pounds, become slimmer and more beautiful.

Unfortunately, it often happens that love is unrequited. It brings a person incredible suffering for the object of love from a lack of his attention or for some other reason. Because of this, a person in love becomes very vulnerable and sensitive, stops eating normally, loses appetite and loses weight, “just from unrequited love.” A period of depression sets in, which also leads to weight loss. Fat is simply burned from an increased hormonal background, both from positive emotions and from suffering. But it works if you haven't created a habit of emotional eating, which can backfire, overeating, and developing an eating disorder.

If the object of love does not yet know about your feelings, and you want to please him, then to achieve the goal you will do anything, including taking care of your figure and appearance with pleasure. Love in this case becomes a real stimulus.

If love is mutual, there is a desire to be even better for your beloved or lover. A person experiences a surge of strength and energy, can work more and longer, even play sports more efficiently. Therefore, it will not be difficult for him to follow a diet.

Also, a person in love does not need additional positive emotions, for example, from eating delicacies. He wants to be better and better, he has a high motivation to work on himself, to improve his body. Love causes a lack of appetite, a person eats little and naturally loses weight.

Often, couples in love lose weight on their honeymoon because they experience increased sexual activity, which also contributes to weight loss. As you know, sex burns a huge amount of calories. So, losing weight loving is very real. Sexologists say that during the average sexual intercourse, about 200 kilocalories are burned, and making love with all passion, you can spend twice.

And yet love is a side process, then it should not be considered a universal method for losing weight. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of physiology and psychology, which are individual for each person. But the fact that love and falling in love under the influence of hormones are the cause of poor sleep, less food intake, more emotions experienced, can definitely be argued.

However, “the short-term process of losing weight may stop when the crush passes. Your appetite will recover and strike with renewed vigor on sweet, fatty and sweet-fat foods and there will no longer be an incentive to restrain the bestial appetite: there is no one to be a beauty for, a prince is not a prince, ”the nutrition expert summed up.

Therefore, in order to always stay slim, have a beautiful toned body, you should always monitor your calorie intake and increase physical activity. The Wispence app will help you with this - a calorie, water, step tracker, as well as your personal fitness and nutrition plan, created based on your data and preferences. Install and try for free.

In order to lose extra pounds, to make our body perfect, each of us has a choice of ways: follow a diet, go in for fitness or dancing, or you can just fall head over heels in love, combining business with pleasure. Fall in love and lose weight for health!


The aim of our service is to improve the quality of life and health. Please consult with a healthcare specialist before using the platform regarding the characteristics of your health conditions and contraindications.

© 2024 Wispence.com