Married Couple Teams Up To Change Lifestyle

DALLAS -- A federal study suggests that married couples are healthier than singles, but marriage also tends to lead to weight gain. One Texas couple is working together to reverse the trend.

Sharon and Jack Bramblett were married 21 years ago. During their life together, the couple experienced a significant weight gain, reported KXAS-TV in Dallas.

A study recently showed that the Brambletts' experience was typical of married couples. Eating and living together usually combine to pack on extra pounds because couples change their eating habits. They tend to eat bigger meals, for example.

"After we got married, I quit working out and gained weight," Jack Bramblett said.

"... Over a hundred pounds overweight," Sharon Bramblett added.

The study also showed that couples hold an ace in terms of potential weight loss. Couples who join a gym together are 95 percent less likely to drop out than singles or spouses who join individually.

The Brambletts played their trump card by joining a 24 Hour Fitness Center in Irving, Texas.

"It makes it a lot more fun, really, because you have someone with you, someone to talk to," Jack Bramblett said. "You're not doing the grind by yourself, and, for a guy, you're trying to impress your woman a little bit."

They also changed their eating habits by switching from restaurant dinners to low-carbohydrate meals they prepare at home. Their changes extended to their leisure time. Television viewing was replaced by aerobics sessions and, three nights a week, the Brambletts work out with weights.

"We're both 50," Jack Bramblett said. "We both wanted to do better, live healthier."

The weight-loss program came about because Sharon Bramblett suffered from degenerative arthritis in her back, and she needed a way to ease the pain.

Now, after Sharon Bramblett dropped about 55 pounds and her husband shed 35 pounds, the two are closer to their respective weights when they married 21 years ago.