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It appears too many married couples are living out Wilma Flinstone’s ditty about what makes a happy household.

“Make your hobby, hubby; keep your hubby happy; when he’s a little chubby; he’s the happy pappy,” she sang in the cartoon series .

Greek researchers beg to differ. They found that married couples “let themselves go” significantly and end up fat because of their changed lifestyle, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

The study says married men were three times as likely to become obese than singles, while women were twice as likely to battle weight gain than single women, according to Deutsche Presse Agentur .

Researchers examined data on more than 17,000 couples between 20 and 70 years old. Among their findings were that married couples were “comfortable” in their lives despite less-frequent exercise, less sex and poor nutrition, the Telegraph reported.

Some of the reasons for the troubling findings were that married couples spend more time eating together, more time watching TV and order takeout. On top of these factors, they also exercise less, according to the report .

The worst problem among married couples: belly fat, said scientists from Salonica and Ioannina Universities , who presented their research Friday to the Panhellenic Medical Conference in Athens, Greece.

People before they get married typically spend a lot of time keeping fit and making themselves attractive to help them find a partner, researchers said. “But once they get married they let themselves go,” said professor Dimitris Kiortsis, one of the study’s co-authors, the Telegraph reported.

“The need to hunt for a partner is reduced. Stress and anxiety is reduced in a good marriage, there is less smoking, and therefore one’s appetite increases,” he said.

There is hope, however. The researchers advised couples in these situations to exercise more often, to avoid snacks and eat only one home-cooked meal a day. They also recommend that couples follow a Mediterranean diet, which consists of lots of fruit, vegetables and olive oil.

Article courtesy of: newsnet5.com