There was a recent article in the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle about longevity being linked to waist size. The study was from the American Cancer Society which tracked the health of more than 100,000 people over nine years. Having a large waist size doubled the risk of dying from any cause compared to those with smaller waists. This finding occurred whether the person was normal weight, overweight, or obese. The researchers reported a particularly striking finding for women. They noted that the association between waist size and mortality risk was strongest for women who were normal weight. The take home message was watch your waist as well as your weight. The size of waist that was most noted was 47 inches or larger for men and 42 inches or larger for women. The waist is measured just above the navel, not underneath your tummy.

Most people are more able to lose weight if they adapt a total lifestyle change and have an exercise buddy. That's one of the reasons couples can be so successful if they work together to help each other become more active and eat healthy. Women use food to manage emotions such as anger, boredom, loneliness, and anxiety more than men do. Therefore, if women can talk to their partner about how they are feeling, many times this alone will help them curb their munching. Men have more tendencies toward drinking and watching TV than women. If women are able to encourage their partner to go for a walk or a bike ride with them, this helps him cut calories and become healthier. Working together can also lead to a closer connection with each other. You have a shared vision; rather than worry about your partner sabotaging you, they are going to be motivating you.

Before you begin, it is important to understand a few basics about men's and women's bodies in relationship to losing weight:

1. Men lose faster. They have more muscle mass, faster metabolism and more water. Therefore, the same exercise and diet will be reflected differently on the scales. Women lose slower, and the body fluctuates more due to menstruation as well as our higher fat content.
2. Women get hungrier than men with strenuous exercise. Women's bodies are designed to give birth, so what we burn we feel the need to restore.
3. Both men and women can be addicted to trigger foods, but it is more common with women. If your partner understands this, you can ban specific foods from your home.

How to begin a couple's exercise program:

1. Choose an exercise you both want to do. It should be done at a level that you can continue to talk to each other, thus enhancing your emotional connection, as well improving your cardiovascular health.
2. Choose the number of times each week you will engage in this activity and the time. If you are a morning person and your partner is an evening person, maybe you can go together on the weekends and separately during the week.
3. Don't compare your weight loss with your partner. What is important is you are encouraging each other. Congratulate each other more on their clothing size as they lose weight and how they appear. Are they more energetic? Do they seem happier? These are the things to notice.
4. Take turns cooking healthy. Make dinners at home special. This will save you money as well as save you unwanted calories.
5. If you feel a binge coming on, alert your partner that you need additional support to stay on track. Many times just telling someone else will stop the binge in its track.
6. Supervise yourself only. Don't become the sergeant to your spouse. The goal is to get healthier and whittle away the waist, not your marriage.
7. Prepare for more intimacy. Women especially desire sex more when they feel better about their bodies. Sometimes losing one or two inches from her waist can turn a woman into a sex goddess.
8. Be consistent. It takes about 30 days to make a behavior a habit. Everyone has the money and means to live a healthier lifestyle.
9. With weight loss, as with everything else, you get better results when you encourage rather than shame.
10. The more couples engage in activities, the happier they report their marriage. The more couples share a vision, the happier they report being. Losing weight with your partner achieves both of these.

Dr. Jacobs, who piloted the study, believes there is clear evidence that eating better and exercising more will reduce waist size and burn off belly fat. He goes on to say that, “Even a modest reduction in waist size, an inch or two, could be quite helpful.” If you begin exercising as a couple today, by Thanksgiving you may love your new waist size more than a Butterball Turkey.