Weight Gain Is Grounds For Divorce?

 Posted on May 31, 2013 in Family Law

While it may not seem politically correct to discuss, and could even be considered unsavory, the fact is that many people seek divorces because their spouses gain a significant amount of weight. “One of the biggest causes of marital unhappiness—right up there with cheating, sex, and money—is fat,” according to the chtribune. According to the Tribune, the trouble for some peoples starts with pregnancy. This was true for Caitlin and Matt, who at first wouldn’t admit why he didn’t want to have sex with his wife. Caitlin all but threatened to divorce him for his lack of libido (another valid reason for divorce, according to a different article in the Tribune). Only then did he tell her it was her weight that was keeping him distant.

“Weight, energy levels, health, and self-esteem change over seasons and years,” according to New York magazine, and “couples in long-term relationships must navigate those changes.” For some, according to New York, “weight gain is grounds for divorce.” Technically, of course, no state lists excessive weight gain as an actual reason for a fault-divorce, but when the Huffington Post posed the question to readers as to whether weight gain was an acceptable reason for divorce, answers were split. Most people who said that weight gain would be a reason for divorce cited the fact that sex lives change with excessive weight gain, and that changes the marriage. It’s more than appearance—it’s health, intimacy, and the limitations of weight gain on shared activities that many said weight gain was a reason for divorce.

According to another article in the Huffington Post, “just like a couple needs to be in tune with how they’ll raise their children and spend or save their money, they probably need to be like-minded when it comes to diet, health and fitness.” If a couple never had the same ideas of what weight gain could mean to their relationship, the chance is that they were headed for a divorce anyway.

If you or someone you know is considering divorce, don’t go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Illinois divorce attorney today.