Is Your Spouse Sabotaging Your Health Goals?

Hey guys!

I received an interesting request. Amanda, a PhD candidate at Clark University trained in Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, is seeking volunteers to participate in her survey on spousal interference/spousal undermining with weight loss.

Have you ever tried to start eating more healthfully or working in morning walks to find that your spouse becomes a hindrance? Suddenly, he or she is bringing pizza and cheesecake into the house  and pushing snooze on the alarm?

Amanda needs only 20 more volunteers to complete an anonymous online survey as part of her research for her dissertation. Amanda is offering to donate $1 to charity for each survey completed (the 5 charities she’s selected are: Playworks, The Carter Center, Teach for America, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, or MAP International. I believe she chose the Komen charity before the scandal By the way, aside, if you have not heard of PlayWorks, look ‘em up! Love them!). Additionally, Amanda is offering a total of $325 in gift cards to participants, via drawing.

In order to participate in the survey, you have to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:

1) Are you at least 18 years of age?

2) Have you been participating in a weight loss program for the past consecutive 5 weeks?

3) Have you been in a committed, cohabitating relationship for the past two years?

4) Do you ever feel like your partner/spouse gets in the way of your weight loss?

More on Amanda’s research: her advisor is James Cordova who has been on the Rachael Ray Show to discuss “The Marriage Checkup,” on which she was a founding student-therapist. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in health psychology at Duke University Medical Center.

From Amanda: “This dissertation brings my interests in couples and health psychology together in order to develop a measure of partner undermining. My aim is to help individuals and weight management professionals better understand the barriers to weight loss introduced specifically within the couples context.”

I think this is fascinating stuff and not just from a weight-loss perspective. How important is it that those we co-habitate with, or spend our intimate lives with, support our efforts to make positive changes? You guys know I always say having my twin alongside me was integral to my healthful weight loss. And I know things would not work if I did not have such a supportive boyfriend who never mocks my veganism and never tries to sabotage my healthful lifestyle. I know quite a few people who, unfortunately, do not have the same respect.

So, if you’re eligible and amenable to doing so, please take the anonymous survey here. It should take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete and responses cannot be traced back to you. Any question may be left unanswered. Participation is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time. Upon survey completion, you will be provided with an email address and subject line to enter a drawing for 1 of 10 gift cards (one $100 card and nine $25 cards). Each participant who completes the survey may also select to have $1 donated to one of the charities mentioned above.

I can’t wait to hear more about where Amanda takes this research once she’s Dr. Amanda! Woohoo!

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: research, spousal interference, spousal undermining, weight loss