By Colleen Dowd

Have you made your resolutions for 2010? If so, you are not alone. According to CNN, about 100 million Americans make a promise to themselves when the ball drops. One of the top goals for the New Year is to lose weight.

However, you may have to work off less than your married sister or your friends with children. According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a woman’s weight is affected by more that just what she eats and how much she exercises. Your relationship status and whether or not you have kids also plays a role.

It seems pretty obvious that when your sister was pregnant with your niece or nephew that she was going to gain some weight. More surprisingly, the study found that even living with a partner could pack on the pounds—that’s at least one bonus for single aunties!

Scientists followed more than 6,000 Australian women who were between the ages of 18 and 23. They wanted to see what happened to their weight over a ten-year period.  And the results may surprise you.

At the end of the decade long study, the average weight gain for a 140-pound women was 20 pounds if she had a baby and a partner. If the women was in a serious relationship but didn’t have children, she still packed on about 15 pounds. Finally, ladies who were without a partner and childless only added on an average of 10 pounds.

“The weight gain appeared to start when the got married, then worsened when they had their first child,” says Wendy J. Brown, Ph. D., the lead author of the study. So what’s a Savvy Auntie to do?

One of the most important things to come out of a study like this is awareness. The underlining fact is that all three groups of women gained at least ten pounds over ten years, regardless of having children or partners. According to Dr. Brown, this is a higher rate of weight gain than our mother’s generation.

Weight gain can come from a variety of factors. Identifying what triggers you is a key part is preventing the pounds. Sleep deprivation may play a role in a new mom’s weight gain, while eating out could contribute to snugger jeans on ladies in relationships. Single aunties usually have more time for exercise, but still need to watch out for comfort food when dating doesn’t go her way.

And while awareness is half the battle the other half is action. Living a long, healthy life is important for both Savvy Aunties and moms. Here’s to a new year filled with happiness and void of weight gain!

Colleen Dowd is a freelance writer.