Drop everything you’re doing, because there’s new news on the dad bod front. A study that was just published the American Journal of Men’s Health, has found a culprit for dad bod. It’s kids. Not just any kids, YOUR kids. The ones you made when you had consensual sex with their mother. So the name, originally coined by Clemson University student Mackenzie Pearson, is right on point.

The study, which used data that was collected beginning in 1994 over 20 years, followed 10,253 men and their body mass indexes (BMI). Over that time period, it revealed that fathers had an average increase in BMI, as opposed to their childless (not necessarily unfulfilled) counterparts, who actually saw their BMI decrease. Furthermore, fathers who lived with their children saw a slightly higher increase than those that did not (2.6 percent vs. 2 percent). Though this number may seem slight, the researchers maintain that they may actually be conservative.

It’s not hard to imagine that these findings holds up. When you have children, your life is sliced into two pieces: 1 percent for yourself, 99 percent for your progeny. There's less time to hit the gym, a lot more stress, and eventually tons of access to kid-friendly (but adult-pleasing) junk food. Add that all up and you can certainly see why any young father’s BMI might be at risk. “These findings support the need for obesity prevention interventions specifically designed for and targeted toward young males in general and those transitioning to fatherhood in particular,” the study asserts.

What’s more, the study cites previous research that warns of habits fathers may set for their children: “In families with an overweight father and a normal weight mother, the odds of having an obese child 4 years later were 4.18 times greater compared with two normal weight parents, and, if the father was obese, the odds rose to 14.88 times greater.” That’s worth remembering, you’re the best example your kid has got.

So what’s a dad to do? Drop the baby and pick up the weights? We suggest this general rule of thumb: Put the kids first, put your body second. Duh.