Anuradha Varanasi
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Written By: Anuradha Varanasi | Published : August 29, 2016 3:08 PM IST
If you live in a joint family or have an active social life, you rarely eat your meals alone. After all, the one thing most of us look forward to during the day is having at least one meal--breakfast or dinner-- with our family or group of friends. If you re trying to lose weight, you inform your family and friends about your decision to stay away from high-calorie food items.
There s no doubt that cutting down on your overall food consumption is important while trying to lose weight. However, dieting can prove to be more challenging if you eat in larger groups. While eating alone can make you gain weight, studies have found that eating with a large group of people could also prove to be counterproductive for your weight loss plan.
A study published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood in 2007 revealed that eating in larger groups increases food consumption of children by 30% [1]. Researchers observed that the participants ate more when there were nine people in the group as compared to smaller groups of three to four.
The same applies for adults as bigger groups tend to spend a longer time at the dining table. While many Indians will argue that they live in a big joint family with whom they have at least two meals a day, it might be a good idea to spend not more than an hour an half at your dining table and consciously monitor the quantity of rice, rotis and sabzis you are eating.
During family gatherings or reunions with your old friends at a restaurant or elsewhere, share food with others as far as possible instead of ordering an entire plate of pizza or fries for yourself. Also, remind yourself to stop eating as soon as your hunger is satisfied.
Reference:
[1] Lumeng JC, Hillman KH. Eating in larger groups increases food consumption. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2007;92(5):384-387. doi:10.1136/adc.2006.103259.
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