WASHINGTON — Despite our best efforts to lose weight, a night out with friends can undermine our hard work.
Lean Plate Club™ blogger Sally Squires says the right setting with music, lights, a comfortable room and people we know, can determine what we eat and how much.
Studies have shown that the company we keep makes a difference at meal time. For example, men and women tend to eat less in the presence of a stranger of the opposite sex. But friends and family could possibly make it more challenging to stick to our best eating habits because we are simply comfortable with them.
Meantime, another study finds that people tend to model their behavior by what others at the table are doing.
It’s similar to how some people behave when tempted by desserts, Squires said. “If you are out with friends and they order dessert, odds are you will order dessert as well,” she said. “It’s probably because you feel good, you’re happy and you want to celebrate.”
Squires noted that you can limit the damage by perhaps agreeing on one dessert and bringing forks for everyone to cut down on the calorie hit.
In addition, research has suggested that meals eaten with others are larger than meals we eat alone. A study of women found that when dining in pairs or in groups, women consumed more food than when they dined solo.
One trick to help this is to dine with more restrained eaters, Squires said.
“If you are watching your weight, you may want to go out to dinner with someone else who is watching their weight and you can help each other exert control,” she said.
Beyond the company we keep, the size of our plates can make a difference in the amount of food consumed. Squires noted that there’s been debate in the scientific community about plate size. But an analysis of 69 studies found that if you choose a smaller plate, you are likely to eat less.
While some experts say people will go back for more food on a smaller plate, others have found a different outcome, she said. Some researchers say after viewing the food on the plate, we can decide that’s all that will be eaten, and we can be satisfied by that.
