Eating meals with those who are overweight may alter your dietary choices, which could potentially lead to unfavorable increases in caloric intake.
In a new study, subjects were asked to eat food with a stranger. Half of the time, the stranger was wearing a fat suit to make them appear obese, while the other half of subjects ate with a smaller-sized stranger. When the subjects were eating with an overweight stranger, 60% of them chose to eat the same thing as the “overweight” stranger, presumably to avoid being offensive. When the stranger was normal-sized, only 30% of subjects consumed the same thing.
These findings have profound implications. Individuals who regularly eat meals with those who are overweight may end up eating much more than they had originally intended, leading to weight gain over time.
Conclusion
This study may help explain one of the reasons that those who are good friends with somebody who is obese are more likely to be obese themselves. The best way to prevent this phenomenon from causing you to eat too many calories is to plan meals in advance rather than eyeballing portions on the spot.
References
1 Liu PJ, et al. Matching choices to avoid offending stigmatized group members. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2013; 122(2): 291.