Login

Women: Who You Hang Out With Influences What You Eat

In college, if my buddies ordered pizza, I ate pizza. If I got Chinese food, they got it too. Someone brought over a bottle of Jager, we all drank Jager.

I think it's human nature. Your friends and acquitances influence what you eat. How many of you have tried sushi because of peer pressure?

A new study published in the journal Appetite, confirms the company we keep when dining effects how much we eat.

Scientists observed college students--which is an anthropological experiment in its own right--and found women who eat with guys are more likely to eat fewer calories, and when there were more men around they ate even less.

But, when girls were dining in the company of fellow women, their food was "significantly higher" in calories. It could be that women think men find it more attractive if they eat smaller portions. What do you think?

Not surprisingly, it didn't matter who men ate with, they consumed whatever. "Me man. Me eat grub. You be quiet about it!"

Via EurekAlert!

More like this in Food and Psychology · Aug 11, 2009
Print
Email Bookmark and Share

11 Comments

Laura on 08/11/09

Interesting. I find that I eat more with guys, simply because their appetites are larger so they eat more than my girlfriends. I have a tendency to match the eating habits of those around me.

Reply
Trent on 08/11/09

This is consistent with my experience. I also find it highly annoying when women make a point of leaving a little food on the plate just to show that they are "full".

Reply
Kendra on 08/11/09

For me it depends on my relationship status at the time. If im single ill deffinatly eat less areound boys but if im in a relationship (as i have for the past year and nine months) then i eat more... and i tend to weigh less when im in a stable relationship as well (ive lost 15 lbs since we started dating- down from 135 to 119 at 5'6). now when i go out with my guy friends i fall into the competitions of who can eat more... and much to my male friends' dismay, i can pretty much always win- ALSO my boyfriend has lost about 10lbs since he and i started dating (220 to 210 at 6'3) as he has started to join me in my everyday healthier eating habbits of laco-ova-vegetarianism. This is interesting though... i wonder if the study was conducted on singles or partnered off people?

Reply
user-pic
Jody - Fit at 51 on 08/11/09

When I was younger, this pertained to me a lot more. After I got it right in my mid to late 30's & on, I eat what I want & what is right for me no matter who I am with or where I am. I guess age does have some benefits! :-)

Reply
bijou on 08/11/09

not true for me. boys (now men) have always made me fatter.

Reply
user-pic
Spectra on 08/11/09

I don't eat more just because my friends or family are around. I guess I just have my own eating patterns so ingrained that I automatically eat the stuff I know is good for me. My husband is very easily swayed by his friends, though...when his friends eat an entire frozen pizza, he'll match them slice for slice and then feel very sick afterwards.

Reply
Ann on 08/11/09

I think I tend to eat more around the people who pull the "is that all your eating" line, even when I know it's not a good idea. It's like I'm trying to prove I'm eating enough, even though they're not seeing that I snack other times of the day too!

Reply
user-pic
Diane, Fit to the Finish on 08/11/09

This is interesting to me. I used to do this in my dating days, but once I got married my husband and I were bad influences on each other. It was one eating fest after another!

Once I lost all my weight, I was like Jody. Made my own choices, regardless of what he ordered.

Reply
user-pic
ArrowSmith on 08/11/09

All this is a game for the young. Once you get past 30 you can't take chances with your health anymore. So to all you girls - just eat that cheeseburger with GUsto!

Reply
Mr. House on 08/11/09

The overweight is harmful to health because it can affect our body, such as the heart, blood pressure increases due to diabetes, gout, arthritis, hypertension, etc, and findrxonline say that the best way to lose weight is to eat a healthy diet and exercise. When performing exercises burn more calories.
Seven basic principles exist to develop and to maintain a diet healthy:
- To ingest varied meals.
- To maintain corporal the weight suitable.
- To choose a poor diet in fats saturated fats and cholesterol.
- To choose an abundant (vanities, coliflor vegetable diet, radish, beet, nabo, carrot, celery, peas, zapallos, artichoke, beetroot, eggplant), fruits (apple, orange, ½ grapefruit, mandarin, peach tree, ½ chirimoya, granadilla, papaya, melon, pear, fragmentation hand grenade grapes and sandia) and grains.
- To use sugar only moderately.
- To use salt and sodium only moderately.
- If it drinks spirits, do it with moderation.

Another very important thing for a balanced diet is the one to ingest approximately 2 liters of water to the day; this will allow eliminating some toxins, that you maintain a perfect state of moisturizing in your skin and in addition to favor the loss of weight.

Reply
lala on 08/12/09

I tend to eat more around men cuz I don't want them to think that I'm those girls who pretend to be full when they're not. :/

Surprisingly, I eat lesser around skinny and fat people. I'm not fat by any means, but I get self-conscious when I am around these two groups of people.

Reply

Add Your Comment

Required
Required (never displayed)
Comments may be held for moderation.

©2003-2009 Diet-Blog - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Disclaimer