Often we eat a little too much because we are pressured by our loved ones to eat a minimum amount of what they want, or we may be hungry. This can lead us to overeat, which can then lead us to overeat again. In these types of situations, we often feel that it is better to eat less and then feel guilty about it later in the day. We know that it is not healthy to overeat.
Another reason we eat more when we are with our friends and family is that we like to pamper people and be loved. At these meals, we receive lots of attention, and our hosts often treat us to foods that are higher in fat, sugar, and salt. We enjoy the attention that our hosts give us, and so we eat more. It doesn’t seem to matter that we are receiving little in return.
Overweight people can suffer from serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and various other ailments. Doctors will often prescribe medication for their overweight patients, in an attempt to help them lose weight. Unfortunately, this rarely works and usually causes the patient to put on even more weight, due to poor eating habits and the damage caused by years of unhealthy eating habits.
So, the question remains, “Why do we eat more when we are with our friends and family?” The answer is simple – we like to be thought of as being well-fed, and we like to be treated to nice food. When we are treated to food that we are grateful for, and that we enjoy eating, we tend to put less focus on the food, and we may find it difficult to stop at just one meal or to control our appetite at certain times. Thus, we eat more often.
In addition, when we are with our family, we have the opportunity to discuss and strategize about the best foods for us to eat, and what kinds of things we should avoid. This is especially important in families where there are large numbers of children, all of whom may not share the same eating habits. Yet, where there is consistency between the members of a family, and where each member has the same input about what to eat, there tends to be a better level of success regarding controlling weight and eating healthy.
As with anything else, there are good reasons for us to eat more when we are with our friends and family. The first reason is that it’s much easier to eat when you’re with people who you know to enjoy your company and share your interests. When you’re at someone’s house who doesn’t care about your health or your weight, the temptation to overindulge can be hard to resist. On the other hand, when you’re surrounded by people who love and care about you, the stress of excess weight can be lessened.
Another reason to eat more often with your friends and family is that you’ll get a chance to sample new dishes. If you don’t indulge yourself often when you’re with your own family, you may miss out on some delicious food. Yet, another reason to make the extra effort to join in on the fun when you eat with the people you love. It’s always great to be able to introduce a new dish that you’ve tried to prepare or to have them pass along a favorite recipe. This alone could help you lose weight or even maintain your current weight.
So why do we eat more when we are with our friends and family? There are many different factors that can contribute to this. It may simply be part of our society that centers on eating around one meal a day. It may also be that we have an urge to connect with others who share the same interests as we do. Whatever the reason, the important thing is that we recognize the fact that eating too much at one time is unhealthy.
