Eating on the go ‘makes dieters overeat later in the day’

Dieters who eat while performing other activities such as walking or watching television may increase their food intake later in the day which could lead to weight gain and obesity, says a new study.

And that doesn’t just go for consuming food at the desk – eating on the move is equally as bad, as the study revealed that people who ate while walking around tended to consume five times as many calories later on that those who dined while sitting down.

We all know we should get outside for some fresh air at lunchtime – but it turns out missing out on exercise isn’t the only reason eating “al desko” makes you gain weight.

Sixty women participated in this study. It also means our bodies don’t recognize how much we’re eating.

Jane Ogden, lead researcher of the study, said: ‘Fullness is not only the result of brain and chemical reactions, but a perception that is influenced by learning, emotion and distraction. This may be because walking is a powerful form of distraction, which disrupts our ability to process the impact eating has on our hunger. Ogden said. Because they are habitually denying themselves, she explained, they may overeat when they feel they’ve earned some extra calories. Another group ate their cereal auto while walking around the corridor.

Researchers split 60 women into groups: the first ate a cereal bar while chatting with friends, the second watched a clip from US sitcom “Friends” and the third was asked to walk a corridor. Further analysis revealed that participants assigned to walk ate five times more chocolate than those under different conditions. There were four different bowls of snacks, that is, chocolate, carrot sticks, grapes and crisps, and the participants were then asked to eat as much as they can.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Health Psychology. They ate substantially more than other dieters a short time later. Whether you’re scarfing down breakfast on the commute to work or grabbing a bite while you dash through the mall, it’s an all-too-familiar pattern. It is also possible that the participants may associate walking with exercise thus, considering overeating as a justification or a reward, she adds.

“Focusing on what we eat allows us to slow down, and actually taste the flavors and textures of the food”, McDaniel said.