Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

Like most people, chances are that you enjoy spending time with your friends. One of the things that you may not even realize, however, is the fact that your friends can be having an affect on your weight. Here, we will take a much closer look at how this is possible and what you can do in order to prevent yourself from gaining weight because of your friends.

What Has a Study on Obesity Shown?

A study, which is being referred to as the Framingham Heart Study, has shown that obesity is known to be linked to having friends who are obese. The study, which followed the people who participated in the study for over 30 years, shows that people who have a friend who is obese are 57% more likely to also be obese. Although you may be surprised at these findings, the study showed that friends had a greater impact on a person's weight than family members did. While the study showed that the participants seemed to lose weight when their friends also lost weight, it was more likely for them to gain than lose.

How Can Our Friends Cause us to Gain Weight?

When we around certain people a lot, we tend to pick up their eating habits. If your friend enjoys snacking on potato chips and candy bars in front of you, chances are that you will probably find yourself eating potato chips and candy bars also. The worst part is that you will probably not even notice any change in your eating habits until it is too late and you have gained a lot of weight. One of the main reasons that you may not realize it is because your body may be a lot different than that of someone else's; while your friend may be able to eat all she wants and not gain an ounce, you might not be so lucky.

Another one of the main reasons that you may end up gaining weight is because you are probably more likely to be in situations where there is a lot of fattening food. You will be more likely to find yourself at a movie theater indulging on a tub of buttery popcorn, a restaurant where you will consume fattening food or a bar where you will drink more calories than you can imagine. Many people are less likely to find themselves in these situations by themselves.

While you may think of yourself as an ideal athlete or someone who enjoys physical activity, your friends may be the exact opposite. If you surround yourself with people who are not interested in engaging in physical activity, chances are that you will not be taking part in any when you are with them. If these are the only friends that you have, this can become a problem for your weight.

How Can You Prevent Weight Gain Associated With Friends?

The most important thing that you need to do in order to prevent weight gain that may be associated with friends is make sure that you create another life for yourself. Whether you find another friend who enjoys physical activity that you can have as an exercise buddy or if you take a beginner's yoga or ballet class, the main key is to add some type of physical activity to your life.

It is also important to make sure that you realize what types of foods are going into your mouth. One of the best ways to keep track of how much you are eating and what you are eating is to keep a food diary. You can also keep track of your physical activity through a food diary, if you would like. Since we often develop awful eating habits without even realizing it, a food diary can be a main key to your weight loss or weight gain prevention.