Eating habits of obese people
Why do some people simply pack on the pounds effortlessly? It’s not always genetics and it’s not always gluttony and you can’t always blame it on lack of exercise. Indeed, getting fat is often a result of some simple — and easily correctible — bad habits, especially when it comes to dining out.
The obesity problem isn’t just the food itself. The restaurant industry has spent decades studying human behavior and figured out all sorts of subliminal ways to make us want to order and eat more. And a lot of those psychological tricks have become ingrained in our behavior. In a study in the journal Obesity, researchers looked at the habits of people dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Those with the highest body mass index (BMI) — a measure of obesity — seemed to demonstrate a series of “fat habit”
1. They Use Larger Plates
When offered two plate sizes, 98.6 percent of those with the highest BMI took the larger of the two plates to the buffet. A bigger plate tricks your eye into thinking you’re not eating as much when you stuff more food onto the surface — and into your mouth. Use a smaller plate, get a smaller belly.
Bonus tip: The same principle holds true for drinks. The larger the cup, the bigger your gut. And one of the biggest sources of hundreds of extra calories in your diet? Booze.
2. They Eat While Looking at Food
Of those with high BMIs, 41.7 percent took seats that overlooked the buffet, instead of sitting in a booth or facing in a different direction. The sight of food tends to make our minds think we have more work to do, eating-wise. Keep your food stored in the fridge or stashed in the pantry, not out on the countertops.
3. They Eat with Maximum Efficiency
While Chinese buffets offer chopsticks, 91.3 percent of obese patrons opt for forks. That just makes it easier to shovel in the food!
4. They Clean Their Plates
Of those patrons who were the heaviest, 94 percent cleaned their plates so there was nothing left.
5. They Chew Less
Researchers actually monitored the chewing habits of the buffet-goers and discovered that the heaviest one-third among them chewed their food an average of 11.9 times before swallowing. The middle one-third chewed an average of 14 times, and the leanest one-third chewed 14.8 times.
6. They Dive In
The leanest people in the study typically took a lap around the buffet first, to plot out what they wanted to eat. But the more overweight group charged right in; doing so means you may fill up on some less appealing items, then have to go back to snag that one nosh you have to have but missed the first time.
7. They Skip Breakfast
A simple habit, but it raises your risk of obesity by a whopping 450 percent!
