For women who are trying to lose weight, eating a meal while watching television may sabotage dieting. Women who normally control the amount of food they eat tend to consume more calories when they are distracted.
In the study from Hopital Hotel-Dieu in Paris, women described as restrained eaters consumed significantly more calories when they listened to a detective story during lunch, than when they ate alone without any other distractions.
Talking on the phone, listening to music or watching TV are other distractions that could undermine a dieter's best intentions. The obvious recommendation for people who wish to control their food intake and maintain or lose weight is to avoid distracting stimuli during meals report the researchers.
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