Why Eating at Your Computer is a Diet No No

Most people spend a good portion of their day sitting in front of their computer.  They eat their lunch at the computer and snack there throughout the day.  Is this behavior causing people to gain more weight?  As silly as you might think it sounds, eating in front of your computer screen may very well be leading to weight gain.

Lab studies show that people who eat while sitting at the computer tend to consume more than their counterparts who have their snacks away from the computer.  While on the computer, it’s easy to become distracted and absorbed in what’s on the screen, even forgetting how much you’ve eaten or even not even notice that you’re eating in the first place. 

When you add junk food, such as cookies and chips to your lunch, you can see that it is easy to pinpoint the reason for some of your weight gain.  Anyone who’s found themselves staring in puzzlement at the empty bag of chips beside their computer with no memory of eating them will know what I mean!

Researchers believe that the reason behind this is that human memory becomes fuzzy when we are at the computer or in front of the television.  We are paying our full attention to things other than what we are consuming, and this can easily lead to eating more than you thought you would as you lose all sense of portion control. 

In addition to this, those who are on the computer often feel less full, even though they have eaten more than others who stepped away for their lunch.  These people may then eat more at a later point in the day and gain more weight, particularly as people who go out for their lunch get in some extra exercise in the form of walking to their car or out to their lunch room or cafe.

If you are worried about gaining weight, curbing your PC-based nibbling is something that you should consider.  Instead of eating at the computer, get out to the lunch room, have your meal, and then take a short walk around the block or even just around your office.  You won’t have to worry about gaining weight or hitting the gym after work out of guilt, and you can give your body and your brain a break from being cooped up at your desk all day.