Do Gals Eat Less When Guys Are Around?
An interesting piece in Time this week sheds light on how our eating habits change depending on the dining mate. Apparently we eat more with friends than with strangers. But even more fascinating, a study showed that college females eat about 100 fewer calories when a guy is around.
When it comes to holding back, there's nothing like the opposite sex to curb our appetites, at least when we're single. In a study to be published in the October issue of Appetite, researchers at Montreal's McGill University secretly observed 460 college students eating in the campus cafeterias. They found that when a woman was with a man, she ate about 100 calories less than when she was with a woman.
The more men present in larger eating groups, the fewer calories a woman had on her tray. Women ate roughly 100 fewer calories for each man at the table. But there was no such effect on men. And women who only ate with other women tended to slightly increase their calorie quotient.
Cue the stereotypical scene of a girl chewing on lettuce flecks while her male date goes to town on a double cheeseburger. Er, really? A quick poll of the three ladies left in our office right now proved we are total outliers. Do you eat differently depending on the company?
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35 Comments:
Only if it's a fancy business lunch or something! Otherwise, I couldn't care less whether I'm eating with guys or gals...and on a date, I figure if he's worth keeping, he's going to find out sooner or...well, sooner...that I like food, so why bother faking something for no reason?
sar_t at 7:12PM on 09/03/09
I tend to eat less in any company. I think it's because there's more talking with more people, so less food consumed.
AnnieNT at 7:40PM on 09/03/09
When I was younger I would eat less like a starved wolf than I usually do but now I just don't care.
redfish at 7:40PM on 09/03/09
I prefer not to eat messy food in front of certain people, but I don't eat less. Haha.
lexophile at 7:48PM on 09/03/09
It depends! With family, work buddies, or teammates, i'm likely to eat MORE because I'm competetive like that. On a date, though, I do tend to eat less and get full sooner. It's probably just from nerves and stress.
Yukiyummy at 8:23PM on 09/03/09
Pretty sure that no longer applies once one is married, or I wouldn't weigh more now than I did 11 years ago, considering I'm eating dinner with a man pretty much every night. :)
trillian42 at 8:30PM on 09/03/09
I think women tend to be more judgmental. "You're going to eat THAT?!" With my good guy friends, I tend to be more relaxed and also feel like they don't care if I eat junky food, or more than I should. In fact, the ones who know me really well, encourage me to eat more. But I'm also not one for trying to impress boys... so.... I guess I'm an outlier too?
engmcmuffin at 8:40PM on 09/03/09
Absolutely not. I stuff my face no matter who I'm with.
lollie at 8:47PM on 09/03/09
I generally don't eat a lot in one sitting so it may seem to many people that I eat like a bird. But really I eat a lot throughout the day and if it's something really delicious I can polish off an astonishing amount on my own.
I don't care whose company I'm with, I'm eating whatever and as much as I want. My friends know better than to get in the way of me and good food.
fuuchan at 8:55PM on 09/03/09
I eat less with people, regardless of gender. Mostly because I'm too busy talking to hoover everything in sight. Plus, it means I'm not eating in front of the TV or computer. :)
piccola at 9:14PM on 09/03/09
I've always eaten quite a bit but I can understand how this 100 calorie situation happens. When I was younger I could eat quite a bit without worrying about my waistline. I had a boyfriend (very briefly!) who would insist I was bulimic because I enjoyed my food so much. He was awfully cute but not cute enough to take his tormenting!
kpope at 9:15PM on 09/03/09
I eat more around my boyfriend, as is evidenced by whatI call my "Scott 15."
ReneeRobinson at 9:45PM on 09/03/09
Interesting. I grew up with the idea that a girl "shouldn't" eat heartily on a date. (I'm female.) I remember my father, a high school teacher, reporting that a boy in his class came in Monday morning complaining that his Saturday date must have starved herself all week because of the amount she put away.
BUT we just had our 20 y/o granddaughter here for 3 months doing an internship. She's a college junior, and we got started talking about this. Her report is that her guy friends are much more conscious of girls who don't eat much and don't like seeing it, because of all the concern about eating disorders. Interesting.
lemons at 9:54PM on 09/03/09
i eat whatever i want on dates, and men seem to like it! and if they don't, buh-bye...
Dina Di Maio at 10:20PM on 09/03/09
@ Renee - I know what that's like. Haha. My husband and I both gained weight when we started dating... now we are working hard to be much more reasonable about what we eat - especially portion size.
lexophile at 10:30PM on 09/03/09
not usually... I tend to eat according to my hunger... and what I may have in front of. Some foods are just addictive.
I do have certain no-no's on dates... no long noodles - so spaghetti, lo-mein, and the such are not eaten on dates. No Subway sandwiches... they're messy. Try to avoid garlic... although recently I had a date where the guy also believed in the "2 garlics cancel each other" theory. Also, nothing that I could potentially stain myself while eating. And recently, I've added sushi... unless I go to a place I know that would make the rolls small enough for my petite-sized mouth.
MadelynRodriguez at 10:45PM on 09/03/09
i definitely eat more around guys.
foodinmouth at 10:55PM on 09/03/09
I eat what I please around whoever. I generally don't eat a lot at one time--I have acid reflux and a full stomach aggravates that and in return aggravates my asthma. Let's just say that I like to graze my way through an evening party and therefore prefer a cocktail appetizer menu.
dhorst at 11:34PM on 09/03/09
i think it's the other way around - girls eat more around guys because guys don't seem to care as much about eating healthy. guys i know order whatever they want and eat larger amounts, and when i'm around them it seems more natural that i should do the same. whereas if i'm eating with a bunch of girls all ordering salads and egg white omelets, i would feel i should do the same.
Meewlee at 11:50PM on 09/03/09
Asbo-damn-lutely. But only because of the energy and emotions. Food takes last place when we're flirtin'. Not so with the men??? Well that explains how that guy scarfed an entire pizza on our first date.
lambowner at 12:09AM on 09/04/09
Where's the research asking how/whether men's eating changes (around women, around other guys, etc.)? Maybe the variability in women's eating is due, in part, to the fact that it's scrutinized, evaluated, etc. comparatively more than men's...?
sidecar at 7:44AM on 09/04/09
I actually think I eat more around other females. Being thin, I feel criticized by other women who wrongly assume that I constantly diet or worse. Other females are more likely to make comments like, "Have another slice. You can use the extra calories, and I can't." Guys, on the other hand, will happily take that last slice from me.
July at 8:13AM on 09/04/09
If I eat less when I'm on dates with men, it's only because of nerves. Aside from those particular cases, the amount I eat corresponds to how hungry I am, no matter who I'm with.
Junie at 8:33AM on 09/04/09
My husband and I have certain restaurants that we like to occassionally go to just the two of us, like Bukhara Grill which is family style. That way we can sufficiently pig out as we please and not feel the need to be polite and order dishes that our friends may want, not take the last serving of daal, etc. One way I knew I had found the right family with his when we were dating was that they all love to eat! No need for me to pretend to be a waif eater around him or his family.
nithya at hungrydesi at 9:28AM on 09/04/09
I would say I'm the exact OPPOSITE. I tend to eat MORE about guys because they're usually amazed at how much I can put away, and I find that hilarious, so I just keep eating. hahaha
crazy_betty at 9:33AM on 09/04/09
This makes no sense. They've got it down to roughly 100 calories? What if the "male" is vegan or vegetarian OR what if the "female" is an avid meat eater. This article is flawed.
egghunt at 9:35AM on 09/04/09
I don't know if I eat less, but I eat slower when I'm eating with other people. It's because I'm talking.
My sister always tries to under-eat me when we go out. It drives me nuts, I see her looking at my plate and purposefully eating much less than me. I don't think it's healthy.
KarynMC at 9:55AM on 09/04/09
reading all you're comments, I'm going to propose that this theory/trend doesn't apply to Serious Eaters. Why? Because we LOVE FOOD. :]
engmcmuffin at 10:05AM on 09/04/09
If it's a date then I'm likely to have something that isn't messy to eat; pasta sauce on one's blouse is not attractive, hahaha. But portion isn't something I really think about. If I want a lot I eat a lot, and if I don't then I don't. However if I'm just around a bunch of guy friends and not a date I'd eat whatever I feel like regardless of the mess. In my opinion when a person is eating on a date it's not so much about portion as it is about how messy or sloppy you'll look eating something.
SaltyDonuts at 10:55AM on 09/04/09
am i the only one this actually does apply to? although, i wouldn't say i eat less around guys as much as i eat MORE around girls.
for the most part, my guy friends (or boyfriend, if i'm lucky enough to have one at the time) never want to share anything, they'd rather have their own dish.
my girl friends, on the other hand, will gladly share a massive plate of french fries, or an enormous ice cream sundae (after all, if we're sharing, we must not be eating THAT much of it, right?)
scherzophrnic at 11:09AM on 09/04/09
Appetite rules. Generally, I am hungrier than most people, even guys twice my size (I am female, and short). I give credit to genetics and weight lifting, and then steal what my boyfriend can't finish. Used to be insecure about this, but I realized I couldn't listen to my own hunger cues if I was concerned about what other people thought.
tangledgray at 11:28AM on 09/04/09
Actually, I'm the one who orders the 1/2 lb. bacon cheeseburger with fried egg on top and then laughs when all the guys around me look at my plate with open envy. I've had complete strangers tell me "I love that you ordered that and ate it all!" (burger with pepper jack, onion and grilled jalapeno slices and a glass of Chimay Tripel, this past Monday evening). Something about a petite woman who enjoys her red meat and doesn't care who knows it?
arjava at 12:33PM on 09/04/09
i eat slower and less in front of new people, and REALLY neat.
when i first went on a dinner date with my bf, we each had a sushi roll, he finished his like a normal person would, i poked and prodded my way to a 40 minute meal....for a SUSHI roll, only 8 pieces hahaha
disneydreamscometrue at 4:45AM on 09/05/09
Personally, I eat a shitload no matter who I'm around. :) But an interesting casual survey of my university dining hall revealed this:
Tables of all girls: everyone has a salad.
Tables of all guys: everyone has ginormous burgers, hot dogs, fries, red meat, etc
Tables of mixed genders: much more balanced meals.
Of course, this isn't an ironclad rule. But I'd definitely say it applies to 85% if not more. Just interesting how perceptions of the "right" way to eat in a social group can influence habits.
Pammeh at 12:34PM on 09/05/09
Let's not forget that not all females are attracted to the opposite sex. I eat normally with guys because I'm not trying to impress them nor am I attracted to them. With a new woman I like, however, I tend to eat less. So, I don't think it's based on the opposite sex; it's based on how well you know the person AND/OR if your goal is to impress that person. That is closer to the reason than basing it on opposite sex.
alesbica at 12:38PM on 09/08/09