If you're trying to lose weight, you might want to think twice before enjoying a meal with your friends. Dining with your pals could hinder your progress, according to a new study.
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Scientists found there are several elements that affect your weight including environmental and social factors, so they followed 150 people on their weight loss journeys for 12 months for research.
Using smartphones and a custom-developed app, participants were asked to document their eating habits by recording what they ate, their surroundings and how they felt each time they were tempted to eat something their diets permitted.
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The findings showed that there was a 60 percent chance for diet relapse when eating with friends and a 60 percent risk of overeating when grabbing a bite at restaurants.
On the other hand, people were more likely to stick with their plans when they ate alone - even though they still backtracked 50 percent of the time.
So what’s the best way to have a social life and live healthily?
One of the researchers suggested looking up the menu before visiting a restaurant and not to think of diets as either "on" or "off." Analysts are also hoping to create new technological interventions to help people stay the course.
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