7 Surprising Ways In Which You Are Eating More Than You Realize!

If you feel like your pants are getting tighter lately, even though you think that you haven't been overeating, then, think again!

Because, many a time, we could be consuming a lot of food or calories, without even realizing that we have been doing that!

As we know, overeating, whether it is done knowingly or unknowingly, can have adverse health effects.

Firstly, the most obvious negative effect of overeating is weight gain which could lead to being overweight or obese.

As we know, obesity and having excess body fat is the root cause of a number of serious health conditions.

Apart from that, overeating can also cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart diseases, joint pain, diabetes, depression, infertility, certain types of cancers, etc.

So, it is very important to have a healthy, balanced diet and to learn how to eat mindfully, by being aware of what and how much you are eating.

Many a time, even if we have made up our minds to eat healthily and avoid overeating, it could happen without us realizing it!

So, here are a few surprising ways in which you could be overeating, without your knowledge!

1. You Are Very Social
2. You Don't Cook At Home
3. You Feel "Health" Foods Are Really Healthy
4. You Reward Yourself After Exercise
5. You Don't Pay Attention To Portion Sizes
6. You Like Variety
7. You Eat Too Fast

1. You Are Very Social

Humans are social animals and it is important to have a healthy social life. However, if you are someone who is extremely social and you like to meet people more than once a week, it could mean, get-togethers, meals outside with friends, and alcohol sessions.

So, when this happens often, you could be consuming more calories while hanging out with your friends, without even realizing it!

2. You Don't Cook At Home

These days, most people have busy jobs and hectic schedules which could prevent them from having enough time to prepare healthy meals, so people end up eating out a lot.
Even if you eat out just once or twice a day, it could have a huge impact on your weight, because the ingredients used to prepare food at restaurants usually contain high amounts of fats and sugars.

3. You Feel "Health" Foods Are Really Healthy

Most of us may have heard of energy drinks, energy bars, low-calorie foods, fat-free foods, sugar-free foods, etc., which have become popular among weight watchers today. Many people believe that these foods actually have really fewer calories and fats, when in reality, they do contain high amounts of calories.
So they tend to indulge in them, without guilt! This may lead them to overeat these "health" foods, adding excess weight to their body!

4. You Reward Yourself After Exercise

As we know, exercise is an important part of our daily routine, along with a healthy diet, if we want to maintain a healthy weight and avoid diseases. Many people who exercise have this habit of rewarding themselves with unhealthy foods after they exercise, because they feel that they have burnt a lot of calories at the gym.

This can also cause overeating and weight gain, as some of the junk foods have way more calories than what an average person burns at the gym!

5. You Don't Pay Attention To Portion Sizes

Even if you are eating healthy foods consisting of proteins, healthy fats, greens, etc., it is very important to pay attention to the portion sizes that you are consuming. If you serve bigger portions of food, without being aware on a daily basis, then it could cause over-eating and all the health issues associated with it.
So it is important to talk to your dietician and fix portion sizes apt for your health.

6. You Like Variety

A recent research study conducted in California stated that people who like to consume different varieties of food at one meal tend to overeat without realizing, compared to people who stick to one type of dish per meal.
So if you are someone who likes to order a variety of different dishes when you go out, or if you go to buffets often, you could be overeating without realizing, because you have to eat every variety you have ordered, which is a lot of calories!

7. You Eat Too Fast

If you are someone who has the habit of eating food too fast, there is a chance that you could be consuming more food without realizing, because the food on your plate gets over fast!

A research study conducted by the University Of Rhode Island in 2011 found that people who eat fast consume 33% more food that people who eat with average pace!