The Surprising Reason Why Eating Standing Up Can Sabotage Your Diet

Does Eating While Standing Make You Eat More?

In today's busy world, it's not uncommon to grab a quick meal or snack and eat it on the go - whether that's standing at the kitchen counter while getting ready for work, or walking down the street on your way to your next meeting. After all, eating while standing or being active seems like it would help burn a few extra calories, right?

However, research reveals a surprising and counterintuitive finding - eating while standing or moving around can actually lead you to consume more calories overall. In a study conducted by Jane Ogden, PhD, a professor at the University of Surrey, participants were asked to eat a cereal bar under different conditions: while walking, while sitting and watching TV, and while sitting and chatting with others.

The results? Those who ate their cereal bar while walking ended up taking in more total calories compared to the sitting groups. A separate study published in the journal Appetite had similar findings. In this experiment, people ate a pasta meal either sitting at a table or standing up. Though both the sitting and standing groups consumed the same number of calories during the meal itself, the standing group went on to eat more calories later on in the day.

Why Does Standing Up to Eat Cause Overeating?

So what explains this peculiar phenomenon where eating while upright seems to drive increased calorie intake? The researchers propose a few potential reasons:

First, when you eat while standing or walking, you are less likely to pay close attention to what and how much you're eating. Being distracted or preoccupied means you may not even remember or register that you ate at all. It normally takes around 20 minutes from the start of a meal for satiety signals to kick in and make you feel full. But if you're standing and distracted, you're more prone to miss or ignore those fullness cues.

Additionally, you're more likely to mentally categorize food eaten while standing as just a "snack" rather than a real meal. This snack mentality then causes you to feel less satisfied and eat more later on to compensate. Your brain may not "count" those standing calories the same way as it would a sit-down breakfast or lunch.

How to Avoid Overeating When Eating On the Go

So does this mean you must always eat sitting down at a table to avoid excess calorie intake? Not necessarily. But there are some mindful eating strategies you can employ to prevent this sneaky form of overeating:

• Make time to eat meals while seated, not standing or walking. Consciously tell yourself "this is breakfast/lunch/dinner" to register it as a true meal, not a snack.
• Set a place for yourself at a table, even if briefly. Use real dishes and utensils to enhance the perception of a purposeful, satisfying meal.
• Practice mindful eating by reducing distractions and focusing your attention on the sight, smell, taste, and texture of your food as you eat it. Notice hunger and fullness cues.
• If you must eat on the go, pre-portion your snack so you're not tempted to overeat out of a giant bag or box. Pause to savor it when possible.

By making a bit of time and space to enjoy your food mindfully, you can keep your healthy eating habits on track and avoid unintentionally overeating - even with a busy, on-the-go lifestyle. A little mealtime awareness goes a long way.