Weight Loss: Eating Out Options Where You Live Can Negatively Impact Your Weight and Weight Loss Efforts
As restaurant chains expand, so do some of the waistlines of Americans. Eating out can have negatively impact obesity and the ability to , but is there a difference between types of dining options?
Fast Food vs. Full Service Restaurants
In a new study published in the February issue of in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that the availability of more "fast food" restaurants compared to "full service" restaurants can contribute to higher levels of obesity.
Drawing on data from 5 years of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual telephone health survey of the adult population of the US and the 2002 U.S. Economic Census, the researchers examined the relationship between restaurant availability and weight status in 544 US counties. This resulted in over 700,000 BRFSS respondents, representative of approximately 75% of the 2002 US population.
The researchers found that a higher total restaurant density is significantly associated with lower weight status. However, once the restaurants are split into components: fast food and full service, a higher full-service restaurant density is significantly associated with lower weight status while, in contrast, a higher fast-food density is associated with higher weights.
Where You Live Can Impact Your Weight
"Individuals residing in areas with a high density of total and full-service restaurants exhibit lower weight status, possibly indicating that these areas possess a more advantageous, [relatively ] environment...Those who reside in areas possessing a higher relative number of fast-food to full-service restaurants have a higher weight status," states Neil Mehta, MSc, Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania and Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Personally, living in a town where I can give directions based on donut shops and fast food joints, I can understand the problem. Yeah, there are choices at some of fast food restaurants, but sometimes I just want a burger and fries (and there's nothing wrong with that!) Moderation, as this study demonstrates, is the key. If you have a lot of quick temptations around you, it may take a little more conscious effort to strike a balance. The important thing is to not to tell yourself to steer clear fast food, but just make sure you're also taking advantage of other options when you dine out.
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