--- title: 4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat description: Those out-of-office lunch trips can be great for camaraderie but deadly for your diet canonical: https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-04T13:00:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T03:11:31.786Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat og:description: Meet your food frenemies og:url: https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcccc8f1ebdea774/698777935f570f7972b14763/food.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5160 og:image:height: 2903 og:image:alt: table of food og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat twitter:description: Meet your food frenemies twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcccc8f1ebdea774/698777935f570f7972b14763/food.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Jan 4, 2015 1:00 PM UTC  A table of party snacks covered in confetti. A table of party snacks covered in confetti. Getty Images by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Jan 4, 2015 1:00 PM UTC Beware: Food frenemies are everywhere. In fact, research shows that if you eat with another person, you’ll down 33% more on average. Here’s how to enjoy the company, without the calories. **Your partner** Because of what scientists call your “shared environment,” your chance of becoming obese is 37% greater if your significant other is heavy. “There has to be teamwork,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, _Health_‘s contributing nutrition editor. “That might mean putting food in separate his-and-hers cabinets.” When dining with the brood, leave family-size platters in the [kitchen](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20817450,00.html) and let everyone help themselves. You can control your own portions and avoid temptation in the form of second helpings. **HEALTH.COM:** [12 Ways Your Relationship Can Hurt Your Health](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20668163,00.html?xid=time-people-making-you-fat-123014) **Your kids** One study found that moms consumed almost 400 calories more a day than women without children. Be prepared: If it’s after-school-snack time, have your own healthy treat ready (maybe a handful of almonds with Greek yogurt). At mealtime, divide and conquer: Put your chicken breast over steamed vegetables, theirs over cheesy [pasta](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20573344,00.html). Everyone eats well! **HEALTH.COM:** [11 Foods That Make You Hungrier](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20835574,00.html?xid=time-people-making-you-fat-123014) **Your BFF** Check this out: Your chance of becoming obese increases by 57% if one of your close friends is heavy, according to research. If you’re going out for a quick bite, tell your bud that you plan to order something healthy—or offer to split an entrée and add a [salad](http://news.health.com/2014/10/31/5-biggest-salad-mistakes-youre-making/). A study at Arizona State University showed that most friends are “monkey see, monkey do.” In other words, if you take the lead, your pal is likely to follow suit. **HEALTH.COM:** [11 People Who Could Wreck Your Diet](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20796816,00.html?xid=time-people-making-you-fat-123014) **Your co-workers** Those out-of-office lunch trips can be great for camaraderie but deadly for your diet. According to a study from Georgia State University, if you dine with a group of seven or more people, you will eat a staggering 96% more. Your best weapon is strategic planning. “Scan the menu ahead of time,” recommends Rachel Beller, RD, author of _Eat to Lose, Eat to Win_. “When the waiter comes over to the table, say, ‘I want a simple piece of grilled salmon, with sauce on the side, and a double order of vegetables, in light oil or steamed.’ If I’m in the mood for a real flavor punch—let’s say I’m at an Italian restaurant—I’ll ask for a small side of marinara sauce, which I pour over my [veggies](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20831770,00.html). You had better believe that everyone else at the table will be eating off my plate!” **HEALTH.COM:** [3 Tricks to Curb Mindless Eating](http://news.health.com/2014/07/25/3-tricks-to-curb-mindless-eating/?xid=time-people-making-you-fat-123014) [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2014/12/26/4-people-who-might-be-making-you-fat/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/"},"headline":"4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat","datePublished":"2015-01-04T13:00:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:11:31.786Z","description":"Meet your food frenemies","url":"https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","diet","fat","Weight loss","Healthy Eating","how to lose weight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcccc8f1ebdea774/698777935f570f7972b14763/food.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":"Contributor","url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcccc8f1ebdea774/698777935f570f7972b14763/food.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"table of food","caption":"table of food","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3649816/people-making-you-fat/","name":"4 People Who Might Be Making You Fat"}}]}] ```