Is Facebook Making You Fat?

You may not "Like" this, but Facebook is making you fat. At least that's what many articles are suggesting.

If you Google "Is Facebook Making You Fat?" there are tons of articles on this topic. So it must be true, right?

Maybe not.

As one commenter on Mashable wrote, "Isn't it good we have Facebook we can blame the extra pounds on now?? lol"

Still, it's food for thought.

Here are a few popular theories on why Facebook is making us fat.

Increased self-esteem from close ties with friends and family reduces self control. In a study called "Are Close Friends the Enemy? Online Social Networks, Self-Esteem, and Self-Control," researchers  had one group of people read their Facebook news feed and another read a news website. Afterward, the Facebook readers were more than twice as likely to choose a cookie over a healthier granola bar.

"Even a small five-minute ‘dose’ of social network use in our studies was enough to significantly lower self-control in subsequent choices and tasks. Heavy users likely expose themselves to multiple doses of this effect a day," the report stated.

Time spent on Facebook means less time for movement and exercise. A Men's Fitness article cited a study from the British Psychological Society which looked at 350 college students. Researchers concluded "most of the social networkers spent one hour a day online (and) . . . the most active social media users were also the least likely to play sports."

Facebook increases feelings of depression. Numerous studies have suggested a link between Facebook and depression (although the opposite has also been found). One of the main reasons suggested for Facebook causing depression is social comparison -- that is, inferring that everyone else is leading a more glamorous/fun/exciting life. If Facebook does positively correlate with depression, it makes sense that food and alcohol could be used to self-medicate and cause weight gain.

Ironically, I spend most of my time on Facebook reading and replying to posts on the several Medifast groups I belong to, and we are all losing weight. So Facebook can be used as a tool for getting thinner as well as fatter.

Let's face it, the people on Facebook who are not exercising would be watching TV or playing video games instead. And the people who get depressed from seeing their friends lead apparently superior lives would be imagining it otherwise.

Facebook is a hammer. You could hang a picture with it or smash your thumb. In my case, I use Facebook as a tool to keep up with friends and relatives and share ideas and inspiration from Medifast dieters all over the country who face the same challenges I do.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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