Not looking at food pictures on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram will help you lose weight!

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

​New Delhi: Trying to lose weight? Are you maintaining a strict diet regime, but even after resisting those yummy treats for a long time, unable to lose that specific amount of fat? You'll probably be surprised to know that the social media can be one of your culprits!

Satisfying those cravings can be a tough task considering your diet, so what is the best option in those times? Why, social media, of course! Looking at photographs of those yummy desserts and snacks that your diet demands you to avoid or quit, may calm you and your taste buds down, but are also secretly one of the biggest obstacles in your goal to lose weight.

Being technologically advanced has a long list of benefits, but has a downside too! Most of us are hooked to social media nowadays and with image sharing applications like Pinterest and Instagram, our news feeds are full of pictures of drool-worthy food. And now videos auto-playing on Facebook, pages like Buzzfeed uploading less-than-one-minute videos of quick recipes, leave you hungrier than ever and craving for more.

It's quite evident that when one sees these kind of tempting images, the control and the willpower go for a toss and you give in.

A study published in the journal Obesity, also says that one is likely to eat more after seeing something appetising, irrespective of whether the person is hungry or not.

This is because of visual stimulation, in this case, mouth-watering pictures of food. The hormone ghrelin is secreted by the stomach and the small intestine. This hormone is also called the ‘hunger hormone’ and is the major stimulus for food intake in humans.

Hence, every time you check your phone or laptop and some eye-catching, drool-inducing food image pops up, your brain will automatically direct you to eat. So, if you are planning or trying to lose weight, it is best you unsubscribe or un-follow all those food blogs!