Disinhibited eating by resourceful restrained eaters

Restrained eaters who reported consistent use of a variety of self-control skills were expected to avoid disinhibited eating in a high-risk situation better than were restrained eaters, who reportedly used fewer self-control skills. Eighty women were selected as subjects on the basis of their scores on the Revised Restraint Scale and the Self-Control Schedule. A 2 x 2 design was used: Restraint (high, low) x Self-Control (high, low). Subjects participated in the usual "preload + taste-test" restraint paradigm. Restrained eaters who reported high self-control skills disinhibited their eating significantly more (not less, as expected) than all other groups.     

Investigating the impact of deconditioning anxiety on weight loss

The effectiveness of a new model for the treatment of obesity was studied. This model assumed that obesity was not an eating disorder but a "not eating" disorder. Obese individuals do not have a problem eating, they are overly good at it. Obese individuals have a problem not eating. They experience difficulty or anxiety when they do not eat. The model assumed that removal of anxiety associated with "not eating" would allow obese subjects to lose weight. Wolpe and Lazarus' progressive relaxation techniques were used to decondition anxiety assumed associated with "not eating" in subjects. Inferred anxiety was deconditioned under conditions of "not eating" when imagining hunger, emotions, and cravings. Twenty-five subjects were instructed not to follow a diet after deconditioning but to eat less and be hungry to lose weight. A control group of 10 was instructed to follow a balanced 1000-calorie diet to lose weight. The former group lost a statistically significant amount of weight (7.5% of their body weight) over 11.9 months, while the control group subjects gained 6.5% of their weight. The model appears to be effective for the treatment of some individuals who wish to lose weight, based upon this preliminary study. Replication with other and larger groups is essential.     

Bulimia,dietary restraint,and concern for dieting

The concept of dietary restraint has recently been used to explain binge-eating in dieters. It has been proposed that the violation of various restraint rules typically leads to hinging in individuals exhibiting high dietary restraint. This study examined the role of dietary restraint in a clinical sample of bulimics. After eating a preload to break dietary restraint, bulimic binge-eaters (those who binge but do not purge) were found to eat significantly more than bulimics who binged and purged (bulimia nervosa) and significantly more than normals. In addition, purging bulimics were found to have more concern about dieting than binge-eaters, while normals were found to have less concern about dieting and less anxiety about eating than both bulimic groups. These data suggest that the psychopathology of bulimia nervosa and bulimia (binge-eating) may be substantially different. It was proposed that the most distinguishing characteristic may be the preoccupation with dieting, weight, and body size, which is more extreme in bulimia nervosa.     

Depression,restraint and eating behavior

Contrary to the belief that weight loss is a principal symptom of depression, several recent studies have suggested that certain people gain rather than lose weight when depressed. The present experiment concerned the effects of experimentally induced mood states on the eating behavior of high- and low-restraint persons. Sixty-eight female undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three groups each designed to induce a different mood state (depressed, neutral or elated), and were classified as high or low restraint based on their responses to a questionnaire. During the mood induction procedure subjects were provided with the opportunity to eat. High-restraint persons induced into a depressed mood ate significantly more than high-restraint persons induced into neutral or elated moods, and more than low-restraint persons induced into a depressed mood. This effect was most prominent among subjects who scored high on the weight-fluctuation factor of the restraint scale. There was no evidence that this effect occurred among subjects who scored high on the concern for dieting factor. The role of emotional arousal on the self-control over eating behavior of high weight-fluctuation persons, and the implications of these findings for the evaluation of depression were discussed.     

Effects of dietary restraint, obesity, and gender on holiday eating behavior and weight gain

This investigation evaluated the impact of dietary restraint, relative weight, and gender on holiday eating behavior and weight gain. 65 Ss (31 men and 34 women) completed detailed food records for the 2 days before, the 4 days during, and the 2 days after the Thanksgiving weekend. Results indicated increased eating during the Thanksgiving holiday, with men eating more than women and the obese eating less than the nonobese. There was also a significant Total Restraint X Weight X Time interaction, with unrestrained normal-weight subjects behaving similarly to high-restrained overweight subjects over time. There was also a highly reliable Total Restraint X Sex X Time interaction. The most striking finding from this interaction was that high-restrained women displayed decreases in their dietary intake over time. Correlational analyses revealed that restraint scores were negatively associated with dietary intake over the 8-day period but were positively associated with weight gain. The implications for dieting, eating behavior, and energy balance are discussed.     

The effects of fat talk on body dissatisfaction and eating behavior: The moderating role of dietary restraint

Although research suggests that fat talk, the normalized conversations that involve degrading one's body shape/weight and size, can increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior, the extent to which dietary restraint may moderate these relationships remains uncertain. A pilot study (N = 30) comparing online videos with researcher-developed vignettes as prospective manipulations for fat talk exposure suggested use of the vignettes as potent yet subtle stimuli. In the main study, women undergraduates (N = 116) were randomized to read a fat talk or neutral vignette and then completed standardized measures of body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint while being concurrently presented with food stimuli. Results suggest significant moderation effects for dietary restraint: whereas fat talk exposure was associated with increased body dissatisfaction among low dietary restrainers, it appeared to reduce food consumption among high dietary restrainers. Findings highlight the importance of individual differences in shaping responses to fat talk.     

Restrained eating: an experimental disentanglement of the disinhibiting variables of perceived calories and food type

The influence of food type on the restrained eating pattern was examined. In Study 1, subjects rated the degree to which each of 149 foods were dietary permissable or dietary forbidden. The number of avoided foods correlated positively with restraint score. Study 2 compared Herman and Mack's (1975) 1- and 2-milk shake preloads to two nonforbidden preloads of equivalent calories. Food type, and not perceived calories, was found to be the element of the preload required to cause disinhibition among restrained eaters, both within the experiment and outside the experimental setting. Study 3 examined the effects of anticipated consumption (varying food type and calories) on the restrained eating pattern. Only restrained eaters anticipating a forbidden food (whether high or low in calories) were disinhibited. The restrained literature was reconsidered in light of the forbidden food hypothesis.     

A comparison of the validity of three scales for the assessment of dietary restraint

The construct validity of Herman and Polivy's Restraint Scale (RS), the restraint factor of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R), and the restraint scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ-R) were investigated by relating these scales to self-reported mean caloric intake per day and to other measures associated with disordered eating and figure consciousness. A factor analysis showed that the three restraint scales measure different components of the restraint construct. A high score on the RS was closely related to consequences of mostly unsuccessful dieting, such as disinhibited eating and weight fluctuations, but not to successful overall caloric restriction in everyday life. High scores on the TFEQ-R and the DEBQ-R represented the more successful dieting behavior component of restraint. The three scales have in common a motivational component of restrained eating, including concerns about shape and weight, and desire for thinness.     

Reactions to perceived deprivation in ingroup and outgroup: a cross-cultural comparison

An experiment is reported in which the reactions of observers to the relative and absolute deprivation of others are assessed. Eighty German and 80 Italian subjects made decisions about ingroup (own nationality) or outgroup (foreign) protagonists suffering high or low relative and absolute deprivation. Results showed that subjects were more likely to take social action that violated some rule when the protagonist was in high rather than low absolute deprivation. Racist subjects were somewhat more likely to satisfy the request of a deprived ingroup protagonist whereas non-racist subjects favoured the deprived outgroup. No differences emerged for non-deprived protagonists. Overall, Germans tended to take social action only when the protagonist suffered high absolute deprivation whereas Italians took action regardless of degree of absolute deprivation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subtyping children and adolescents with loss of control eating by negative affect and dietary restraint

OBJECTIVE: Research suggests that subtyping adults with binge eating disorders by dietary restraint and negative affect predicts comorbid psychopathology, binge eating severity, and treatment outcome. Little research has explored the validity and clinical utility of subtyping youth along these dimensions. METHOD: Children (aged 8-18 years) reporting loss of control eating (n=159) were characterized based upon measures of dietary restraint and negative affect using cluster analysis, and then compared regarding disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and parent-reported behavior problems. RESULTS: Robust subtypes characterized by dietary restraint (n=114; 71.7%) and dietary restraint/high negative affect (n=45; 28.3%) emerged. Compared to the former group, the dietary restraint/high negative affect subtype evidenced increased shape and weight concerns, more frequent binge eating episodes, and higher rates of parent-reported problems (all ps<0.05). CONCLUSION: Similar to findings from the adult literature, the presence of negative affect may mark a more severe variant of loss of control eating in youth. Future research should explore the impact of dietary restraint/negative affect subtypes on psychiatric functioning, body weight, and treatment outcome.     

Stress and eating: Definitions,findings, explanations,and implications

As high stress has become ubiquitous in modern society, so too has the prevalence of overweight and obesity, leading many to question whether these changes are related. Does stress affect eating? In this article, we summarize research investigating associations between stress and eating and describe the mechanisms that may explain such associations. Our review indicates that regardless of how stress and eating are operationalized, manipulated, or analyzed, and regardless of sample characteristics, associations of stress with eating behavior are observed quite consistently, with some variability due to individual differences. There is also evidence that the link between stress and eating involves both biological and behavioral processes. We discuss the possible longer term implications of stress–eating associations for weight gain, weight stigma, and subsequent health, and we identify specific methodological and conceptual advances needed to improve further research and application.     

The effect of social cues on the eating behavior of obese and normal subjects1

Schachter's externality hypothesis suggests that overweight individuals are more likely to be induced to eat by salient external cues than normal weight individuals. While a range of studies have demonstrated the plausibility of this hypothesis in the case of sensory stimuli (e.g., taste cues), there is little evidence that the hypothesis applies to social stimuli. The current study examines this latter proposition by exposing male and female, overweight and normal weight subjects to a same-sex or opposite-sex peer model. Under the guise of engaging in a taste experiment, the subjects were either exposed to a model who tasted experiment, the subjects were either exposed to a model who tasted no crackers (no eat), one cracker (low eat), or twenty crackers (high eat). In addition, control model-absent conditions were also run for purposes of establishing baseline eating rates. If the externality hypotheses were to prevail in social domains, one would expect overweight subjects to be more prone to model the cracker-eating behavior of the peer than normal weight individuals. However, the findings indicate that all subject groups regardless of weight evidence a rather clear modeling effect and all subjects evidence social inhibition effects on their eating behavior as well. Several intriguing interactions among subject sex, model sex, subject weight, and social condition were also found. The discussion explores the relevance of an externality model of overweight eating in social domains, and focuses upon the interesting and somewhat distinct pattern of socially mediated eating exhibited by overweight females.     

Effects of visual presentation of caloric values on food buying by normal and obese persons.

The effects of the visual presentation of the caloric values of food on the food buying behavior of 450 normal, overweight, and obese female subjects were studied, in a cafeteria setting. The caloric signs significantly decreased the total number of calories bought across all three weight groups. No differences were found among the three weight groups, either in the effect of the presentation of the caloric signs or in the total number of calories bought. The implications of these results were discussed, both in terms of present-day research on obesity as well as in terms of a large scale modification of eating behavior.     

Prevalence of bulimic behaviors and trends in eating attitudes among Turkish late adolescents

The eating attitudes and the prevalence of bulimic behaviors in a group of 300 late adolescents were investigated using the key questions from the Bulimia Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE), and additional questions. Only four subjects (1.3%) scored above the cut-off point on the BITE, and prevalence rates of males and females were the same. Results showed that higher symptom scale scores were associated with the emergence of binge eating behavior and high energy intake. Females were less likely than males to see themselves as normal eaters and more likely to feel "miserable" when they binge. Higher score groups evidenced more dieting behavior than other groups and also more abnormal eating behavior. It was concluded that the prevalence of bulimic behaviors in Turkish late adolescents was low, but there was an increasing risk since they share Western ideals of slimness and engage in dieting.     

Overconcern with weight and shape is not the same as body dissatisfaction: evidence from a prospective study of pre-adolescent boys and girls

Overconcern with weight and shape and body dissatisfaction have both emerged as significant predictors of disordered eating. However, it is unclear how these constructs relate to each other, and if each has different antecedents and consequences. This study aimed to identify prospective predictors of each construct and to determine their relative importance in predicting dietary restraint and binge eating. Eight- to 13-year-old boys and girls (N = 259) were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up, using a range of measures that included the Child Eating Disorder Examination. Psychosocial variables predicted overconcern with weight and shape whilst objective weight predicted body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction and weight and shape concern predicted restraint, and weight and shape concern and restraint predicted binge eating. Findings provide support for the theoretical differences between body dissatisfaction and overconcern with weight and shape, and highlight the importance of focusing on specific body image variables.     

Rats (Rattus norvegicus) modulate eating speed and vigilance to optimize food consumption: effects of cover, circadian rhythm, food deprivation, and individual differences.

The eating behavior of rats (Rattus norvegicus) given food pellets of specified size was examined as a function of environmental, circadian, and experiential influences. Eating times were shorter in lighted, exposed environments than in dark, covered environments, even though in novel, exposed conditions the rats made many scanning movements as they ate. Eating time also varied as a function of the circadian cycle in that eating times were shorter in the night portion of the day-night cycle. Finally, eating times decreased if rats were food deprived, and deprivation had a small but enduring influence. Within the tests there were differences in the eating times of individual rats that were not attributable to the experimental manipulations. That rats can optimize food intake by varying eating speed is discussed in relation to physiological regulation of feeding and to optimal foraging theory.     

Overweight or obesity management by therapists of the obesity and overweight think thank group (G.R.O.S.). Pilot study comparing its effects with standard nutritional management

IntroductionCurrently, international recommendations for obese and overweight people that explicitly target weight loss and are based on qualitative and/or quantitative nutritional counseling and increased physical activity do not appear to be effective in the long term. In contrast, intuitive eating seems to be an interesting alternative to dieting. The G.R.O.S., a French non-profit organization, offers tri-axial management that would enable overweight or obese individuals to acquire this flexible and adaptive behavior that consists of eating naturally according to one's physiological and emotional needs.ObjectiveAfter describing the three axes of management by G.R.O.S., a pilot study is presented to evaluate the efficacy of this management type in overweight or obese subjects compared to a standard diet (DIET).MethodThirty-five subjects were divided into two groups (G.R.O.S. and DIET), and their weight, body mass index, cognitive restraint scores, emotional eating, intuitive eating, and depressive symptomatology were measured at the beginning of the study and three months later.ResultsThis pilot study showed the positive effect of weight management, body mass index, intuitive eating, and emotional eating compared with standard dietary management, which only affects the depressive symptomatology.ConclusionsThe G.R.O.S. management style seems to be an interesting and effective alternative to slimming diets. However, this study presented a number of limitations, including the sample size, nonrandomization of subjects in groups, and non-standardization of care.     

"Just looking at food makes me gain weight": experimental induction of thought-shape fusion in eating-disordered and non-eating-disordered women

Thought-shape fusion (TSF) is a cognitive distortion that can be induced experimentally and is associated with eating pathology. The current study was conducted in order to elucidate the effects of TSF induction in females with eating disorders (n=35), as well as in restrained eaters (n=38) and unrestrained eaters (n=39). It was hypothesized that TSF induction would result in anxiety, guilt, increased feelings of fatness, perceived weight gain and feelings of moral wrong-doing relative to an anxiety and control induction. It was further hypothesized that restrained eaters and individuals with eating disorders would exhibit a stronger reaction to a TSF induction than would unrestrained eaters. The results indicated that, as predicted, TSF can be induced in individuals both with and without eating disorders, and individuals with eating disorders reported the highest levels of "state" TSF after the induction relative to the non-clinical controls. However, contrary to expectations, restrained eaters reported higher levels of perceived weight gain and moral wrong-doing after the anxiety induction (but not the TSF induction) relative to the control induction. Potential mechanisms for this pattern of results are discussed, and the clinical implications of research on TSF are also considered.     

自我客体化对女大学生限制性饮食行为的影响：一个有调节的中介模型

为探讨自我客体化对女大学生限制性饮食行为的影响及其内在作用机制,采用自我客体化量表、体像比较量表、限制性饮食量表和意志控制量表对487名女大学生进行调查。结果表明：（1）自我客体化、社交网站体像比较和限制性饮食两两之间均存在显著的正相关;意志控制与自我客体化、社交网站体像比较以及限制性饮食均呈显著的负相关;（2）社交网站体像比较在自我客体化对限制性饮食的影响中起中介作用;（3）自我客体化对限制性饮食影响的直接效应以及社交网站体像比较中介效应的后半路径均受到意志控制的调节,即在低意志控制群体中,这两种效应都更为显著。     

Binge eating proneness emerges during puberty in female rats: a longitudinal study

Puberty is a critical risk period for binge eating and eating disorders characterized by binge eating. Previous research focused almost entirely on psychosocial risk factors during puberty to the relative exclusion of biological influences. The current study addressed this gap by examining the emergence of binge eating during puberty in a rat model. We predicted that there would be minimal differences in binge eating proneness during pre-early puberty, but significant differences would emerge during puberty. Two independent samples of female Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 30 and n = 36) were followed longitudinally across pre-early puberty, mid-late puberty, and adulthood. Binge eating proneness was defined using the binge eating resistant (BER)/binge eating prone (BEP) model of binge eating that identifies BER and BEP rats in adulthood. Across two samples of rats, binge eating proneness emerged during puberty. Mixed linear models showed little difference in palatable food intake between BER and BEP rats during pre-early puberty, but significant group differences emerged during mid-late puberty and adulthood. Group differences could not be accounted for by changes in nonpalatable food intake or body weight. Similar to patterns in humans, individual differences in binge eating emerge during puberty in female rats. These findings provide strong confirming evidence for the importance of biological risk factors in developmental trajectories of binge eating risk across adolescence.