Why dieters fail: Testing the goal conflict model of eating

A new theory of eating regulation is presented to account for the over-responsiveness of restrained eaters to external food-relevant cues. According to this theory, the food intake of restrained eaters is characterized by a conflict between two chronically accessible incentives or goals: eating enjoyment and weight control. Their difficulty in weight control is due to their behavioral sensitivity to eating enjoyment and its incompatibility with the eating control goal. Accordingly, exposure to food-relevant stimuli primes the goal of eating enjoyment in restrained (but not unrestrained) eaters, resulting in an inhibition of weight control thoughts. Three studies are reported that support these assumptions. Study 1 demonstrates a substantial relation between Eating Restraint and measures of ambivalence towards eating. Studies 2 and 3 show that priming eating enjoyment decreases the accessibility of eating control concepts. The results are discussed in the context of current research on the psychology of obesity and restrained eating.     

Susceptibility for thin ideal media and eating styles

This study examined the relations between susceptibility for thin ideal media and restrained, emotional and external eating, directly and indirectly through body dissatisfaction. Thin ideal media susceptibility, body dissatisfaction and eating styles were measured in a sample of 163 female students. Structural equation modelling was used for analyses, controlling for BMI. Higher susceptibility for thin ideal media was directly related to higher scores on all eating styles, and indirectly related to higher restrained and emotional eating through elevated levels of body dissatisfaction. So, thin ideal media susceptibility was not only related to restraint through body dissatisfaction, but also directly. Emotional eaters might be more vulnerable for negative affect, whereas external eaters might be more sensitive to external cues in general.     

Differential effects of approach bias and eating style on unhealthy food consumption in overweight and normal weight women

Objective: The current study aimed to examine the effects of approach bias for unhealthy food and trait eating style on consumption of unhealthy food in overweight and normal weight individuals.

Method: Participants were 245 undergraduate women aged 17 – 26 years. They completed an Approach–Avoidance Task, the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (to assess restrained, emotional, and external eating), and a taste test to measure consumption of unhealthy food.

Results: An external eating style predicted increased consumption of unhealthy food. Among overweight participants, external and emotional eating style individually moderated the relationship between approach bias for unhealthy food and subsequent consumption. Specifically, approach bias was positively related to consumption in high external and emotional eaters, but negatively related to consumption in low emotional eaters. These interactions were not observed among normal weight participants.

Conclusion: Practically, the results suggest that overweight individuals who are external or emotional eaters may benefit from interventions that aim to modify approach bias towards unhealthy food cues to reduce problematic eating behaviour.     

限制性饮食者对食物线索的注意偏向：基于目标矛盾理论模型

采用点探测变式探讨了120名成功和失败女性限制性饮食者对两类食物线索的注意偏向机制。结果发现, 当只启动享乐目标时, 成功的限制者存在对美味食物线索的注意回避, 失败的限制者存在对美味食物线索的注意脱离困难; 当相继启动享乐目标和节食目标时, 成功和失败两类限制者均存在对美味食物线索的注意回避, 但失败者仍然存在注意脱离困难。从目标矛盾模型理论对实验结果进行了讨论。     

The allure of forbidden food: On the role of attention in self-regulation

The aim of the present studies was to examine the impact of food cues on restrained eaters’ attention for food. Previous research has shown that restrained eaters spontaneously activate hedonic thoughts in response to palatable food cues, and that such food cues also lead them to inhibit their dieting goal. We argue that as a consequence, restrained eaters’ selective attention will automatically be drawn towards hedonically relevant food items. Consistent with our expectations, the results of two studies revealed that restrained eaters, but not unrestrained eaters, displayed an attentional bias for hedonically rated food items when they had been pre-exposed to food cues. However, this attentional bias did not occur when restrained eaters were primed with the concept of dieting, thereby rendering the regulation of eating behavior more successful. These findings are discussed in the context of implicit processes in self-regulation.     

为何越减越肥?——限制性饮食者过度进食的心理机制及影响因素

限制性饮食作为一种被越来越多的女性所采用的减肥策略, 并不是一个有效的维持和降低体重的方法, 在许多情况下, 限制性饮食者反而比非限制性饮食者更容易发生过度进食, 本文回顾了国内外关于限制性饮食者过度进食的研究, 总结了限制性饮食者过度进食的心理机制以及预加载、情绪唤醒、自我损耗、认知资源分散、人格与社会五大影响因素, 并对现有的不足进行了探讨和对今后的研究提出了展望。     

Emotional, external, restrained eating and overweight in Dutch adolescents

The purpose of this study was to determine how emotional, external and restrained eating behavior and other health-related lifestyle factors were associated with being overweight in adolescents. Moreover, demographic and ethnic differences in eating behavior have been examined. The respondents were 10,087 Dutch adolescents aged 11-16 years (M= 13.0, SD= 0.8). Self-reported eating behavior was measured with the DEBQ. Health-related lifestyle was determined by physical activity, breakfasting, fruit consumption and snacking. High restrained, and low external eating were positively associated with being overweight, whereas no significant association between emotional eating and being overweight was found for girls, and a negative association for boys. Adolescents who ate breakfast on a daily basis were less likely to be overweight than those who ate breakfast irregularly or never. Being overweight was positively associated with fruit consumption for girls and negatively with physical activity for boys.     

When food is more than nutrition: Understanding emotional eating and overconsumption

This research examines how more proximal or immediate goals of affect regulation impact goals of weight loss and maintenance. Findings suggest that both psychological and social factors play a role in eating behavior and food overconsumption. Specifically, the narratives of self‐identified emotional eaters reveal that negative emotion, prefactual thinking, and ruminative propensities play major roles in contributing to food‐related consumption. Additionally, emotional eating informants' consumption behavior is greatly impacted by the attitudes and behaviors of others. Several approaches for developing interventions for emotional eaters and furthering transformative research in obesity and overconsumption are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotional eating moderates the relationship between implicit measures of attitudes and chocolate consumption

Emotional eaters tend to eat more when emotionally aroused and their food‐related actions are associated with lack of control. Two studies tested the hypothesis that implicit measures of attitudes would be more strongly associated with the dietary behaviour of emotional eaters. In both Study 1 (N = 32) and Study 2 (N = 101), participants completed the DEBQ sub‐scale of emotional eating and implicit measures of attitude, explicit attitude and behaviour measures concerning chocolate consumption. In both studies, high emotional eaters were more likely than low emotional eaters to eat in line with their implicit measures of attitudes. The relationship between implicit measures of attitudes and food intake varies as a function of emotional eating style. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

情绪对饮食行为的影响

人类的饮食行为受到诸多因素的影响, 包括生理因素、心理因素及社会文化因素等, 其中情绪对饮食行为的影响日益受到研究者的重视, 这种影响一般表现为摄入量的多少和食物(热量)的选择。通过探讨不同情绪下临床和非临床个体食物摄入量的表现, 总结发现消极情绪导致个体暴饮暴食的可能更大。积极情绪影响下的饮食行为的研究结果则存在分歧: 生理角度解释为积极情绪能够促进个体的享乐机制, 导致进食行为增加; 而自我控制理论则认为积极情绪增加了个人资源以抵制美食诱惑。此外, 进一步探讨了情绪影响下饮食行为的神经生理机制。未来在饮食相关的临床研究和治疗上, 需要对情绪影响下的饮食行为有更深入的神经机制方面的探究。     

High-restrained eaters only overeat when they are also impulsive

Recent work shows that the inability to inhibit basic motor responses (like pressing a button) is related to overeating, weight gain and overweight. In the present study it was tested whether this inability to inhibit motor responses - or impulsivity - can differentiate between successful and unsuccessful restrained eaters. A typical preload and food exposure paradigm was used and it was hypothesized that only the high-restrained eaters that are simultaneously inefficient inhibitors of prepotent motor responses would overeat when confronted with tempting foods. In line with the hypothesis, the data show that overeating follows from an interaction between restraint and impulsivity; high-restrained eaters only overate when they were also impulsive. It is concluded that being restrained per se is not a determinant of overeating. Being a restrained eater only bears the risk of overeating in case of coexisting impulsivity.     

The roles of impulsivity,self-regulation,and emotion regulation in the experience of self-disgust

Self-disgust is a distinct self-conscious emotion schema that is characterized by disgust appraisals directed towards the self. Recent studies have demonstrated the negative effects of self-disgust on physical and mental health, but little is known about the psychological characteristics that are associated with self-disgust experiences. The present study assessed the direct and indirect effects of impulsivity, self-regulation, and emotion regulation on self-disgust. Overall, 294 participants (M age?=?21.84 years, SD?=?4.56) completed structured and anonymous measures of trait impulsivity, self-regulation, emotion regulation strategies, and self-disgust. Path analysis showed that non-planning impulsivity and expressive suppression (positively) and cognitive reappraisal and self-regulation (negatively) predicted self-disgust. Intervening variable analysis showed that attentional and non-planning impulsivity had significant indirect effects on self-disgust via emotional regulation strategies and self-regulation. Our findings provide, for the first time, evidence about the association between self-disgust and individual differences in impulsivity, self-regulation, and emotion regulation, and have implications for the psychological phenomena that may lead to self-disgust experiences in non-clinical populations.

     

An Open Trial Examining Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills and Behavioral Weight Loss for Adults With Emotional Eating and Overweight/Obesity

Third-wave cognitive behavioral interventions for weight loss have shown promise. However, sparse data exists on the use of dialectical behavior therapy for weight loss. Adapted dialectical behavior therapy skills programs may be especially well suited for adults who engage in emotional eating and are seeking weight loss. Dialectical behavior therapy is skills-based, shares theoretical links to emotional eating, and is effective in treating binge eating. The current study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Live FREE: FReedom from Emotional Eating, a 16-session group-based intervention. A total of 87 individuals expressed interest in the program, and 39 adults with overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25) and elevated self-reported emotional eating were enrolled. Live FREE targeted emotional eating in the initial sessions 1–9, and sessions 10–16 focused primarily on behavioral weight loss skills while continuing to reinforce emotion regulation training. Assessments were administered at baseline, posttreatment, and 6-month follow up. Enrolled participants were primarily female (97.4%) and Caucasian (91.7%). Treatment retention was strong with participants attending an average of 14.3 sessions and 89.7% of participants completing the intervention. On average, participants lost 3.00 kg at posttreatment, which was maintained at follow-up. Intent-to-treat analyses showed improvements in key outcome variables (self-reported emotional eating, BMI, emotion regulation) over the course of the intervention. Combining dialectical behavior therapy skills with conventional behavioral weight loss techniques may be an effective intervention for adults with overweight/obesity who report elevated emotional eating.     

Unique associations between young adult men's emotional functioning and their body dissatisfaction and disordered eating

Research on emotional functioning, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in males is predominated by studies of negative affect and emotion regulation. Other aspects of emotional functioning, namely emotion recognition and attentional biases toward emotional stimuli, have received little empirical attention. The present study investigated the unique associations between different aspects of men's emotional functioning and their disordered eating attitudes, muscularity dissatisfaction, and body fat dissatisfaction. Results from 132 male undergraduates showed that muscularity dissatisfaction was uniquely associated with both emotion regulation difficulties and an attentional bias toward rejecting faces. Body fat dissatisfaction was not uniquely associated with any aspect of emotional functioning. Disordered eating was uniquely associated with emotion regulation difficulties. Collectively, the results indicate differences in the patterns of associations between men's emotional functioning and their body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.     

Mediation of self‐regulation and mood in the relationship of changes in high emotional eating and nutritional behaviors: Moderating effects of physical activity

High emotional eating (EE) is prevalent in women with obesity. A previous study's subsample of obese women classified as high emotional eaters participated in either a physical activity‐focused experimental (n = 29) or an educationally focused comparison (n = 22) behavioral treatment and was assessed over phases of expected weight loss (baseline–month 6) and short‐ and long‐term regain (months 6–12 and 6–24, respectively). The study's aim was to assess theory‐based psychological and behavioral mediation and moderation of changes in nutritional behaviors via emotional eating change in order to inform behavioral weight‐loss treatments. During the weight‐loss phase, significant improvements in eating self‐regulation and mood significantly mediated the relationship of reduced EE and intake of both fruits and vegetables (FV) and sweets. Self‐regulation was a significant independent mediator. Physical activity significantly moderated the relationship between EE and self‐regulation changes. All variables demonstrated large positive effects and significant time × group interactions favoring the experimental group. During the short and long‐term phases of expected weight regain, there were no significant changes in FV intake, although consumption of sweets significantly increased during months 6–24. Change in FV and sweets significantly predicted weight change, which was significantly greater in the experimental vs. comparison group over both the initial 6 months (?6.1% vs. ?2.6%) and full 24 months of the study (?7.6% vs. ?1.3%). Findings suggest that behavioral treatments should address EE through improvements in self‐regulation and mood, and supported physical activity will aid in that process. The need for an improved understanding of weight‐loss maintenance remains.     

Internalization of the thin and muscular body ideal and disordered eating in adolescence: the mediation effects of body esteem

This study investigates body esteem factors (weight-esteem and appearance-esteem) as mediators of the relationship between ‘internalization of the ideal body figure’ and disordered eating behaviors (restrained, emotional and external eating) in a community sample of adolescent males (n = 810) and females (n = 1137) from the Ontario Research on Eating and Adolescent Lifestyles (REAL) study. Mediation models were examined using a bootstrapping approach to test indirect effects and indirect contrasts. In males, weight-esteem partially mediated the relationship between muscular ideal and restrained eating; appearance-esteem partially mediated effects in the emotional and external eating regressions. In females, both weight-esteem and appearance-esteem partially mediated the relationship between thin ideal and all three forms of disordered eating; weight-esteem was a stronger mediator for restrained eating, and appearance-esteem a stronger mediator for emotional and external eating. Body esteem is important to consider for prevention and treatment of disordered eating in both genders.     

Emotion processing and regulation in women with morbid obesity who apply for bariatric surgery

Emotional eating, the tendency to eat when experiencing negative affect, is prevalent in morbid obesity and may indicate that ways to deal with emotions are disturbed. Our aim was to compare emotion processing and regulation between 102 women with morbid obesity who apply for bariatric surgery and 102 women from the general population (control group) and to examine in the group with morbid obesity the association of emotion processing and regulation with emotional eating. The group with morbid obesity reported higher scores on difficulty identifying feelings (alexithymia, p?=?0.002) and suppression of emotions (p?=?0.003) than the control group. In the women with morbid obesity, more negative affect and a higher difficulty identifying feelings were correlated with more emotional eating (r?=?0.36 and r?=?0.35, p?<?0.001). Our study suggests that negative emotions and unhealthy emotion processing may play a role in emotional eating, and it indicates the possible relevance of emotion processing and emotional regulation as initiating or perpetuating mechanisms in morbid obesity.     

Don't mind if I do: disinhibited eating under cognitive load

Past research has shown that strong emotional or motivational states can cause normally restrained eaters to overeat. In this article it is argued that simple cognitive load can also disinhibit eating by restrained eaters. Two studies examined this disinhibition effect. In Study 1, restrained and unrestrained eaters were given the opportunity to consume high-calorie food while performing either a high cognitive-load or low cognitive-load task. Restrained eaters consumed more food when under high cognitive load than when under low cognitive load; unrestrained eaters showed the opposite pattern. Study 2 replicated the disinhibition effect and ruled out stress, diminished awareness of food consumption, and ironic rebound as probable mediators. Results suggest that cognitive load may disinhibit consumption by preventing restrained eaters from monitoring the dietary consequences of their eating behavior. Implications for theories of self-regulation are discussed.     

Frontal brain asymmetry in restrained eaters

It is well known that the eating patterns that restrain chronic dieters (restrained eaters) can be disinhibited by anxiety, which in turn has been associated with relative right frontal brain activity in independent electroencephalographic (EEG) studies. Combining these two lines of evidence, the authors tested the hypothesis that chronic restrained eating is associated with relative right frontal asymmetry. Resting anterior brain asymmetry and self-reported measures of anxiety and depression were collected in 23 restrained and 32 unrestrained eaters. As hypothesized, groups differed in tonic frontal activity, with restrained eaters showing more relative right frontal activity. Furthermore, relative right frontal activity was associated with greater self-reported restraint. Right-sided prefrontal asymmetry may thus represent a diathesis associated with increased vulnerability toward restrained eating.     

Emotional regulation,attachment to possessions and hoarding symptoms

This study aimed to test which particular facets of emotion regulation (ER) are most linked to symptoms of hoarding disorder, and whether beliefs about emotional attachment to possessions (EA) mediate this relationship. A non‐clinical sample of 150 participants (108 females) completed questionnaires of emotional tolerance (distress tolerance, anxiety sensitivity, negative urgency – impulsivity when experiencing negative emotions), depressed mood, hoarding, and beliefs about emotional attachment to possessions. While all emotional tolerance measures related to hoarding, when considered together and controlling for depression and age, anxiety sensitivity and urgency were the significant predictors. Anxiety sensitivity was fully mediated, and urgency partially mediated, via beliefs regarding emotional attachment to possessions. These findings provide further support for (1) the importance of anxiety sensitivity and negative urgency for hoarding symptoms, and (2) the view that individuals with HD symptoms may rely on items for emotion regulation, leading to stronger beliefs that items are integral to emotional wellbeing.