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The ironic effects of dietary restraint in situations that undermine self-regulation
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The ironic effects of dietary restraint in situations that undermine self-regulation

Charlotte J. Hagerman, Michelle L. Stock, Janine B. Beekman, Ellen W. Yeung and Susan Persky
Eating behaviors : an international journal, v 43, 101579
Dec 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101579
PMID: 34800913
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10124920View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Dietary restraint Food cravings Ironic process theory Overeating Self-control
Dietary restraint, defined as the cognitive effort to restrict eating, can paradoxically make individuals more susceptible to unhealthy eating when their ability to self-regulate is threatened. Past experiments have found that, in situations that elicit low self-control and/or unhealthy cravings, participants with higher dietary restraint eat more than those with lower restraint. However, these relationships have never been examined in a free-living environment. The current daily diary study examined if dietary restraint would exacerbate the associations between poor self-control and unhealthy cravings with overconsumption, namely, eating more than usual and binge eating. College women (N = 121, M age = 19) reported their restrained eating behavior and completed seven daily surveys. Multilevel analyses showed a significant interaction between dietary restraint and daily self-control on eating more than usual (b = −0.13, p = .001) and binge eating (b = −0.22, p < .001). Lower daily self-control was associated with eating more than usual and with more binge eating that day, but only among women with higher dietary restraint. Dietary restraint also moderated the effect of cravings on eating more than usual (b = 0.10, p = .007); this relationship was stronger for women with higher restraint. Stronger cravings were associated with more binge eating regardless of restraint. Results suggest that situations that undermine self-control are more strongly associated with overeating among those with higher dietary restraint. Findings can inform strategies to reduce overconsumption among restrained eaters. •Low self-control predicted overeating more strongly for restrained eaters.•Stronger cravings also predicted overeating more strongly for restrained eaters.•Dietary restraint may backfire in situations when self-regulation is threatened.

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9 Record Views
11 citations in Web of Science
7 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Psychology, Clinical
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