Dietary Control
Intuitive eating Vs Eating Restraint
I recently read a journal article which I found interesting and wanted to share some of the points in raised....
Eating Restraint
Eating restraint is where attempt to control eating behaviour to lose weight or prevent weight gain [2] and findings show that it does not lead to long term weight loss [3] and long-term studies have even shown it increases weight gain and disordered eating [4-9].
Eating restraint can come in multiple forms including rigid control and flexible control.
Rigid Control [10]
All or nothing
Actively avoid calorie-dense food
Calorie counting
Dieting to control weight
Eating diet foods to avoid weight gain
Skipping meals
Flexible Control [11]
Taking smaller than desired amounts of food
Conscious of food eaten
Taking weight into account when making choices
Compensating (eat less or healthier at the next meal)
Intuitive Eating
Eating to physiological hunger and satiety cues
Choosing foods for satisfaction, taste, health, energy, stamina and performance
Flexible and adaptive eating behaviour [12]
Stand Out Sections
Intuitive eating is related to lower psychological distress, higher psychological adjustment and lower BMI [1]
Flexible control has been found to have positive associations with psychological distress [1], eating disorder symptoms, impaired working memory and increased weight gain [13-15]
Over a 2-year period the action of ‘reducing portion sizes’ resulted in average weight GAIN of 1.25kg and the action of ‘reducing fats and sugars’ was linked to weight gain of 1.21kg
Intuitive eating groups resulted in decreased total cholesterol, LDLs, triglycerides and BP (systolic) at 2-year follow ups
Intuitive eating also resulted in decreases in the following; hunger, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, depression and disordered eating at 2-year follow ups. [16]
Summary of Findings
Intuitive eating and flexible control are not the same thing
Flexible control and Rigid control are very tangled and intertwined concepts and it is difficult to separate the two conceptually
Flexible control may mask rigid control
Intuitive eating is not another form of ‘restraint’
Findings caution against the promotion of flexible control
Efforts should be placed to encourage and promote intuitive eating
References
1. DanÃelsdóttir, S., Calogero, R., & Tylka, T. (2015). Is intuitive eating the same as flexible dietary control? Their links to each other and well-being could provide an answer. Appetite, 95, 166-175. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.07.004
2. Stunkard, A. J., & Messick, S. (1985). The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 29, 71e83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(85)90010-8.
3. Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A.-M., Samuels, B., & Chatman, J. (2007). Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. American Psychologist, 62, 220e233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003- 066X.62.3.220.
4. Birch, L. L., & Fisher, J. O. (2005). Maternal influences on daughters' restrained eating behavior. Health Psychology, 24, 548e554. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0278- 6133.24.6.548
5. Birch, L. L., Fisher, J. O., & Davison, K. K. (2003). Learning to overeat: maternal use of restrictive feeding practices promotes girls' eating in the absence of hunger. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78, 215e220
6. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Guo, J., Story, M., Haines, J., & Eisenberg, M. (2006). Obesity, disordered eating, and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: how do dieters fare 5 years later? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106, 559e568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.003.
7. Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Haines, J., Story, M., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2007). Why does dieting predict weight gain in adolescents? findings from Project EAT-II: a 5-year longitudinal study. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107, 448e455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.12.013.
8. Chaput, J. P., Leblanc, C., Perusse, L., Despr es, J. P., Bouchard, C., & Tremblay, A. (2009). Risk factors for adult overweight and obesity in the Quebec Family Study. Have we been barking up the wrong tree? Obesity, 17, 1964e1970. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1038/oby.2009.116.
9. van Strien, T., Herman, C. P., & Verheijden, M. W. (2014). Dietary restraint and body mass change. A 3-year follow up study in a representative Dutch sample. Appetite, 76, 44e49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.01.015.
10. Stunkard, A. J., & Messick, S. (1985). The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 29, 71e83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(85)90010-8.
11. Westenhoefer, J., Stunkard, A. J., & Pudel, V. (1999). Validation of the flexible and rigid control dimensions of dietary restraint. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 26, 53e64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199907)26: 13.0.co;2-n
12. Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2012). Intuitive eating: A revolutionary program that works (3rd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press.
13. Shearin, E. N., Russ,M. J., Hull, J.W., Clarkin, J. F., & Smith, G. P. (1994). Construct validity of the three-factor eating questionnaire: flexible and rigid control subscales. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 16, 187e198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ 1098-108x(199409)16:23.0.co;2-u.
14. Westenhoefer, J., Engel, D., Holst, C., Lorenz, J., Peacock, M., Stubbs, J., et al. (2013). Cognitive and weight-related correlates of flexible and rigid restrained eating behaviour. Eating Behaviors, 14, 69e72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.eatbeh.2012.10.015.
15. Williams, L., Germov, J., & Young, A. (2007). Preventing weight gain: a population cohort study of the nature and effectiveness of mid-age women's weight control practices. International Journal of Obesity, 31, 978e986. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803550.
16. Bacon, L., Stern, J. S., Van Loan, M. D., & Keim, N. L. (2005). Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105, 929e936. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.jada.2005.03.011.
