PSYCHOSOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF WEIGHT CYCLING

Participants were 130 obese women with a mean age of 41.1 +/- 8.4 year s and a mean weight of 97.9 +/- 13.5 kg, who reported having undertake n a mean lifetime total of 4.7 +/- 1.2 major diets on which they had l ost a mean total of 45.9 +/- 21.4 kg. Participants with a severe histo ry of weight cycling had a significantly younger age of onset of their obesity than did mild cyclers and reported initiating dieting at a si gnificantly younger age and lower weight. No evidence, however, was fo und that weight cycling was associated with greater reports of depress ion or other psychopathology: nor was it associated with a significant ly greater frequency of binge eating disorder. The results are discuss ed in terms of the need to use additional measures of psychological fu nctioning.