DIETARY RESTRAINT AS A PREDICTOR OF REPORTED WEIGHT-LOSS AND AFFECT

This study investigated dietary restraint as a predictor of subsequent reported weight loss. Neither chronic dieters nor nondieters reported actually losing weight over a 7-mo. period. With respect to recent we ight change, restrained eaters reported both more recent weight loss a nd more recent weight gain than unrestrained eaters. Further, such wei ght changes had a much larger influence on their affect. It was conclu ded that chronic dieting is likely to produce temporary swings in both weight and mood but no permanent change. As such, chronic dieters mig ht best be advised to abandon their dieting attempts.