THE LAST-SUPPER - EMOTIONAL DETERMINANTS OF PRETREATMENT WEIGHT FLUCTUATION OBESE BINGE EATERS

The tendency of some dieters to overeat and gain weight prior to begin ning a diet is well known. We examined whether emotional variables mig ht account for this phenomenon among a group of 86 obese individuals p reparing to begin a treatment program for binge eating and weight loss . Whereas subjects' baseline mood state (anger, anxiety, and depressio n) did not influence pretreatment weight variability, the self-reporte d tendency to overeat in response to specific negative emotions had a significant influence. Specifically, subjects who characteristically o vereat in response to anger and depression gained weight pretreatment, whereas subjects who overeat in response to anxiety lost weight. The findings are discussed in relation to the influence of specific cognit ive and emotional responses to the prospect of dieting. (C) 1994 by Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Inc.