When does behavior follow intent? Relationships between trait level dietary restraint and daily eating behaviors

Exploring longitudinal relationships between fitness tracking and disordered eating outcomes in college-aged women

OBJECTIVE

A growing body of research, primarily cross-sectional, suggests a relationship between the practice of tracking one's food intake and exercise behaviors using fitness-tracking smartphone applications ("apps") or wearable devices ("wearables") and disordered eating symptomatology. The aim of the present study was to explore longitudinal relationships between fitness tracking and disordered eating outcomes among college-aged women, as well as to determine whether the individual-level risk factors of pre-existing eating concerns, perfectionism, and rumination about food moderated the relationship.

METHOD

N = 68 female undergraduates used the MyFitnessPal app for 8 weeks while completing a series of self-report measures.

RESULTS

At the trait level, fitness tracking frequency was positively associated with weight/shape concerns, but not with the other outcome measures. Daily levels of fitness tracking did not predict next-day levels for any of the outcome measures. Within-day fitness tracking at one timepoint was associated with lower reports of dietary restraint efforts at the next timepoint. None of the proposed moderators significantly interacted with the relationships over time.

DISCUSSION

These results suggest that while those who engage in fitness tracking may experience higher weight/shape concerns as a trait, over time fitness tracking was not associated with an increase in concerns. Further work exploring whether fitness tracking may affect particular subgroups in different ways is warranted.

Risk factors for momentary loss of control and subsequent abandonment of self-devised dietary restraint plans in adults with weight-loss goals: a behaviour sequence analysis approach

OBJECTIVE

The current study aims to improve understanding of events leading to lapses of dietary restraint, and to identify pathways to perseverance or abandonment of weight loss efforts in response to lapses. In addition, Behaviour Sequence Analysis (BSA) was also evaluated as an analytical tool in dietary behaviour.

DESIGN

A sample of 176 adults who were engaging in self-imposed dietary restraint for weight loss were recruited to participate.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Participants were instructed to provide a detailed written timeline of an episode where they lapsed in their dietary restraint plan. They were instructed to report their preceding behaviours and internal states, and social and environmental contexts, leading up to and after their lapse in dietary restraint.

RESULTS

Lapses in dietary restraint were precipitated by negative internal states in the presence of cues for highly palatable foods. In addition, abandonment of weight loss efforts after lapsing was preceded by dichotomous thinking, whereas perseverance was preceded by a more neutral, flexible interpretation of the lapse in self-control.

CONCLUSION

BSA has identified that neutral evaluation of inevitable lapses in dietary restraint are predictive of continuation with weight loss efforts, highlighting the importance of individual tolerance of lapses in self-regulation.

Body-related self-conscious emotions, self-compassion, and dietary restraint in Canadian undergraduate university students: A multilevel mediation and moderation analysis

OBJECTIVE

Self-compassion has an inverse association with dietary restraint however, the mechanisms linking self-compassion and dietary restraint are not clear. This study aimed to determine to what extent self-compassion was inversely concurrently related to dietary restraint, indirectly through body-related self-conscious emotions, and to what extent trait self-compassion moderated the concurrent within-person association between body-related self-conscious emotions and dietary restraint.

METHOD

Data was collected from 224 Canadian university students who reported on trait self-compassion at baseline and body-related shame, guilt, envy, and embarrassment, and dietary restraint biweekly between November 2020 and August 2021.

RESULTS

Results from a 2-1-1 multilevel mediation model showed that trait self-compassion was indirectly concurrently related to dietary restraint through body-related shame, guilt, envy, and embarrassment. Results from the moderation model showed that there was a significant positive concurrent within-person association between body-related shame, envy, and embarrassment, but not guilt, with dietary restraint. These relationships were not moderated by trait self-compassion.

DISCUSSION

This study adds to our understanding of the concurrent association between body-related self-conscious emotions and dietary restraint, and the mechanisms through which self-compassion is related to dietary restraint. Given body-related self-conscious emotions were related to dietary restraint at both the within-person and between-person level, both compassion-focused interventions that aim to improve general levels of body-related self-conscious emotions and interventions that aim to overcome spikes in these emotions compared with one's usual level are warranted.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Negative body-related self-conscious emotions were related to higher levels of dietary restraint both across individuals and within individuals over time; and may play a mechanistic role in linking self-compassion with dietary restraint. Interventions aimed at reducing negative body-related self-conscious emotions are warranted in the prevention of eating disorder psychopathology.

Momentary predictors of binge eating episodes and heavy drinking episodes in individuals with comorbid binge eating and heavy drinking

PURPOSE

The co-morbidity of binge eating and heavy drinking (BE + HD) is a serious concern due to the high prevalence rates and associated elevated severity. Clarifying the momentary factors that increase risk for binge eating and heavy drinking among BE + HD is important for expanding theoretical models of BE + HD and informing treatment recommendations. The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to compare the momentary processes maintaining binge eating between BE + HD and individuals with binge eating only (BE-only) and to identify the momentary risk factors for binge eating episodes and heavy drinking episodes among BE + HD.

METHODS

Participants (BE + HD: N = 14; BE-only: N = 37) were adults with clinically significant binge eating who completed between 7 and 14 days of EMA prior to treatment.

RESULTS

The presence of food and within-day dietary restraint predicted higher odds of binge eating for both groups. Among BE + HD, the presence of alcohol and dietary restraint increased risk for subsequent binge eating and subsequent heavy drinking, and the absence of food increased risk for subsequent heavy drinking.

CONCLUSION

These results offer preliminary support for treatment interventions for BE + HD that focus on reducing dietary restraint and teaching strategies for urge management in situations with palatable food or alcohol. Future research should study the maintenance mechanisms of BE + HD with larger, more diverse samples and using study design approaches with more experimenter control (i.e., laboratory experiments).

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, multiple time series without intervention.

The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review

Mobile-based ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) offers a novel method for dietary assessment and may reduce recall bias and participant burden. This review evaluated mEMA methodology and the feasibility, acceptability and validity as a dietary assessment method in young people. Five databases were searched from January 2008 to September 2021 for studies including healthy young people aged 16–30 years and used mEMA for obtaining dietary intake data, food consumption behaviours and/or contextual factors. Data on the method used to administer mEMA, compliance with recording and validation were extracted. A total of 46 articles from 39 independent studies were included, demonstrating a wide variation in mEMA methods. Signal-contingent prompting (timed notification to record throughout the day) was used in 26 studies, 9 used event-contingent (food consumption triggered recordings), while 4 used both. Monitoring periods varied and most studies reported a compliance rate of 80% or more. Two studies found mEMA to be burdensome and six reported mEMA as easy to use. Most studies (31/39) reported using previously validated questions. mEMA appears to be a feasible and acceptable methodology to assess dietary intake and food consumption in near real time.

Love me Tinder: The effects of women's lifetime dating app use on daily body dissatisfaction, disordered eating urges, and negative mood

Dating apps may potentially serve as an environment that subjects young women to the harmful effects of appearance-related pressure. The current study assessed for the first time whether women's dating app use predicted body dissatisfaction (BD), urges to engage in disordered eating (DE), and negative mood in daily life. We also examined the unique effects of women's dating app partner preferences (i.e., seeking idealised versus non-idealised physical characteristics) on the aforementioned outcomes, and whether appearance-based rejection sensitivity (appearance-RS) moderated the effects of dating app use. Participants (N = 296; 100% women) first completed a baseline survey assessing lifetime dating app usage (i.e., current or former usage), partner preferences, and appearance-RS, followed by a 7-day smartphone-facilitated ecological investigation into momentary experiences of BD, DE urges (i.e., binge-eating/purging, dietary restraint, and exercise), and negative mood. Ninety-four women (32%) reported lifetime dating app usage, which, relative to non-use, predicted greater daily urges for binge-eating/purging and negative mood. However, appearance-RS failed to moderate these effects. Among dating app users, partner preferences were not a significant predictor of the central outcomes. These findings extend previous research by examining the unique effects of dating app use on everyday BD, DE urges, and negative mood. Replication and extension are encouraged.

The interplay between binge eating risk factors: Toward an integrated model

We aimed to assess the interplay between dietary restraint and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties as well as other well-known risk factors of binge eating in a community sample of women. Altogether 96 women (mean age 21.5 years; mean BMI 21.7) participated in the study using ecological momentary assessment. Structural equation modeling indicated that restraint and ER pathways are related yet operate independently in predicting binge eating in a unified model. ER difficulties moderated the effect of negative affect and fluctuations in negative affect in predicting binge eating while Neuroticism and preoccupation with body weight predicted binge eating indirectly.

Emotional eating in healthy individuals and patients with an eating disorder: evidence from psychometric, experimental and naturalistic studies

Emotional eating has traditionally been defined as (over)eating in response to negative emotions. Such overeating can impact general health because of excess energy intake and mental health, due to the risks of developing binge eating. Yet, there is still significant controversy on the validity of the emotional eating concept and several theories compete in explaining its mechanisms. The present paper examines the emotional eating construct by reviewing and integrating recent evidence from psychometric, experimental and naturalistic research. Several psychometric questionnaires are available and some suggest that emotions differ fundamentally in how they affect eating (i.e. overeating, undereating). However, the general validity of such questionnaires in predicting actual food intake in experimental studies is questioned and other eating styles such as restrained eating seem to be better predictors of increased food intake under negative emotions. Also, naturalistic studies, involving the repeated assessment of momentary emotions and eating behaviour in daily life, are split between studies supporting and studies contradicting emotional eating in healthy individuals. Individuals with clinical forms of overeating (i.e. binge eating) consistently show positive relationships between negative emotions and eating in daily life. We will conclude with a summary of the controversies around the emotional eating construct and provide recommendations for future research and treatment development.

Dietary restraint and weight loss in relation to disinhibited eating in obese Veterans following a behavioral weight loss intervention

Ability to restrain one's dietary intake is a necessary skill for weight loss. However, dietary restraint has been shown to paradoxically increase disinhibited eating in certain populations, thereby negatively impacting weight loss and leading to worse overall health outcomes. The aim of this study was to address gaps in the literature regarding the relationships between separate facets of dietary restraint (intention; behavior) with weight loss and various types of disinhibited eating (binge eating, external eating, emotional eating) in overweight and obese adults who recently completed a weight loss intervention. A sample of mostly male Veterans with overweight and obesity (N = 88) self-reported their dietary restraint intention, restraint behavior, and current disinhibited eating following completion of an 8-week behavioral weight loss treatment. Greater dietary restraint intention was related to greater dietary restraint behavior, p < .05. Greater dietary restraint behavior was significantly related to greater recent weight loss, p < .05, while restraint intention was not, p > .05. Greater dietary restraint intention was related to greater current binge eating and external eating, while greater self-reported restraint behavior was related to less binge eating, p < .05. Thus, dietary restraint behavior appears to be adaptive for this population, whereas rigid dietary restraint intention may increase risk for disinhibited eating. To decrease disinhibited eating and improve weight loss outcomes in Veterans, interventions might specifically address rigid rule-following associated with abandonment of weight loss goals and help Veterans develop specific yet flexible eating plans. Future research should examine whether dietary restraint intention and behavior differentially predict disinhibited eating and weight loss outcomes prospectively.

Testing the relative associations of different components of dietary restraint on psychological functioning in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Although empirical evidence identifies dietary restraint as a transdiagnostic eating disorder maintaining mechanism, the distinctiveness and significance of the different behavioural and cognitive components of dietary restraint are poorly understood. The present study examined the relative associations of the purportedly distinct dietary restraint components (intention to restrict, delayed eating, food avoidance, and diet rules) with measures of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress), disability, and core eating disorder symptoms (overvaluation and binge eating) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Data were analysed from a treatment-seeking sample of individuals with AN (n = 124) and BN (n = 54). Intention to restrict, food avoidance, and diet rules were strongly related to each other (all r's > 0.78), but only weakly-moderately related to delayed eating behaviours (all r's < 0.47). In subsequent moderated ridge regression analyses, delayed eating was the only restraint component to independently predict variance in measures of psychological distress. Patient diagnosis did not moderate these associations. Overall, findings indicate that delayed eating behaviours may be a distinct component from other indices of dietary restraint (e.g., intention to restrict, food avoidance, diet rules). This study highlights the potential importance of ensuring that delayed eating behaviours are screened, assessed, and targeted early in treatment for patients with AN and BN.