130 Dieting
This study indicated that although dieters may at times eat less,
restrained eating is also associated with eating more, and restraint theory
has described overeating as characteristic of restrained eaters (Herman and
Mack, 1975; Spencer and Fremouw, 1979; Herman, Polivy, and Esses, 1987).
The Herman and Mack (1975) study illustrated overeating in response
to a high-calorie preload. Research suggests that overeating may also be
triggered by lowered mood, preloads believed to be high in calorie, a need
to escape from self-awareness, smoking abstinence, and food cues (e.g.,
Herman and Mack, 1975; Spencer and Fremouw, 1979; Heatherton and
Baumeister, 1991; Ogden, 1994; Fedoroff, Polivy, and Herman, 1997; Mills
and Palandra, 2008). Further research has also shown that restrained
eaters often eat more per se. For example, Ruderman and Wilson (1979)
used a preload/taste-test procedure and reported that restrained eaters con-
sumed significantly more food than the unrestrained eaters, irrespective
of preload size. Similarly, Klesges, Isbell, and Klesges (1992) examined the
eating behavior of 141 men and 146 women and indicated that although
restrained eaters ingested significantly fewer calories overall than unrestrained
eaters, they were consuming a higher amount of fat. Several terms have
been used to describe the overeating found in restrained eaters. Counter-
regulationrefers to the relative overeating shown following a high-calorie
preload compared to a low-calorie one. The term disinhibitionhas been
defined as “eating more as a result of the loosening of restraints in response
to emotional distress, intoxication or preloading” ( Polivy and Herman, 1989,
p. 342), and the “What the Hell effect” ( Herman and Polivy, 1984) has
been used to characterize overeating following a period of attempted
undereating. The recognition of overeating in dieters and the development
of restraint theory paved the way for a wealth of research examining
when and why dieters sometimes overeat, and the role of restraint in this
behavior.
Dieting and Overeating
Research has explored possible mechanisms for the overeating shown by
restrained eaters. These are described below and include the causal model
of overeating, the boundary model of overeating, cognitive shifts, mood
modification, denial, escape theory, overeating as relapse, and the central
role for control.