Restraining May Lead to Overeating

by Meri Raffetto RD, LDN

Restraining is common practice for dieters. People often try to restraing themselves from eating certain foods in hopes of decreasing their calorie level and avoiding trigger foods. According to a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, omitting foods can actually lead you to eat more of those particular foods.

For one week, a group of 103 female students were assigned to one of three groups: chocolate deprived, vanilla deprived, or non deprived. The results, chocolate-deprived restrained eaters consumed more chocolate food than any other group! They found that restrained eaters experience more food cravings and were more likely to eat the craved food.

This just goes to show that eliminating foods isn't always the best option and isn't necessary for weight loss. Learning how to balance all foods in your diet and allowing yourself guilt free treats will result in weight loss without deprivation.

Source: Int J Eat Disord. 2005 Dec;38(4):301-9

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