Rigid and flexible control of eating behavior and their relationship to dieting status

This study examined whether or not rigid and flexible dimensions of restraint could differentiate between women who self-identified as dieting to lose weight versus those who self-identified as dieting to maintain weight. Four hundred thirty-three women responded to dichotomous questions regarding their dieting status and completed the Eating Inventory and Rigid and Flexible Control Scales (RC16 and FC12, respectively). Logistic regressions were conducted using dieting status as the dependent variable and RC16 scores, FC12 scores, susceptibility to overeating, and BMI as the independent variables. Scores on the RC16 and BMI correctly identified 73.6% of women as dieting to lose weight; scores on the RC16 and FC12 correctly identified 52.6% of women as dieting to maintain weight. Susceptibility to overeating was unrelated to dieting status. Results indicate that rigid control over eating is strongly related to dieting to lose weight and that both rigid and flexible control are related to dieting to maintain weight. This latter relationship is in need of further exploration. Results of this study support the contention that restraint and dieting are related, however, they are not equivalent constructs.