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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
07:07
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
Consumption after a diet violation: disinhibition or compensation?
A Janet Tomiyama1, Ashley Moskovich, Kate Byrne Haltom
1University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Psychological Science
|September 8, 2009
Summary
Restrained eaters do not overeat after diet violations in real life, contrary to lab findings. This study shows people can control eating habits outside artificial settings.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Laboratory studies suggest restrained eaters overeat following dietary rule violations.
- Limited evidence exists on whether this phenomenon extends to real-world eating behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if restrained eaters overeat after diet violations in naturalistic settings.
- To challenge the prevailing belief that dietary lapses inevitably lead to binge eating.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: 127 participants self-reported diet violations and eating hourly over 2 days.
- Study 2: 89 participants tracked intake for 8 days, with 50 consuming a milkshake (diet violation) on Day 7.
Main Results:
- In both studies, participants did not exhibit overeating behavior after violating their diets.
- Findings contradict previous laboratory-based research on restrained eating.
Conclusions:
- Dietary violations do not necessarily lead to overeating in everyday life for restrained eaters.
- The 'what-the-hell effect' observed in labs may not accurately reflect real-world eating control.
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