Effects of Increased Exercise on Propensity for Emotional Eating Through Associated Psychological Changes

To assess the effects of exercise on emotional eating via its impact on self-regulation, mood, and body satisfaction and to evaluate the association of change in emotional eating with weight.

Women participated in either manual-based (n = 44) or in-person-based (n = 50) behavioral obesity treatments with similar theory-based content and were assessed on changes in exercise outputs, self-regulatory skills usage, negative mood, body image, propensity for emotional eating, eating behaviors, and weight.

Significant overall improvements were found in all study variables (P < 0.001), with significantly greater improvements in the in-person group (P < 0.02). Changes in self-regulation (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.010 to -0.002), mood (95% CI, -0.011 to -0.003), and body image (95% CI, -0.011, -0.002) significantly mediated the exercise-emotional eating relationship. Relationships between changes in emotional eating and weight over both 6 and 12 months were significantly mediated by changes in intakes of both sweets (95% CI, 0.118-1.024 and 0.066-1.092, respectively) and fruits/vegetables (95% CI, 0.130-1.010 and 0.167-1.139, respectively).

Mechanisms of the effect of exercise on emotional eating may serve to inform future weight-loss treatments.