Restrained eating and dieting: replication of their divergent effects on eating regulation

This study examined the replicability of findings reported by Lowe, Whitlow and Bellwoar (1991) concerning eating regulation among restrained eaters and dieters. Lowe et al. found that current dieters ate more than restrained non-dieters when not preloaded, and sharply reduced their intake following a high-calorie preload. The present study re-examined these findings and also determined the effect on intake of a high-calorie preload described as low in calories. The results replicated those reported by Lowe et al., with non-preloaded dieters showing increased eating and preloaded dieters showing reduced eating. In the "low-calorie" condition, current dieters ate an intermediate amount. These findings bolster recent arguments (Lowe, 1993) that restraint and dieting are different phenomena which have divergent effects on eating behavior.