Explanations for the success and failure of dieting
Explanations for the success of dieting include paying attention to detail and social support
To increase the success of dieting, Redden believes the key is in the detail as he felt that if
we pay attention to what we are eating and think about the different ingredient, food
becomes less monotonous and less boring and so we are more likely to better maintain our
diet.
Ways to promote diet success:
- Prevent the fast, downwards spiral by encouraging weight loss with realistic and
attainable methods
Barlett found that dieting success occurs by reducing calorific intake by 500-1000 calories a
day, resulting in a weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week.
- Address issues of self-esteem and depression through the use of social support,
CBT
Create a positive identity for individual diets that builds confidence and motivation
- Try to stop dieting in the first place by addressing low self-esteem during early
adolescence to prevent diet failure
Parents should be taught how to identify with their teenager who has low self-esteem and
provided with strategies to help.
The Spiral Model- Heatherton and Polivy (1992)
Food-restricted dieting begins in adolescence when body shape leads to low self-esteem
and a desire to lose weight. Initial success occurs but weight is often regained leading to a
sense of personal deficiency. Dieters do not rethink their approach, instead, they make a
bigger effort to diet and experience more frustration and emotional distress making them
vulnerable to disinhibited eating. The resultant metabolic changes in the body make weight
loss physically more difficult and the result is more failure followed by more attempts to 'diet
harder'. The person is in a downward spiral of reduced self-esteem, disinhibition, more
failure, and ultimately depression. This leads to diet failure.
Chain of events: Body dissatisfaction in adolescence & low self-esteem--> dieting--> initial
weight loss--> regain weight--> failure!--> try to eat even less--> more frustration and
distress--> disinhibited eating.
Ironic process theory- Wegner 1994
They proposed the idea that trying to suppress a thought will lead to thinking about the
suppression far more than when not actively trying to avoid it.-Being on a diet increases
preoccupation with food
E.g. Asking people not to think about a white bear almost guarantees they do. The
paradoxical outcome of trying to suppress a thought is to make it more likely.
Dieters label certain foods as ‘forbidden’ so they become more salient (e.g they stand out).
This leads to increased thinking about food and disinhibition of eating, loss of control,
excessive food intake, and dieting failure.
Distraction doesn’t work. Distraction e.g reading a book requires mental activity so the dieter
has less cognitive capacity to suppress thoughts of food.
The irony of a restrained eating diet is- to be successful at preventing thoughts of food, the
dieter has to spend their time, energy, and undivided attention trying not to think about food.
Explanations for the success of dieting include paying attention to detail and social support
To increase the success of dieting, Redden believes the key is in the detail as he felt that if
we pay attention to what we are eating and think about the different ingredient, food
becomes less monotonous and less boring and so we are more likely to better maintain our
diet.
Ways to promote diet success:
- Prevent the fast, downwards spiral by encouraging weight loss with realistic and
attainable methods
Barlett found that dieting success occurs by reducing calorific intake by 500-1000 calories a
day, resulting in a weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week.
- Address issues of self-esteem and depression through the use of social support,
CBT
Create a positive identity for individual diets that builds confidence and motivation
- Try to stop dieting in the first place by addressing low self-esteem during early
adolescence to prevent diet failure
Parents should be taught how to identify with their teenager who has low self-esteem and
provided with strategies to help.
The Spiral Model- Heatherton and Polivy (1992)
Food-restricted dieting begins in adolescence when body shape leads to low self-esteem
and a desire to lose weight. Initial success occurs but weight is often regained leading to a
sense of personal deficiency. Dieters do not rethink their approach, instead, they make a
bigger effort to diet and experience more frustration and emotional distress making them
vulnerable to disinhibited eating. The resultant metabolic changes in the body make weight
loss physically more difficult and the result is more failure followed by more attempts to 'diet
harder'. The person is in a downward spiral of reduced self-esteem, disinhibition, more
failure, and ultimately depression. This leads to diet failure.
Chain of events: Body dissatisfaction in adolescence & low self-esteem--> dieting--> initial
weight loss--> regain weight--> failure!--> try to eat even less--> more frustration and
distress--> disinhibited eating.
Ironic process theory- Wegner 1994
They proposed the idea that trying to suppress a thought will lead to thinking about the
suppression far more than when not actively trying to avoid it.-Being on a diet increases
preoccupation with food
E.g. Asking people not to think about a white bear almost guarantees they do. The
paradoxical outcome of trying to suppress a thought is to make it more likely.
Dieters label certain foods as ‘forbidden’ so they become more salient (e.g they stand out).
This leads to increased thinking about food and disinhibition of eating, loss of control,
excessive food intake, and dieting failure.
Distraction doesn’t work. Distraction e.g reading a book requires mental activity so the dieter
has less cognitive capacity to suppress thoughts of food.
The irony of a restrained eating diet is- to be successful at preventing thoughts of food, the
dieter has to spend their time, energy, and undivided attention trying not to think about food.
