Flexibility in weight management

Essi Sairanen; Raimo Lappalainen; Anja Lapveteläinen; Asko Tolvanen; Leila Karhunen

doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.01.008

Flexibility in weight management

Eat Behav. 2014 Apr;15(2):218-24. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.01.008. Epub 2014 Feb 3.

Authors

Essi Sairanen¹, Raimo Lappalainen², Anja Lapveteläinen³, Asko Tolvanen⁴, Leila Karhunen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address: essi.sairanen@jyu.fi.
² Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address: raimo.lappalainen@jyu.fi.
³ Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: anja.lapvetelainen@uef.fi.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address: asko.tolvanen@jyu.fi.
⁵ Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: leila.karhunen@uef.fi.

PMID: 24854807
DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.01.008

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between changes in flexible vs. rigid restraints of eating during weight management, as well as how changes in the cognitive restraint of eating were related to psychological well-being and flexibility. The data includes information on 49 overweight persons who participated in a weight loss and maintenance (WLM) intervention and a follow-up assessment after 8-9 months. An increase in flexible cognitive restraint during the weight loss intervention was related to better weight loss maintenance and well-being. The more flexible restraint increased during the WLM intervention, the more psychological distress decreased. Moreover, larger reduction of rigid restraint during the follow-up period (between the WLM intervention and the follow-up assessment) was related to a better maintenance of improved psychological well-being at the follow-up endpoint. These results suggest that increasing flexible control while reducing rigid control of eating after an active weight loss phase improves success in weight management and the psychological well-being of weight losers.

Keywords: Flexible vs. rigid eating restraint; Overweight; Psychological flexibility; Psychological well-being; Weight maintenance.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Eating / psychology*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Overweight / psychology
Overweight / therapy*
Program Evaluation
Treatment Outcome
Weight Loss
Weight Reduction Programs / methods*