The Skill of Flexible Restraint
This brief article is from the Weight Watchers science team. Have a read and think on it. I think many people fall into the first two categories. Over the years, I've developed the final category. I sort of found my way to eating this way by trial and error after trying many programs. Where do you fall?
"Key to successful weight loss is an eating plan that provides enough structure to limit food intake while avoiding fostering the feelings of deprivation and tight restrictions.
Obesity researchers have developed a number of tools that help them assess eating behaviors and the impact those behaviors have on weight-loss efforts. Two areas of behavior that are of keen interest are dietary restraint and dietary disinhibition.
Dietary Restraint
Dietary restraint is a term that describes how tightly food intake is controlled in an effort to manage weight. Highly restrained eaters tend to be very precise about how much they eat. For example, a highly restrained eater may follow a 1,200-calorie diet by limiting herself everyday to a regimen that includes exactly 200 calories at breakfast, 300 calories at lunch and 700 calories at dinner. She would not allow herself any snacks nor would she vary her intake from day-to-day. People with high levels of dietary restraint are likely to add up the calories in every bite, read every label and talk a lot about how they watch what they are eating. Interestingly, very high levels of dietary restraint are not associated with successful weight management and may lead to abnormal eating patterns. People with high levels of dietary restraint are also prone to "on again/off again" weight-loss practices.
Dietary Disinhibition
Dietary disinhibition is a term that describes the lack of control over eating. A person with high levels of disinhibition will have frequent episodes of overeating, is likely to eat rapidly, have more symptoms of disordered eating and higher ratings of perceived hunger. Not surprisingly, high levels of dietary disinhibition are associated with weight gain and obesity.
The Right Balance
Flexible restraint means putting a moderate level of control on eating to achieve lasting weight loss. An eating plan that incorporates the concept of flexible restraint provides enough structure to limit food intake to encourage weight loss while avoiding fostering the feelings of deprivation and tight restrictions. Learning and practicing the skill of flexible restraint is a recommended strategy for lasting weight loss."
"Key to successful weight loss is an eating plan that provides enough structure to limit food intake while avoiding fostering the feelings of deprivation and tight restrictions.
Obesity researchers have developed a number of tools that help them assess eating behaviors and the impact those behaviors have on weight-loss efforts. Two areas of behavior that are of keen interest are dietary restraint and dietary disinhibition.
Dietary Restraint
Dietary restraint is a term that describes how tightly food intake is controlled in an effort to manage weight. Highly restrained eaters tend to be very precise about how much they eat. For example, a highly restrained eater may follow a 1,200-calorie diet by limiting herself everyday to a regimen that includes exactly 200 calories at breakfast, 300 calories at lunch and 700 calories at dinner. She would not allow herself any snacks nor would she vary her intake from day-to-day. People with high levels of dietary restraint are likely to add up the calories in every bite, read every label and talk a lot about how they watch what they are eating. Interestingly, very high levels of dietary restraint are not associated with successful weight management and may lead to abnormal eating patterns. People with high levels of dietary restraint are also prone to "on again/off again" weight-loss practices.
Dietary Disinhibition
Dietary disinhibition is a term that describes the lack of control over eating. A person with high levels of disinhibition will have frequent episodes of overeating, is likely to eat rapidly, have more symptoms of disordered eating and higher ratings of perceived hunger. Not surprisingly, high levels of dietary disinhibition are associated with weight gain and obesity.
The Right Balance
Flexible restraint means putting a moderate level of control on eating to achieve lasting weight loss. An eating plan that incorporates the concept of flexible restraint provides enough structure to limit food intake to encourage weight loss while avoiding fostering the feelings of deprivation and tight restrictions. Learning and practicing the skill of flexible restraint is a recommended strategy for lasting weight loss."