Sairanen, E., Lappalainen, R., Lapveteläinen, A., Tolvanen, A., & Karhunen, L. (2014). Flexibility in weight management. Eating behaviors, 15(2), 218-224.
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.