Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Contributions of mindful eating, intuitive eating, and restraint to BMI, disordered eating, and meal consumption in college students

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Mindful eating and intuitive eating are promoted as means to circumvent potentially maladaptive dietary restraint while maintaining a healthy weight. Although theoretically related, no studies have examined the correlations between intuitive eating, mindful eating, and restraint in the same sample. This study sought to examine these constructs and their correlations with body mass index (BMI), eating-disordered behaviors, and meal consumption in a college sample.

Methods

Participants (N = 125) completed a laboratory taste-test meal and measures of each eating-related construct using the EDDS, IES, MEQ, and TFEQ-Restraint Subscale.

Results

Mindful eating, intuitive eating, and restraint were not strongly correlated. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that restraint and intuitive eating accounted for significant variance in disordered eating and BMI. Elevated restraint was associated with increased BMI and disordered eating; elevated intuitive eating was associated with decreased BMI and disordered eating. Mindful eating did not correlate with any outcome variables. Follow-up analyses suggested that specific intuitive eating subscales accounted for unique variance in the relation between intuitive eating and disordered eating. Intuitive eating was the only construct that was significantly associated with meal consumption.

Conclusions

Intuitive eating and restraint appear to be only weakly correlated, and each is differentially associated with meal consumption. Mindful eating does not appear to relate to outcome variables.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Doll HA, Petersen SEK, Stewart-Brown SL (2000) Obesity and physical and emotional well-being: associations between body mass index, chronic illness, and the physical and mental components of the SF-36 questionnaire. Obesity 8:160–170. doi:10.1038/oby.2000.17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Johnson JG, Cohen P, Kasen S, Brook JS (2002) Eating disorders during adolescence and the risk for physical and mental disorders during early adulthood. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59:545–552. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.59.6.545

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Cellini E, Castellini G, Ricca V et al (2010) Glucocorticoid receptor gene polymorphisms in Italian patients with eating disorders and obesity. Psychiatr Genet 20:282–288. doi:10.1097/YPG.0b013e32833a2142

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Müller TD, Greene BH, Bellodi L et al (2012) Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) in eating disorders: evidence for association of the rs9939609 obesity risk allele with bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Obesity Facts 5:408–419. doi:10.1159/000340057

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Stice E, Shaw HE (2002) Role of body dissatisfaction in the onset and maintenance of eating pathology: a synthesis of research findings. J Psychosom Res 53:985–993. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00488-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Stunkard AJ, Messick S (1985) The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger. J Psychosom Res 29:71–83. doi:10.1016/0022-3999(85)90010-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Herman CP, Polivy J (1980) Restrained eating. In: Stunkard A (ed) Obesity. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 208–225

    Google Scholar 

  8. Fairburn CG (2008) Eating disorders: the transdiagnostic view and the cognitive behavioral theory. Guilford Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Stice E (2001) A prospective test of the dual-pathway model of bulimic pathology: mediating effects of dieting and negative affect. J Abnorm Psychol 110:124–135. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.110.1.124

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Stice E, Nemeroff C, Shaw H (1996) A test of the dual pathway model of bulimia nervosa: evidence for restrained-eating and affect-regulation mechanisms. J Soc Clin Psychol 15:340–363. doi:10.1521/jscp.1996.15.3.340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Stice E, Shaw HE, Nemeroff C (1998) Dual pathway model of bulimia nervosa: longitudinal support for dietary restraint and affect-regulation mechanism. J Soc Clin Psychol 17:129–149. doi:10.1521/jscp.1998.17.2.129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lowe MR, Levine AS (2005) Eating motives and the controversy over dieting: eating less than needed versus less than wanted. Obes Res 13:797–806. doi:10.1038/oby.2005.90

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. National Task Force for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity (2000) Overweight, obesity, and health risk. Arch Intern Med 160:898–904. doi:10.1001/archinte.160.7.898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Alhassan S, Kim S, Bersamin A, King AC, Gardner CD (2008) Dietary adherence and weight loss success among overweight women: results from the A TO Z weight loss study. Int J Obesity 32:985–991. doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lowe MR (2003) Self-Regulation of energy intake in the prevention and treatment of obesity: is it feasible? Obes Res 11:44S–59S. doi:10.1038/oby.2003.223/full

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Douketis JD, Macie C, Thabane L, Williamson DF (2005) Systematic review of long-term weight loss studies in obese adults: clinical significance and applicability to clinical practice. Int J Obes 29:1153–1167. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802982

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Stice E, Cooper JA, Schoeller DA, Tappe K, Lowe MR (2007) Are dietary restraint scales valid measures of moderate- to long-term dietary restriction? Objective biological and behavioral data suggest not. Psychol Assess 19:449–458. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.19.4.449

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Stice E, Fisher M, Lowe MR (2004) Are dietary restraint scales valid measures of acute dietary restriction? Unobtrusive observational data suggest not. Psychol Assess 16:51–59. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.19.4.449

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Kristeller JL, Baer RA, Quillian-Wolever R (2006) Mindfulness-based approaches to eating disorders. In: Baer RA (ed) Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: clinician’s guide to evidence base and applications. Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, pp 75–91. doi:10.1016/B978-012088519-0/50005-8

  20. Masuda A, Hill ML (2013) Mindfulness as therapy for disordered eating: a systematic review. Neuropsychiatry 3:433–447. doi:10.2217/npy.13.36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Wanden-Berghe RG, Sanz-Valero J, Wanden-Berghe C (2010) The application of mindfulness to eating disorders treatment: a systematic review. Eat Disord 19:34–48. doi:10.1080/10640266.2011.533604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Daubenmier J, Kristeller J, Hecht FM et al (2011) Mindfulness intervention for stress eating to reduce cortisol and abdominal fat among overweight and obese women: an exploratory randomized controlled study. J Obes 2011:1–13. doi:10.1155/2011/651936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Tribole E, Resch E (1995) Intuitive eating: a recovery book for the chronic dieter: rediscover the pleasures of eating and rebuild your body image. St. Martin’s Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  24. Bacon L, Stern JS, Van Loan MD, Keim NL (2005) Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters. J Am Diet Assoc 105:929–936. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2005.03.011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Denny KN, Loth K, Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D (2013) Intuitive eating in young adults. Who is doing it, and how is it related to disordered eating behaviors? Appetite 60:13–19. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.09.029

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Hawks S, Madanat H, Hawks J, Harris A (2005) The relationship between intuitive eating and health indicators among college women. Am J Health Ed 36:331–336. doi:10.1080/19325037.2005.10608206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Herbert BM, Blechert J, Hautzinger M, Matthias E, Herbert C (2013) Intuitive eating is associated with interoceptive sensitivity. Effects on body mass index. Appetite 70:22–30. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.082

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Smith T, Hawks SR (2006) Intuitive eating, diet composition, and the meaning of food in healthy weight promotion. Am J Health Ed 37:130–136. doi:10.1080/19325037.2006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Kristeller JL, Wolever RQ, Sheets V (2014) Mindfulness-based eating awareness training (MB-EAT) for binge eating: a randomized clinical trial. Mindfulness 5:282–297. doi:10.1007/s12671-012-0179-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. United States Department of Education (2013) Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic groups. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010015.pdf. Accessed 10 April 2015

  31. Tylka TL (2006) Development and psychometric evaluation of a measure of intuitive eating. J Couns Psychol 53:226–240. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.2.226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Avalos LC, Tylka TL (2006) Exploring a model of intuitive eating with college women. J Couns Psychol 53:486–497. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.4.486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Framson C, Kristal AR, Schenk JM, Littman AJ, Zeliadt S, Benitez D (2009) Development and validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire. J Am Diet Assoc 109:1439–1444. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.006

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Stice E, Telch CF, Rizvi SL (2000) Development and validation of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale: a brief self-report measure of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Psychol Assess 12:123–131. doi:10.1037//1040-3590.12.2.123

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Boerner LM, Spillane NS, Anderson KG, Smith GT (2004) Similarities and differences between women and men on eating disorder risk factors and symptom measures. Eat Behav 5:209–222. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2004.01.011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Hawks S, Merrill RM, Madanat HN (2004) The Intuitive Eating Scale: development and preliminary validation. Am J Health Educ 35:90–99. doi:10.1080/19325037.2004.10603615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Wilkinson L (1999) Statistical methods in psychology journals: guidelines and explanations. Am Psychol 54:594–604. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.8.594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Tylka TL, Wilcox JA (2006) Are intuitive eating and eating disorder symptomatology opposite poles of the same construct? J Couns Psychol 53:474–485. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.4.474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Adriaanse MA, de Ridder DT, Evers C (2011) Emotional eating: eating when emotional or emotional about eating? Psychol Health 26:23–39. doi:10.1080/08870440903207627

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Gast J, Campbell Nielson A, Hunt A, Leiker JJ (2015) Intuitive eating: associations with physical activity motivation and BMI. Am J Health Promot 29:e91–e99. doi:10.4278/ajhp.130305-QUAN-97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Tylka TL, Kroon Van Diest AM (2013) The Intuitive Eating Scale-2: item refinement and psychometric evaluation with college women and men. J Couns Psychol 60:137–153. doi:10.1037/a0030893

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY, 12222, USA

    Lisa M. Anderson, Erin E. Reilly, Katherine Schaumberg, Sasha Dmochowski & Drew A. Anderson

  2. Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

    Katherine Schaumberg

Authors
  1. Lisa M. Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Erin E. Reilly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katherine Schaumberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sasha Dmochowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Drew A. Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa M. Anderson.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Anderson, L.M., Reilly, E.E., Schaumberg, K. et al. Contributions of mindful eating, intuitive eating, and restraint to BMI, disordered eating, and meal consumption in college students. Eat Weight Disord 21, 83–90 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-015-0210-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-015-0210-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation