Doing the counter-regulation shuffle: The importance of flexibility and hunger for predicting food consumption following a preload.
This study utilised the preload paradigm to evaluate whether trait-like dieting attitudes and behaviours (dietary restraint and flexibility in dieting rules) and context-specific factors (negative mood and hunger) predict food consumption among male and female participants.



Following a high calorie preload, 79 participants aged 18-40 completed a deceptive taste test in which they were encouraged to eat as much of the taste test foods as desired, and this ad libitum intake was measured.



Although each predictor (except negative mood) predicted consumption when tested individually, regression analyses revealed that dieting flexibility and current hunger were the strongest unique predictors of intake. Mood failed to directly predict food consumption, nor did it moderate the relationship between restraint and food intake.



Collectively, findings suggest that emphasis on dietary restraint in preload studies may be misplaced, as other proximal and stable factors may better predict food consumption.
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Jaclyn
J
Broadbent
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: matthewf@deakin.edu.au.
Matthew
M
Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Michelle
M
Dennerstein
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Jesse
J
Greenwood
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Naomi
N
Hancock
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Nithyyaa
N
Thavapalan
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
Melissa
M
White
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001290:Attitude; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D012527:Satiation; D000068356:Self-Control; D013649:Taste; D055815:Young Adult
Counterregulation; Food consumption; Hunger level; Preload; Restraint