Dieting, overweight, and obesity : self-regulation in a food-rich environment

Dieting, Overweight, and Obesity: Self-Regulation in a Food-Rich Environment examines why self-regulation of weight is so difficult for many people. The author explains the history of bodyweight standards, details the emotional and physical consequences of being overweight, and explores the various treatment and prevention plans for obesity.In reviewing the numerous psychological theories that explain people's problems with weight, Stroebe points out that each does not take into consideration the desire for palatable food. He then presents the goal conflict theory which assumes that chronic dieters who have difficulties in controlling their weight often disregard bodily cues of hunger and satiety not because they are unable to recognize them, but because they do not want to recognize them.This book gives readers a comprehensive understanding of the issues involving weight gain and dieting.

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Stroebe (Utrecht Univ., the Netherlands) attempts to shed light on the paradox of why overweight and obesity have emerged into a global epidemic despite the high prevalence of dieting. This well-referenced volume provides a basic overview of the epidemiology of overweight and obesity, energy balance and genetics of body weight, and environmental facilitators of energy intake and physical inactivity. However, the bulk of the text is devoted to a review and critique of dominant psychological theories of weight regulation (e.g., externality theory, psychosomatic theory, restraint theory), and to a proposed new theoretical model of consumption regulation--"the goal conflict theory of eating." In keeping with the focus at the level of the individual, this text concludes with a chapter briefly reviewing the popular treatments of overweight and obesity, e.g., behavioral treatment approaches, commercial diet programs, and nondieting; only a brief nod is given to macro-level options (e.g., environmental changes, school-based programs). Graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of overweight and obesity, particularly those with an interest in the psychology of eating behavior, will likely find this text to be a basic, helpful resource. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. L. A. Neighbors University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Preface	p. ix
Chapter 1 Dieting, Overweight, and Obesity: An Introduction	p. 3
Chapter 2 Prevalence and Consequences of Overweight and Obesity	p. 9
Chapter 3 Energy Balance and the Genetics of Body Weight	p. 35
Chapter 4 Environmental Causes of the Increase in Overweight and Obesity	p. 59
Chapter 5 Determinants of Weight Regulation in Individuals With Obesity	p. 93
Chapter 6 Restrained Eating and the Breakdown of Self-Regulation	p. 115
Chapter 7 Beyond the Boundary Model: A Cognitive Process Theory of Restrained Eating	p. 141
Chapter 8 Treatment and Prevention of Overweight and Obesity	p. 167
References	p. 207
Author Index	p. 249
Subject Index	p. 261
About the Author	p. 275

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