Saturday, February 13, 2010

On Vacation

Just wanted to let readers know there will be a short hiatus of a week or two on this blog. 

This year is our 25th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we are going to Hawaii! 

Sunshine and warm weather.....I can't wait to replenish my vitamin D stores.  I'm going to sit on the beach or by the pool, and I'm going to read books of pure fluff with nary a medical study in sight. Ah, bliss!!

Be patient, gentle readers.  I have plenty more to say and any number of big posts in the works.  They're just going to have to wait till I recharge my batteries a little bit!

In the meantime, all you snowed-in folks can envy me all you want. I'm not sharing my rays.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Diet

Urbszat D, Herman CP, Polivy J. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet: effects of anticipated deprivation on food intake in restrained and unrestrained eaters. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002 May;111(2):396-401.

Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

This study examined the effect of anticipated food deprivation on intake in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Participants were randomly assigned to a diet condition, in which they expected to diet for a week, or to a control (no-diet) condition. Immediately after being assigned to a condition, participants completed a taste-rating task in which food consumption was measured.

Restrained eaters in the diet condition consumed significantly more food than did restrained eaters in the no-diet condition or unrestrained eaters in either condition. Unrestrained eaters consumed the same amount regardless of condition.

These results confirm that merely planning to go on a diet can trigger overeating in restrained eaters, reflecting the dynamic connection between dieting and overeating.

PMID: 12003461