Objective: To examine whether dieting--restriction of food intake for the purpose of weight control--suppresses or promotes excessive food intake and weight gain.
Design: A 4-year follow-up study of a dietary intervention in a sample of 97 patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
Main outcome measures: Weight gain, change in body mass index (measured weight in kilograms divided by measured height squared), and intake of energy, as measured with a food frequency questionnaire, were assessed in relation to dietary restraint and tendency to overeat (emotionally or externally induced overeating), as assessed with the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.
Results: Tendency to overeat at diagnosis and not dietary restraint was associated with weight gain and intake of energy 4 years after diagnosis.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the success of a dietary intervention can be predicted by a subject's tendency toward overeating. The possibility of matched treatment of obesity is discussed on the basis of the distinction between patients with a low versus a high tendency to overeat.