Predictors for Being Obese/Overweight
Regression analysis shows that both restrained and emotional eating are predictors of obesity/overweight and restrained eating is a stronger predictor compared to emotional eating. As a result, restrained eating is a more important factor than emotional eating for high BMI. However, it must be considered that evaluation of restrained eating in our study are based on self reports. Therefore, although participants’ responses provide information about their efforts for eating less, there is no quantitative information about real calorie intakes. Unlike long fasting periods and overeating attacks in bulimia nervosa (37), in obese people, calorie restriction may be only on cognitive level. Restrained eating pattern could only be a diet attempt caused by stress factors associated with having a high BMI. On the other hand, considering positive correlation between emotional eating and depression/anxiety scores, emotional eating can be regarded as a more maladaptive behaviour compared to restrained eating in obesity.