Disinhibited Eating

Disinhibited eating occurs when an individual temporarily loses control over his or her eating behavior. Common examples of disinhibited eating are eating when one is not hungry, overeating, and engaging in a binge-eating episode. Disinhibited eating is common in individuals who chronically diet as well as those with eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.

The term disinhibited eating was coined by researchers studying dieting behavior. These researchers hypothesized that individuals could be classified by the extent of restraint or control that they chronically exercise over their eating behavior. According to Dietary Restraint Theory, individuals who exhibit a large amount of control over their eating (such as chronic dieters) generally eat in a very systematic way, successfully adhering to a specific dietary regimen. However, the self-control of such individuals is fragile and, under certain circumstances, they are likely to engage in disinhibited eating. Consequently, a pattern of eating characterized by strictly controlled food intake followed by disinhibited, overindulgent eating is common in individuals trying to diet or high in dietary restraint.

Disinhibited eating is likely to occur more frequently in specific situations and under certain internal psychological states. The most common empirically supported factors that lead to disinhibited eating are eating “forbidden foods,” believing one has overeaten, distorted thinking, taking tranquilizing substances (such as alcohol), and experiencing strong emotional states.

Eating foods deemed to be dietarily unacceptable or “forbidden,” such as chocolate bars, ice cream, and fried foods, or believing one has overeaten can lead to disinhibited eating. One reason for this is that eating forbidden foods or overeating is often associated with distorted and unhelpful thinking focused on the fact that one has made a dietary violation. For example, after eating something deemed to be a dietary violation, an individual may think “I already ruined my diet today, so I might as well eat whatever I want.” Such distorted, all-or-nothing thinking leads individuals to engage in disinhibited eating.

Strong mood states are also associated with and predictive of disinhibited eating. Numerous studies [Page 191]have exposed individuals with varied levels of dietary restraint to mood inducing laboratory situations and found that, when feeling strongly sad, anxious, or depressed, individuals are more likely to engage in disinhibited eating. Additionally, under the influence of alcohol and some drugs, such as marijuana, individuals are more likely to engage in disinhibited eating.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment strategies can be helpful to ward against disinhibited eating. For example, individuals can be trained to refute distorted thoughts, eat “forbidden foods” in moderation, and gain awareness of mood states that would ordinarily lead them to engage in disinhibited eating.