Adherence
In non-obese individuals, recent dieting behavior is a robust prospective predictor of future weight gain, whereas measures of general dietary restraint are not.
If you are not obese but have been dieting recently, you are at higher risk for future weight gain. Instead of starting another restrictive diet, use this as a signal to adopt sustainable, long-term healthy habits to prevent weight gain, as dieting itself is a poor predictor of success and a strong predictor of gain in this group.
Fifteen of the 20 comparisons (75%) that examined measures of dieting significantly predicted future weight gain whereas only 1 of 20 (5%) that examined restrained eating measures did so.
Why this rating
Based on a review of 25 prospective studies with large sample sizes, though it is a meta-analytic review of observational data, not a single RCT.
Source
Dieting and restrained eating as prospective predictors of weight gain
Michael R. Lowe et al. · Frontiers in Psychology · 2013
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