There is increasing evidence that aspects of human eating may be 'addictive'. Much of the existing literature examining this focuses on specific foods or individual pathologies of 'addiction'. Qualitative research methods, in particular content analysis, offers a rich opportunity to better understand 'addictive' aspects of human eating through the stories shared by those who have experienced compulsive eating. This research examines two different organizations that use storytelling as a tool for changing eating behaviours. Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and Weight Watchers (WW) began in the United States in the early 1960s as mutual support groups designed to help members with problems of compulsive overeating. This research examines: 1) the ways that OA and WW addressed 'addictions' with food when they were first formed; 2) how each organization has changed over time; and 3) the ways that identities are constructed through the telling of stories within each programme. For this thesis, I used historical analysis, in-person and online participant observation, and content analysis as research methods. I found that while OA and WW once similarly addressed 'addictions' with food, this is no longer the case. WW no longer understands their members as fundamentally different from others in the ways that they eat, and OA now welcomes members with a variety of different compulsive eating behaviours. However, similar themes regarding identity emerged from the OA and WW stories used in this research. OA and WW members describe that they acquire different belief systems regarding health and how to eat in each programme. In comparing these two organizations, how each has changed over time and the shifts in identity described by OA and WW members, this research identifies aspects of everyday living that members of both groups similarly highlight as important factors influencing compulsive eating. Based on these findings, I then assess to what extent a new framework for understanding 'addiction' may be needed, and conclude by suggesting further areas of research that would be suitable for constructing this.

Weight loss maintenance and emotional and physical problems were investigated in subjects on a protein-sparing modified fast. Four months following a weight reduction program using the protein-sparing modified fast, twenty of the forty-two subjects were contacted. Each was asked to complete a questionnaire related to emotional and physical effects of the diet and a diet history checksheet. Each subject was weighed to determine if weight loss had been maintained. Results of the questionnaire, diet history, and blood chemistry analysis indicate that for these subjects, the modified fast may be safe and effective in reducing and maintaining weight loss over a short time period under close supervision by a physician.

The objectives of this research project were to (1) explore perceptions and experiences related to body dissatisfaction, aging, and the use of body work practices among baby boomer and older women; and (2) explore healthy eating attitudes and barriers, food choice influences, dieting behaviours, and food product usage/attitudes among these women. Fourteen focus groups with baby boomer and older women were conducted in urban and rural areas of Manitoba (n=137). Participants also completed a questionnaire and height and weight measurements. Body image, aging and food were intimately connected in women’s lives. Feelings about the body were closely connected to the experience of aging and perceptions of the body influenced food choices and attitudes. This thesis adds value to the existing literature by exploring the connections between aging, food, and the body, from the perspectives of baby boomer and older women.

[pt] As histórias sobre dieta parecem circular habitualmente em nossa sociedade, sendo associadas principalmente aos sentimentos de culpa, frustação e insatisfação. Partindo desse quadro, a presente pesquisa se propõe a investigar a construção do sofrimento em narrativas sobre dieta através de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com universitárias que estavam sob assistência dietoterápica de nutricionista. Busca-se compreender como os discursos sobre alimentação, corpo e saúde atuam na história de vida das mulheres que fazem dieta e como eles são significados através de suas narrativas. Assim, adota-se a perspectiva SocioInteracional e a Análise de Narrativa que estão situadas no paradigma qualitativo e interpretativista da pesquisa. A análise parte da situação microssocial, especificamente narrativas coconstruídas durante a entrevista, por entender que ela é um espaço de construção, contestação e negociação dos significados que transitam no âmbito macrossocial. Os resultados apontam as estratégias narrativas utilizadas pelas entrevistadas para se afastar de estigmas de cunho físico e psicológico. Nota-se também o caráter cíclico dessas narrativas, relacionando o processo de fazer dieta a um percurso sem fim que busca atender expectativas construídas individual e socialmente sobre alimentação, corpo e saúde. Essas narrativas cíclicas moldam o sentimento de aprisionamento causado pelo controle rigoroso da alimentação, construindo a ideia do sofrimento. Por fim, esta dissertação abre espaço para um debate crítico e multidisciplinar, visto que as práticas disciplinadoras do corpo e da alimentação têm culminado em constrangimentos para a expressão do eu. / [en] The stories about dieting seem to ordinarily circulate in our society and they are mainly tied to feelings of guilt, frustration and dissatisfaction. Based on this context, this research aims to investigate the construction of suffering in dieting narratives through semi-structured interviews conducted with university students who were under dietary assistance with a nutritionist. It seeks to understand how the discourses about eating, body and health act on the life stories of women who go on a diet and how they are made significant through their narratives. The SocioInteractionist perspective and the Narrative Analysis, which are located in the qualitative and interpretative research paradigm, are used as theoretical framework. The analysis starts from the microssocial situation, specifically narratives coconstructed during the interview, since it is a space of construction, contestation and negotiation of the meanings that go through the macrossocial sphere. The results show the narrative strategies used by interviewees to move away from physical and psychological stigmas. It also points out the cyclical structure of these narratives, relating the process of dieting to an endless journey that seeks to meet expectations about eating habits, body and health, built both individually and socially. These cyclic narratives shape the sense of imprisonment caused by the rigorous control of eating, constructing the idea of suffering. Finally, this dissertation opens space for a critical and multidisciplinary discussion, since disciplinary practices of the body and eating have been resulting on embarrassments to self-expression.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single bout of moderate-intensity exercise on acute (ad libitum lunch) post-exercise energy intake (PE-EI) and 12-hour energy intake in normal-weight and overweight sedentary males. Accuracy in estimating energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE), solid vs. liquid carbohydrate intake, mood, and perceived hunger were also assessed. The study consisted of two conditions, exercise and rest, with each subject participating in each condition, in a counterbalanced-crossover design on two days. The participants were randomly assigned to either the exercise or resting (seated) control condition on the first day of the experiment, and then the condition was reversed on the second day. Exercise consisted of walking on a treadmill at moderate-intensity for 60 minutes. Eighty males, mean age 30+8 years were categorized into five groups according to weight status (overweight/normal-weight), dietary restraint status (high/low), and dieting status (yes/no). The main effects of condition and group, and the interaction were not significant for acute (lunch) or 12-hour PE-EI. Overall, participants estimated EE for exercise at 46% higher than actual exercise EE, and they estimated EE for rest by 45% lower than actual resting EE. Participants significantly underestimated EI at lunch on both the exercise and rest days by 43% and 44%, respectively. Participants with high restraint were significantly better at estimating EE on the exercise day, and better at estimating EI on the rest day. Mood, perceived hunger, and solid vs. liquid carbohydrate intake were not influenced by dietary restraint, weight, or dieting status. In conclusion, a single bout of moderate-intensity exercise did not influence PE-EI in sedentary males in reference to dietary restraint, weight, and dieting status. Results also suggested that among sedentary males, there is a general inability to accurately estimate calories for moderate-intensity physical activity and EI. Inaccurate estimates of EE and EI have the potential to influence how males manage their weight.

A considerable percentage of the UK population are overweight (BMI≥25kg/m2) or obese (BMI≥30kg/m2). However, despite living in the same culture and exposed to a similar “obesogenic” environment, some individuals gain weight while others do not (French et al., 1995). This variability in weight control has been suggested to be associated with individual differences in eating behaviours (French et al., 2012). Certain factors, such as motivation (hedonic hunger and hunger status) as well as cognition (impulsivity and memory) may have an impact on eating behaviours and their relationship with weight control. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to explore individual differences in eating behaviours and investigate their relationship with motivation, cognition and weight control. The first experiment (Chapter 2) investigated the relationship between eating behaviours, motivation (hedonic hunger) and food consumption during an ad-libitum buffet. This study suggests that restrained eating behaviour was associated with higher overall energy intake, greater energy intake from unhealthy foods and greater energy intake from both high and low energy dense foods. However, no interactions between restraint and disinhibition or hedonic hunger was seen. Following this, the second experiment (Chapter 3) examined whether eating behaviours, such as disinhibition, restraint and hunger, change during a weight loss and weight maintenance period and whether they could predict changes in weight during these periods. Indeed, the results suggest that lower baseline restraint could predict greater weight loss during a low-energy liquid diet and interventions which increase restraint and decrease disinhibition may be beneficial for longer term weight maintenance. The third experiment (Chapter 4) was designed to investigate whether motivation and cognition influences eating behaviours. The results suggest that hedonic hunger, restraint and impulsivity may lead to higher levels of disinhibited eating behaviour. This study was also able to replicate the findings of previous literature suggesting that episodic memory is negatively associated with BMI (Cheke et al., 2016). Finally, following on from the previous study results, the fourth experiment (Chapter 5) included a more diverse sample of participants including dieters. The results provide evidence that individuals on a diet have poorer episodic memory ability than those currently not on a diet. This study also extended previous results suggesting that hedonic hunger (but also episodic memory and hunger) are important factors in disinhibited eating. Hedonic hunger was also shown to be important in levels of hunger.

The purpose of this study was to examine any differences that may exist among demographic variables such as gender, age, and race in regard to internalization of society and media messages leading to body dissatisfaction that may lead to disordered eating behaviors such as preoccupation with weight, dieting, and eating restraint. A total of 324 participants completed the demographic questionnaire, the Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire, the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire for women, the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-Revised-Male-Version for men, and Rotter’s Internal-External (I-E) Locus of Control Scale. The results of this study found, as predicted, that Caucasians reported higher internalization, higher body dissatisfaction, and higher preoccupation with weight, dieting, and eating restraint than African Americans. This study showed no differences regarding men’s and women’s internalization or body dissatisfaction but did reveal that women reported higher preoccupation with weight, dieting, and eating restraint than men. Regarding age, this study found that age did not predict internalization, body dissatisfaction, or preoccupation with weight, dieting, and eating restraint.

This study focuses on three young women in their final year of school using data gathered during a year-long process of individual conversational interviews, the contents of which were largely determined by their interests. Three themes arise from critical incidents during this year - the debutante ball, teenage pregnancy and dieting. These themes are used to focus wide ranging explorations of what it is to be a young woman at this particular time. The broader cultural production of discursive positions available to, and developed by, these young women as part of their identity formation is discussed. Methodological issues concerning power relationships between research participants are also the focus of critical attention. It is considered that young women's bodies and bodily practices are central to understanding the processes involved in their identity formation. It is in this context that the focus turns to bodies that matter. In contemporary Western cultures 'adolescent bodies' could be said to matter 'too much' in the sense that they are increasingly the focus for disciplinary practices in institutions such as schooling, the church, the family, health care, health promotion and the media. This disciplining is legitimised because adolescence is socially constructed as a 'becoming'. In this case it is a matter of 'becoming woman'; a sort of apprenticeship which allows for knowledgeable others to provide not only guidance and nurturance, but discipline. Using insights gained from feminist poststructuralist theory and cultural feminism this thesis argues that the discourses and practices generated within and across institutions, which are normalised by their institutional base, are gender differentiated. The focus is on young women's embodied subjectivity and how the discourses and practices they engage with and in work to construct an ideal feminine body-subject. The discursive production of a gendered identity has a considerable impact on young women's health and their health-related behaviours. This is explored specifically in the thesis in relation to sexuality and the cultural production of the 'ideal' female body. It is argued that health education and health promotion strategies which are designed to influence young women's health related behaviours, need to consider the forms of power, knowledge and desire produced through young women's active engagement with institutionalised discourses of identity if they are to have an ongoing impact

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