The self-control of eating behavior

This chapter defines self-control broadly to incorporate deliberate and automatic processes involved in attaining one’s goals. Rather than in the narrow fashion in which it is sometimes used, in which it refers solely to conscious efforts to fight off or suppress impulses that interfere with goal attainment. The processes involved in attaining one’s eating goals can be divided into setting eating goals and striving to achieve those goals. The primary reasons individuals report for setting an eating goal are health, physical appearance, mood, athletic performance, and moral reasons. Health reasons for setting an eating goal can be prompted by any number of reactive health issues, such as having high cholesterol or blood sugar, but can also be motivated by a proactivedesire for increased energy or improved overall health. Approach goals are those for which an individual works toward a specific, desirable outcome such as feeling more energetic, looking better in a bathing suit, or feeling better about one’s body.