Compensatory beliefs and intentions contribute to the prediction of caloric intake in dieters.

One cognitive process that impacts dieters' decision to indulge is the activation of compensatory beliefs. Compensatory beliefs (CBs) are convictions that the consequences of engaging in an indulgent behaviour (eating cake) can be neutralized by the effects of another behaviour (skipping dinner). Using experience sampling methodology, this study hypothesized that, in addition to the cognitive processes associated with restraint and disinhibition, compensatory thinking contributes to the prediction of caloric intake.

Temptations elicit compensatory intentions.

The compensatory beliefs model proposes that when faced with temptation, people form intentions to behaviourally compensate for indulgence. By creating a scenario in which female dieters were either faced with a tempting, high caloric food choice or not, this experiment tested the hypotheses that (1) dieters form compensatory intentions when experiencing the mental conflict of wanting to lose weight but also desiring to eat, and that (2) forming compensatory intentions results in the decision to indulge. Results supported the hypotheses, providing foundational validation for the compensatory beliefs model.