Pleasures and pounds: An exploratory study

This study investigated the hypothesis that overweight college students and normal weight “restrained” students, particularly those susceptible to stress related overeating and binge episodes, have a restricted range of pleasurable activities available for positive reinforcement of behaviors other than eating. The major finding was that overweight students in a behavioral weight control program reported less enjoyment of pleasant activities than did normal weight classroom control subjects. The relationship of the amount and variety of pleasurable activities to subsequent body weight fluctuations, however, was ambiguous.