Can dieting lead to food addiction?

Physical overeating occurs when people consume more food than their body can process. This may occur during a special occasion such as holiday celebration, when distracted while eating, or when presented with a larger than usual portion. However, restrained eaters (people who limit the amount or types of food they eat in order to not gain weight or to lose weight), or those on weight-loss diets, may label breaking their self-imposed dietary patterns or exceeding their personal notion of appropriate intake as “overeating”, even if their consumption isn't disproportionate and would be acceptable to non-dieters. Similarly, some people perceive any amount of a "forbidden" food as overeating, even in moderate quantities. For restrained eaters, such self-perceived overeating can lead to guilt or dysphoria, and can potentially result in more “transgressions” or in actual overeating, using the initial breach as justification since the "diet rules" are already broken.^[1]

Furthermore, individuals often adapt their eating behaviors in social settings. Consuming a subjectively "normal" amount of food typically means aligning our consumption with that of those around us. Thus, surpassing this socially established norm might make us feel like we have overeaten. Dieters may also apply restraints in social contexts but struggle to resist tempting foods when alone, possibly leading to objective and physical overeating.^[1]