Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) are known to engage in compensatory exercise, which is undertaken to influence one’s body shape or reduce body weight and is designed to “make up for” calories consumed either by exercising when one otherwise wouldn’t or exercising longer/harder than one otherwise would. Further, it is well established in the ED literature that compensatory exercise engagement perpetuates other disordered eating symptoms (e.g., binge eating, fears of weight gain). 

Individuals seeking weight loss are often encouraged to increase their exercise engagement as a health-promoting behavior. Unfortunately, exercise engagement is often connected directly to caloric intake within the context of weight loss. In fact, many evidence-based behavioral weight loss interventions promote increased exercise engagement as a “calorie budgeting” method; largely without direct guidance for clinicians on how to avoid promoting compensatory exercise engagement. In concert with wide-spread socio-cultural messaging about exercise as an effective method of losing weight, and pervasive ideas that “calories in = calories out,” it is likely that individuals seeking weight loss are engaging in some level of compensatory exercise  designed to “make up for” calories consumed either by exercising when one otherwise wouldn’t or exercising longer/harder than one otherwise would  with the intent of controlling their weight even in the absence of other disordered eating symptoms. 

Importantly, compensatory exercise engagement among individuals seeking weight loss could put them at undue risk for development of other disordered eating symptoms. Consistent with ED populations, compensatory exercise engagement among individuals seeking weight loss could contribute to the maintenance of increased caloric intake via disinhibited eating, poor body image, increased fears of weight gain, onset of other compensatory behaviors (e.g., inappropriate dietary restriction),4 and increased risk for development of a full-threshold ED.

However, no research has empirically examined compensatory exercise engagement in a weight loss seeking sample. As such, the prevalence, phenomenology, and associated risks of compensatory exercise among individuals seeking weight loss remains unknown, critically impairing efforts to promote healthy forms of activity and reduce ED risk in this vulnerable population. Thus, the current study seeks to preliminarily establish prevalence of compensatory exercise engagement among a sample of 100 individuals seeking weight loss treatment at a rural medical center. A mixed methods approach will leverage both qualitative and quantitative information to understand the prevalence, phenomenology, and associations of compensatory exercise with disordered eating and weight trajectory (e.g., weight cycling, weight loss/gain over time).

 Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: Graduate Student Research Grant, Academy for Eating Disorders
Pre-registration: https://osf.io/x2sm8