Does holding back on food make you binge more?

Short answer

No. Diets that cut overall intake actually reduced binge eating and food cravings. Cravings went up when one specific food was cut out completely, and binge eating was more frequent with a strict, all-or-nothing approach.

Does holding back on food make you binge more?
'Holding back → stronger cravings → binge' — does this formula hold?
A common belief is that if you resist the foods you want while dieting, you eventually snap and binge. Some even say you should never hold back. We checked this formula step by step against the research.
Does dieting increase binge eating?
Across 49 studies, it went down
A 2023 analysis that pooled 49 weight-loss programs using diet and exercise (6,337 people) found binge eating scores dropped after the programs and stayed lower during follow-up. All 14 studies that reported binge frequency or rates showed a drop. New eating-problem symptoms appeared in 0-6.5% of people.
In a randomized trial
Even very low intake did not raise binge eating
123 people were assigned to 1,000 kcal a day, 1,200-1,500 kcal a day, or no calorie cutting. Over 20 weeks they lost 12.1%, 7.8%, and 0.1% of body weight, yet the number of people who binged did not differ. A temporary rise in the 1,000 kcal group at week 28 was gone by weeks 40 and 65, and nobody met the criteria for binge eating disorder.
What about cravings?
Cutting calories cut cravings too
An analysis pooling 8 studies that cut calories for 12 weeks or more found food cravings went down, with sweet cravings dropping the most. In a 2-year trial of 811 people on four diets with different fat and protein ratios, all four diets reduced cravings for fatty foods, sweets, and carbs.
But cut out just one food
And that one food pulled harder
People who cut out only carbs for 3 days ate more of a high-carb food in the lab and craved carbs more during those days. When 60 people kept their calories the same but cut out only chocolate for 2 weeks, chocolate cravings rose only in the 39 who usually craved chocolate strongly.
What mattered was how strict
Banning foods outright meant more binges
In data from 54,517 weight-loss program members and a survey of 1,838 people, strict 'never eat it' control went with more frequent and more severe binges. A flexible approach that limits amounts went with fewer binges and more weight-loss success at 1 year. In a survey of 188 people, only strict dieting was linked to eating disorder symptoms.
Bottom line: holding back itself did not cause binges
The problem was banning foods outright
Diets that cut overall intake reduced binge eating and cravings. Cravings rose when one specific food was cut out completely, and binges were more frequent with strict bans. Eating set amounts of favorite foods, instead of cutting them out, went with fewer binges.