title: Changing weight-loss expectations: a randomized pilot study.
abstract: Participants in weight-loss programs expect unreasonably large weight losses and believe that such reductions will produce dramatic improvements in their lives. The failure to achieve such benefits may contribute to poor maintenance of lost weight. This randomized pilot study investigated a new cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to modify unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss and its likely impact on appearance, attractiveness, and self-esteem. Twenty-eight overweight and obese young women who completed 10 sessions of standard behavioral weight-loss treatment were randomly assigned to 10 additional sessions of either standard behavioral (SB) treatment or a reformulated cognitive-behavioral (RCB) treatment. At posttreatment, the RCB intervention produced more realistic weight-loss expectations, decreased participants' motivation to lose weight as a means of improving self-confidence, and increased their overall self-esteem, compared with the SB condition (all p's<.05). The mean posttreatment weight changes achieved in the SB (-6.2+/-4.5 kg) and RCB (-5.5+/-3.6 kg) conditions were equivalent, as were the amounts of weight regained during a 6-month follow-up (SB=2.3+/-2.7 kg; RCB=1.5+/-1.7 kg). Collectively, these findings indicate that the RCB intervention was effective in changing unrealistic weight-loss expectations, but it did not produce significantly better maintenance of lost weight than did the SB intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100165, Gainesville, FL 32610-0165, United States.
authors.forename: Gretchen E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.forename: Lesley D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.forename: Ninoska
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Braganza
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Murawski
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pafumi
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hausenblas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012649:Self Concept; D012718:Set, Psychology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D015431:Weight Loss