The Countervailing Effects of Weight Stigma on Weight-Loss Motivation and Perceived Capacity for Weight Control

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1331-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Major ◽  
Joanne A. Rathbone ◽  
Alison Blodorn ◽  
Jeffrey M. Hunger
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Weight Stigma ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Message ◽  
Unhealthy Weight ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Do So ◽  
Willingness To Engage

We hypothesized that exposure to weight stigma simultaneously increases motivation to lose or avoid gaining weight to avoid future stigma and decreases perceived capacity to do so, by heightening concerns about experiencing stigma and negative affect. Study 1 showed that more frequently experiencing weight-based discrimination was associated with greater concerns about being a victim of weight stigma, which predicted increased motivation to lose weight but decreased perceived capacity for weight control. Study 2 showed that participants randomly assigned to view a weight-stigmatizing (vs. control) message showed increased concerns about being a target of weight stigma, which indirectly increased motivation to lose weight and decreased state self-control. These, in turn, predicted increased willingness to engage in unhealthy weight-loss behaviors and decreased perceived capacity for weight control, respectively. Study 3 showed that increased motivation to avoid stigma and increased negative affect mediate these effects of exposure to weight stigma.

The Impact of Weight Labels on Body Image, Internalized Weight Stigma, Affect, Perceived Health, and Intended Weight Loss Behaviors in Normal-Weight and Overweight College Women

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 484-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal H. Essayli ◽  
Jessica M. Murakami ◽  
Rebecca E. Wilson ◽  
Janet D. Latner
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Weight Stigma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Actual Weight ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: To explore the psychological impact of weight labels. Design: A double-blind experiment that randomly informed participants that they were “normal weight” or “overweight.” Setting: Public university in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Participants: Normal-weight and overweight female undergraduates (N = 113). Measures: The Body Image States Scale, Stunkard Rating Scale, Weight Bias Internalization Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, General Health question from the 12-item Short Form Health Survey, modified version of the Weight Loss Methods Scale, and a manipulation check. Analysis: A 2 × 2 between-subjects analysis of variance explored the main effects of the assigned weight label and actual weight and interactions between assigned weight label and actual weight. Results: Significant main effects of the assigned weight label emerged on measures of body dissatisfaction, F(1, 109) = 12.40, p = .001, [Formula: see text] = 0.10, internalized weight stigma, F(1, 108) = 4.35, p = .039, [Formula: see text] = .04, and negative affect, F(1, 108) = 9.22, p = .003, [Formula: see text] = .08. Significant assigned weight label × actual weight interactions were found on measures of perceived body image, F(1, 109) = 6.29, p = .014, [Formula: see text] = .06, and perceived health, F(1, 109) = 4.18, p = .043, [Formula: see text] = .04. Conclusion: A weight label of “overweight” may have negative psychological consequences, particularly for overweight women.

Session 23: Maintaining Motivation

2016 ◽  
pp. 139-144
Author(s):  
Evan M. Forman ◽  
Meghan L. Butryn
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Weight Control Behaviors ◽  
Motivate Behavior ◽  
Do So

This chapter (Session 23) discusses how to maintain long-term motivation for weight control by focusing on the importance of values to motivate behavior, even if short-term reward of weight control behaviors is decreasing (e.g., weight loss is slowing, self-monitoring is becoming tiresome). Clients are encouraged to view the hard work of weight control as working toward their values and to use the skill of willingness to continue to engage in healthy behaviors, even when it is difficult uncomfortable to do so.

Effective Weight Loss

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan M. Forman ◽  
Meghan L. Butryn
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Relapse Prevention ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Weight Loss ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Look Ahead

Millions of people attempt to lose weight every year, but most will not succeed. Simply learning about a new diet and exercise plan is not enough. This book presents 25 detailed sessions of an empirically supported, cognitive-behavioral treatment package called acceptance-based behavioral treatment (ABT) that has now been utilized successfully in five large National Institute of Health–sponsored clinical trials. The foundation of this approach is comprised of the nutritional, physical activity, and behavioral components of the most successful, gold-standard behavioral weight loss packages, such as Look Ahead and the Diabetes Prevention Project. These components are synthesized with acceptance, willingness, behavioral commitment, motivation, and relapse prevention strategies drawn from acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and relapse prevention therapy. ABT is premised on the idea that specialized self-control skills are necessary for weight control, given our innate desire to consume delicious foods and to conserve energy. These self-control skills revolve around a willingness to choose behaviors that may be perceived as uncomfortable for the sake of a more valuable objective. The treatment focuses on both weight loss and weight loss maintenance and aims to confer lifelong skills that facilitate long-term weight control. This companion Client Workbook contains summaries of session content, worksheets, handouts, and assignments.

Session 23: Maintaining Motivation

2016 ◽  
pp. 199-204
Author(s):  
Evan M. Forman ◽  
Meghan L. Butryn
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Weight Control Behaviors ◽  
Motivate Behavior ◽  
Do So

This chapter (Session 23) discusses how to maintain long-term motivation for weight control by focusing on the importance of values to motivate behavior, even if short-term reward of weight control behaviors is decreasing (e.g., weight loss is slowing, self-monitoring is becoming tiresome). Clients are encouraged to view the hard work of weight control as working toward their values and to use the skill of willingness to continue to engage in healthy behaviors, even when it is difficult uncomfortable to do so.

scholarly journals Sociocultural Ideal Internalization, Body Dissatisfaction and Weight Control Behavior among Adolescent Athletes and Non-Athlete Adolescents. Does that Need Education?

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (85) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Pajaujienė ◽  
Rasa Jankauskienė
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Media Influence ◽  
Weight Control Behavior ◽  
Control Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Weight Loss Behavior ◽  
Unhealthy Weight

Research background and hypothesis. Many young people are concerned about their body size and shape because of the social pressures to conform to a thin body ideal. Athletes face additional pressures related to performance and, for some of them, aesthetic and weight category demands. Modification of body build is often attempted via diet and exercise, so the data were also gathered on attitudes toward eating and weight control – exercising behavior. Research aim was to examine media influence, body dissatisfaction, unhealthy weight loss behavior (UWLB) and unhealthy exercising behavior (UEB), risk of eating disorders (DE) in the sample of non-athletic and athletic adolescents. We proposed a hypothesis that adolescents aiming at matching social expectations of body image were more likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance as well as have worse weight control behavior and higher risk of eating disorders. We  expected that these associations would not differ among athletic and non-athletic adolescents.  Research methods. 11th grade students (n = 805, mean age – 17.23 (0.6) years, 476 (58.9%) females, 233 (28.9%) athletes) filled in anonymous questionnaires, which consisted of Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale (SATAQ-3, Thompson et al., 2004), Body Areas Satisfaction Scale from MBSRQ-AS (Cash, 2004), EAT-26 (Garner et al., 1982) and specially for this study created Unhealthy Weight Loss Behavior Scale. Research results. Nearly half of adolescents reported using at least one UWLB or/and UEB, 87 adolescents (more girls, p < 0.05) full into ED risk group with no differences between athletes and non-athletes (p > 0.05). Media influence did not differ between groups, but non-athletes were more dissatisfied with their body (p  < 0.05), had more expressed UWLB (p < 0.05), although adolescents who participated in sports demonstrated more UEB (p < 0.05). Discussion and conclusions. Adolescents  who more dramatically internalized the social body standards were more dissatisfied with their appearance, had worse weight control behavior and higher risk for eating disorder. These associations basically did not differ between athletes and non-athletes.Keywords: body dissatisfaction, weight control, adolescence, athletic activities.

Effective Weight Loss

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan M. Forman ◽  
Meghan L. Butryn
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Relapse Prevention ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Weight Loss ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Look Ahead

Millions of people attempt to lose weight every year, but most will not succeed. Simply learning about a new diet and exercise plan is not enough. This book presents 25 detailed sessions of an empirically supported, cognitive-behavioral treatment package called acceptance-based behavioral treatment (ABT) that has now been utilized successfully in five large National Institute of Health–sponsored clinical trials. The foundation of this approach is comprised of the nutritional, physical activity, and behavioral components of the most successful, gold-standard behavioral weight loss packages, such as Look Ahead and the Diabetes Prevention Project. These components are synthesized with acceptance, willingness, behavioral commitment, motivation, and relapse prevention strategies drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Relapse Prevention Therapy. ABT is premised on the idea that specialized self-control skills are necessary for weight control, given our innate desire to consume delicious foods and to conserve energy. These self-control skills revolve around a willingness to choose behaviors that may be perceived as uncomfortable for the sake of a more valuable objective. The treatment focuses on both weight loss and weight loss maintenance and aims to confer lifelong skills that facilitate long-term weight control. The companion Client Workbook contains summaries of session content, worksheets, handouts, and assignments.

scholarly journals Understanding the antecedents of healthy and unhealthy weight-control behaviours: Grit, motivation, and self-control

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
María Marentes-Castillo ◽  
Isabel Castillo ◽  
Inés Tomás ◽  
Jorge Zamarripa ◽  
Octavio Alvarez
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Unhealthy Weight Control ◽  
Unhealthy Weight ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective: In order to understand the psychological antecedents or personal factors that lead to weight control behaviours that can help to develop more effective prevention strategies. Design: The present correlational study has a non-experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional design. A model was tested considering types of motivation (autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation) as mediators in the relationship between the Grit personality and healthy and unhealthy weight control behaviours, with self-control as a moderator in the aforementioned indirect effects. Setting: Monterrey (Nuevo León, México) Participants: A representative sample of 1219 adults (men = 599; women = 620) aged 18 to 65 years (M = 29.37, SD = 11.83). Results: Findings supported the mediator role of the types of motivation. Specifically, Grit showed a positive indirect effect on healthy weight control behaviours through autonomous motivation. Conversely, Grit showed a negative indirect effect on unhealthy weight control behaviours through autonomous motivation. Furthermore, findings supported the moderator role of self-control in the relationship between amotivation and healthy and unhealthy weight control behaviours. Conclusions: This study provides evidence for the key role of Grit in the adoption of healthy or unhealthy control behaviours, as well as the role of autonomous motivation in the development of healthy behaviours.

How to Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 208-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrup
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Glycemic Index ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Healthy Body Weight ◽  
Healthy Body

The epidemic of both obesity and type 2 diabetes is due to environmental factors, but the individuals developing the conditions possess a strong genetic predisposition. Observational surveys and intervention studies have shown that excess body fatness is the major environmental cause of type 2 diabetes, and that even a minor weight loss can prevent its development in high-risk subjects. Maintenance of a healthy body weight in susceptible individuals requires 45–60 minutes physical activity daily, a fat-reduced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, and lean meat and dairy products, and moderate consumption of calorie containing beverages. The use of table values to predict the glycemic index of meals is of little – if any – value, and the role of a low-glycemic index diet for body weight control is controversial. The replacement of starchy carbohydrates with protein from lean meat and lean dairy products enhances satiety, and facilitate weight control. It is possible that dairy calcium also promotes weight loss, although the mechanism of action remains unclear. A weight loss of 5–10% can be induced in almost all obese patients providing treatment is offered by a professional team consisting of a physician and dieticians or nurses trained to focus on weight loss and maintenance. Whereas increasing daily physical activity and regular exercise does not significantly effect the rate of weight loss in the induction phase, it plays an important role in the weight maintenance phase due to an impact on daily energy expenditure and also to a direct enhancement of insulin sensitivity.

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