SELF-DIRECTED PROGRAM FOR WEIGHT CONTROL - A PILOT STUDY

Designed a treatment program to enable 16 undergraduates to lose weight through the use of self-monitored techniques for changing their eating behaviors. All Ss achieved a stable loss in weight, and their mean loss was significantly greater than the change shown by a group of similarly motivated controls. No additional effects due to a few sessions of aversive counterconditioning were demonstrated, and no general mood changes accompanied the weight loss. The Ss reported a decreased temptation to overeat. It was suggested that similar programs of gradual habit change through self-control of stimulus conditions and reinforcement contingencies might be applied to the treatment of other addictive behaviors, which are also refractory to change. (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.