The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior

Obesity Treatment 203

success was greater in those who did not have a history of repeated weight
loss. Whether the “try, try, and try again” ethos holds for dieting therefore
remains unclear. It is also possible that changes in smoking behavior (e.g.,
Klesges and Klesges, 1988) and an individual’s reproductive history may
be contributory factors to success, as weight gain and maintenance often
follows smoking cessation and childbirth (e.g., Ohlin and Rossner, 1990;
see below).

Help-seeking behaviors

There appear to be several help-seeking factors which are predictive of
success. Primarily, research highlights a role for the types and intensity of
weight loss methods used. For example, many studies have emphasized the
importance of dietary changes (e.g., Kayman, Bruvold, and Stern, 1990;
McGuire et al., 1999) although Ogden (2000a) reported that calorie-controlled
diets were associated with weight loss and regain rather than maintenance.
Many studies have also highlighted the role of exercise and general increases
in physical activity (Haus et al., 1994; Hoiberg et al., 1994; French and Jeffrey,
1997; Klem et al., 1997; Wong et al., 1997). Furthermore, research has high-
lighted the relative effectiveness of different interventions involving contact
with a range of health professionals. These include psychological interventions
such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), counseling, self-help groups,
and medical interventions involving drug therapy and surgery (see NHS
Review, 1997, for a review). The general conclusion from this research is
that the more intense the intervention, the longer the follow-up period,
and the greater the professional contact, the higher the probability of
successful weight loss and maintenance.

Psychological factors

Rodin and colleagues (Rodin et al., 1977) reported the results from a study
designed to assess the baseline psychological predictors of successful
weight loss. Their results indicated a role for the individual’s beliefs about
the causes of obesity and their motivations for weight loss. A similar focus
on motivations was also reported by Williams et al. (1996), whose results
indicated that motivational style was predictive of weight loss and main-
tenance. Likewise, Kiernan et al. (1998) indicated that individuals who were
more dissatisfied with their body shape at baseline were more successful,
suggesting that motivations for weight loss guided by a high value placed