Adherence
Autonomous motivation for weight loss (internalized regulation) predicts higher program attendance, greater weight loss during intervention, and greater maintenance of weight loss at 23-month follow-up compared to controlled motivation.
To lose weight and keep it off, focus on why you are doing it. If you are dieting because you feel forced, guilty, or pressured by others, you are likely to quit when the pressure eases. Instead, connect your weight loss goals to your own personal values and health desires. This internal 'why' (autonomous motivation) is what keeps you attending appointments and sticking to the plan long-term.
Analyses confirmed the predictions that (a) participants whose motivation for weight loss was more autonomous would attend the program more regularly, lose more weight during the program, and evidence greater maintained weight loss at follow-up
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial design with a 23-month follow-up and objective weight measurements, though attrition was significant.
Source
Motivational predictors of weight loss and weight-loss maintenance.
Geoffrey C. Williams et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · 1996
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