Therapy for Weight Loss?

Men and women seek out cognitive behavioral therapy for all kinds of issues: depression, stress, anxiety, phobias, smoking cessation and so forth. But can the same method also motivate obese individuals to lose weight to keep it off? Yes it can, according to the results of a new study from the University of Sydney, Australia. Twenty-two obese men and women participated in the study. They received 20 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy with a motivational emphasis. The subjects’ body weight and other anthropometric variables were measured at the start of the treatment, again at the end, and one last time 12 months after treatment. On average, the subjects lost roughly 13.6 pounds during treatment and successfully maintained their lower body weight over the next year. Although the weight loss was modest, the fact that the subjects in this study were able to keep the lost weight off is significant, as most dieters regain the all of their lost weight over the next year.