Weight Control During the Holidays Highly Consistent Self-Monitoring as a Potentially Useful Coping Mechanism

• Published in: Health psychology Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 367 - 370
• Main Authors: Baker, Raymond C, Kirschenbaum, Daniel S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychological Association 01-07-1998
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Behavior Therapy; Body Weight; Cognitive Therapy; Combined Modality Therapy; Coping Behavior; Coping strategies; Diet Records; Diet, Reducing - psychology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Holidays; Human; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Middle Aged; Obese people; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Obesity - psychology; Self Care - psychology; Self-Monitoring; Selfmonitoring; Weight; Weight Control; Weight Loss; holidays; weight control; obesity; self-monitoring
• ISSN: 0278-6133; 1930-7810
• DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.17.4.367

The study examined the extent to which trait self-monitoring (the systematic observation and recording of target behaviors) was related to weight control during the high-risk holiday season. The participants (32 women, 6 men) averaged 223.1 lbs (101.41 kg), 57.2% overweight, 50.2 weeks of participation, and 21.3 lbs (9.68 kg) lost at the beginning of the study. Consistency of self-monitoring and weight changes were assessed for 3 holiday versus 7 nonholiday weeks. Analyses of variance (Consistency of Self-Monitoring Groups × Holiday/Nonholiday Weeks) revealed that participants gained 500% more weight per week during holiday compared with nonholiday weeks. Only participants in the most consistent self-monitoring quartile averaged any weight loss over the 10 weeks of the study and during the holiday weeks.