Effective Weight Loss: An Acceptance-Based Behavioral Approach, Workbook

Evan M. Forman, Meghan L. Butryn

Oxford University Press, 2016 - Psychology - 216 pages

The obesity epidemic is one of the most serious public health threats confronting the nation and the world. The majority of overweight individuals want to lose weight, but the overall success of self-administered diets and commercial weight loss programs is very poor. Scientific findings suggest that the problem boils down to adherence. The dietary and physical activity recommendations that weight loss programs promote are effective; however, people have difficulty initiating and maintaining changes.

Effective Weight Loss presents 25 detailed sessions of an empirically supported, cognitive-behavioral treatment package called Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment (ABT). The foundation of this approach is comprised of the nutritional, physical activity, and behavioral components of the most successful, gold-standard behavioral weight loss programs. These components are synthesized with acceptance, willingness, behavioral commitment, motivation, and relapse prevention strategies drawn from a range of therapies. ABT is based on the idea that specialized self-control skills are necessary for weight control, given our innate desire to consume delicious foods and to conserve energy by avoiding physical activity. These self-control skills revolve around a willingness to choose behaviors that may be perceived as uncomfortable, for the sake of a more valuable objective. The Clinician Guide is geared towards helping administer treatment, and the companion Workbook provides summaries of session content, exercises, worksheets, handouts, and assignments for patients and clients receiving the treatment. The books will appeal to psychologists, primary care physicians, nutritionists, dieticians, and other clinicians who counsel the overweight.

Contents

• Welcome: 1
• CalorieCutting Keys: 11
• Goal Setting Weighing and Measuring: 25
• Labels Planning and Calorie Accounting: 31
• Control What You Can Accept What You Cant The Home Food Environment: 37
• Physical Activity and Willingness Part 1: 43
• Willingness Part 2 and Values: 49
• Forming Good Habits and Flexibility: 53
• Restaurant Eating Handling Weekends and Special Occasions: 59
• Barriers to Living a Valued Life: 65
• Friends and Family: 69
• Introduction to Defusion and Urge Surfing: 75
• Strategies to Help Defuse and Increase Willingness: 81
• Review of Dietary Principles Mindless Eating Part 1 and Portion Sizes: 85
• Mindless Eating Part 2 and Mindful DecisionMaking: 91
• Transitioning to Biweekly Meetings: 95
• Maintaining Losses Over the Long Term: 101
• Willingness and Reducing Barriers to Physical Activity: 107
• Committed Action: 111
• Overeating and Emotional Eating: 117
• Lapse Versus Relapse and Reversing Small Weight Gains: 125
• Revisiting Commitment and Transition to MonthlyBimonthly Meetings: 135
• Maintaining Motivation: 139
• Looking Ahead: 145
• Celebrating Accomplishments: 155
• Appendix A Keeping Track Form: 157
• Appendix B InSession Weight Change Record: 159
• Appendix C Home Weight Change Record: 161
• Appendix D Weekly Review: 163
• Appendix E Worksheets: 165

About the author

Evan Forman, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at Drexel University and Co-Director of the Laboratory for Innovations in Health-Related Behavior Change. He also serves as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of the Society for Clinical Psychology's Committee on Science and Practice and is Past-President of the Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association. He has been the lead investigator of several National Institute of Health-sponsored trials, including two comparing the effectiveness and processes of traditional cognitive therapy to newer acceptance-based behavior therapies. He also has been funded to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of smartphone and computerized neurocognitive training interventions for weight control.

Meghan Butryn, PhD, is an Associate Research Professor of Psychology at Drexel University and Co-Director of the Laboratory for Innovations in Health-Related Behavior Change. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is designed to understand how behavior therapy for obesity can be modified to improve its long-term effectiveness.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Effective Weight Loss: An Acceptance-Based Behavioral Approach, Workbook; Treatments That Work Series
• Authors: Evan M. Forman, Meghan L. Butryn
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2016
• ISBN: 0190232021, 9780190232023
• Length: 216 pages
• Subjects: Psychology / Clinical Psychology; Psychology / Psychopathology / Eating Disorders