Motivation for Weight Loss Maintenance: Approach and Avoidance

Abstract

Currently, two-thirds of adults and one-half of children and adolescents in the United States meet criteria for overweight or obese weight status (Wang & Beydoun, 2007). While weight loss often is desired among these individuals, few achieve sustained weight loss maintenance. A model of motivation, affect, and long-term weight loss maintenance is proposed, based on Carver's model of behavior change (2004b) and related research. This investigation evaluated the model's proposed associations between approach and avoidance motivation, depressive and anxious affect, and caloric consumption within the context of a dietary lapse condition in the laboratory. Findings did not support the hypotheses that avoidance motivation would be negatively related to calorie consumption or that approach motivation would be positively associated with calorie consumption. Conversely, higher avoidance motivation was found to predict higher caloric consumption. Finally, this relationship was not mediated by depressive or anxious affect. Instead, consumption of high calorie foods alone was shown to fully mediate this relationship. Recommendations for future research are presented in the context of these findings.