Weight Loss Weight Loss Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How does chronic stress contribute to weight gain, particularly around the abdominal area?
- Stress reduces appetite permanently
- Stress raises cortisol, which promotes fat storage especially viscerally (Correct answer)
- Stress speeds up metabolism consistently
- Stress has no proven connection to fat storage
Correct answer: Stress raises cortisol, which promotes fat storage especially viscerally
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which promotes visceral fat storage (particularly around the abdomen), increases appetite for high-calorie foods, and disrupts sleep.
Question 2: Which behavioral therapy approach has the strongest evidence base for treating binge eating disorder associated with obesity?
- Psychoanalysis
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (Correct answer)
- Art therapy alone
- Hypnotherapy only
Correct answer: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is the gold-standard treatment for binge eating disorder, targeting the thought patterns and behaviors that drive binge episodes and weight gain.
Question 3: What role does social support play in weight loss success?
- It has no measurable effect on outcomes
- Strong social support significantly improves adherence and long-term results (Correct answer)
- Social pressure always increases dietary relapse rates
- Support groups are only helpful for extreme obesity
Correct answer: Strong social support significantly improves adherence and long-term results
Research consistently shows that social support from friends, family, or groups improves adherence to diet and exercise plans and enhances long-term weight loss outcomes.
Question 4: What is 'self-monitoring' in behavioral weight loss programs and why is it effective?
- Weighing yourself only once a month
- Tracking food intake, activity, and weight regularly to maintain awareness (Correct answer)
- Monitoring others' eating habits
- Avoiding all food scales
Correct answer: Tracking food intake, activity, and weight regularly to maintain awareness
Self-monitoring (food diaries, app logging, daily weigh-ins) increases accountability and awareness of eating patterns, which is one of the strongest behavioral predictors of weight loss.
Question 5: Which psychological phenomenon causes people to underestimate how many calories they consume when portions are large?
- Confirmation bias
- Unit bias and portion size distortion (Correct answer)
- Anchoring effect only
- Loss aversion
Correct answer: Unit bias and portion size distortion
Unit bias leads people to eat a 'full portion' regardless of its actual size, and large portions distort caloric estimations, contributing to consistent calorie underreporting.
Question 6: What is 'habit stacking' and how can it support sustainable weight loss behaviors?
- Eating multiple snacks back-to-back
- Linking a new healthy habit to an existing routine to increase consistency (Correct answer)
- Adding multiple diets simultaneously
- Stacking supplements for faster results
Correct answer: Linking a new healthy habit to an existing routine to increase consistency
Habit stacking links a new behavior (e.g., preparing a healthy lunch) to an already established one (e.g., morning coffee), making the new habit easier to adopt through automatic association.
Weight Loss Weight Loss Psychology 2
How does chronic stress contribute to weight gain, particularly around the abdominal area?