By Maurice Larocque, M.D.

The purpose of the research I will be presenting to you was to determine the extent to which motivational exercises affect the loss of weight and the maintenance of weight loss.

The subjects of the study were 31 women volunteers aged between 20 and 50 years who had come for their first weight loss appointment with an excess weight between 20 and 40 lbs. over ideal weight. All the subjects were placed on very low calorie diets of between 600 and 800 calories supplemented with protein, vitamins and mineral salts. All subjects were under the care of the same physician. They were divided into two groups, 14 in Group A and 17 in Group B.

For the first three weeks, Group A was asked to do a minimum of five minutes a day of motivation (i.e. reading from my book Be Thin through Motivation and/or listening to my mental programming audio cassettes Be Thin by Suggestion). On average, they did 25 minutes of motivation per session, 3-4 times a week. During the same three-week period, Group B did no specific motivation exercises; they just carried on with the diet. After the initial three-week period, the Groups were switched. Group A stopped doing motivation exercises and Group B took up a motivation program identical to the one Group A had just ended. After another three weeks, the Groups were again switched, with Group A taking up the motivation program again and Group B dropping it.

At the start of the research and after each 3 week period, each of the subjects was weighed and tested for MENTAL WEIGHT® program and 5 other behavior factors using a computer questionnaire (BERT).

Results

The drop-out rate for the first 3 week period was 3 times higher for Group B, without motivation; in the second 3 weeks, it was nearly 3 times as high for Group A, without motivation in this period. In the final three-week period the results were the same suggesting that those who persist with a program for more than 6 weeks motivate themselves automatically or have a great deal of willpower.

Eating habits improved in both groups during the first period; however, Group A's rate of improvement was about 20% higher than Group B's.

In the second period, results were even more striking: subjects in Group A went back to some of their bad habits while Group B continued to improve significantly as they took up the motivation exercise program.

In the third period, results were reversed.

During the first period, Group A progressed slightly more than Group B suggesting that, for those who remained in the program, weight loss itself was a motivating factor. Group B improved by more than 60% over Group A during the second period. During the third period, Group A progressed very little since they were already at their ultimate level of motivation.

The rate of change in self-image noted in the two groups is very significant in the first two periods. Mental image represents the way a person perceives him or herself.

Changes in stress symptoms were spectacular in both groups during the first period. This seems contradictory since mental programming is based on relaxation exercises so that a relatively greater improvement would have been expected for Group A. The explanation probably lies in the effect of diet itself and of weight loss which tend to suppress the hormones that cause stress. Psychologically, satisfaction with the results could be a factor as well. During the second and third periods, Group B showed little change since they were already at an ideal stress level. On the other hand, Group A showed some improvement when they took up the motivation exercises again in the third period.

Variations in the emotional state of the subjects were significant depending on whether or not they were involved in motivation. The results reveal improvements on the order of 10 and 3 in favor of the group doing motivation exercises.

In the first period, Group A, the group doing motivation exercises lost 40% more weight on average. When the roles were reversed, in the second period, Group B lost 50% more weight. The rate of weight loss for Group B dropped significantly when they ceased motivation exercises. During the same period, Group A maintained their rate of weight loss but didn't improve as might have been expected. However, this group showed a reluctance to throw themselves back into the motivation program with the same energy. Reading time per session dropped from 39 to 21 minutes, listening time, from 21 to 14 minutes and the number of sessions per week, from 4 to 3.

During the first period, Group A showed an average improvement of 100% in the MENTAL WEIGHT® program reading. In the second period, Group B's average reading improved almost three fold and in the third, Group A's almost doubled again when they went back to the motivation program. These results suggest that, just as regular repetition of physical exercises is the key to physical fitness, so regular repetition of motivation exercises is the key to weight loss maintenance.