Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for weight control: Model, evidence, and future directions
Open accessAbstract
Behavioral weight loss programs achieve substantial short-term weight loss; however attrition and poor weight loss maintenance remain significant problems. Recently, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been used in an attempt to improve long-term outcomes. This conceptual article outlines the standard behavioral and ACT approach to weight control, discusses potential benefits and obstacles to combing approaches, briefly reviews current ACT for weight control outcome research, and highlights significant empirical questions that remain. The current evidence suggests that ACT could be useful as an add-on treatment, or in a combined format, for improving long-term weight loss outcomes. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed as well as studies that aim to identify how best to combine standard treatments and ACT and also who would benefit most from these approaches.
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Single-session ACT interventions are gaining empirical support.
“Single session ACT interventions are gaining empirical support [23–26]”
Previous studies showed that the use of mindfulness decreases depressive attacks.
“Results of previous studies showed that the use of mindfulness method will cause a decrease in depressive attacks (3, 14).”
From Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression, Psychological Well-Being and Feeling of Guilt in 7 - 15 Years Old Diabetic Children (2015) · cites this paper as [14]
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Cites
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- Authors
- Lillis, J., & Kendra, K. E.
- Affiliations
- Brown University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lillis, Jason
- ORCID
- Lillis, Jason
- Venue
- Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-01
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-7
- ISSN
- 2212-1447 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4238039
- OpenAlex
- W2055034182
- Cited by
- 130
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 12.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K23DK097143)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Keywords
- acceptance and commitment therapy, weight management, weight loss maintenance, behavioral weight loss, attrition, adjunctive therapy, obesity treatment
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