Nondieting Psychological Interventions for Individuals who are Overweight or Obese: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Abstract

Nondieting psychological interventions for overweight/obesity emerged from poor maintenance of change in weight reduction interventions, psychological difficulties experienced by this group, and the position that focusing on weight loss can reinforce psychological struggles. The nondieting paradigm aims to improve wellness without weight loss. This paper reviews the efficacy of nondieting interventions for overweight/obesity. Thirteen randomized controlled trials were reviewed, which compared nondieting interventions to wait list, weight loss, and psychosocial comparison groups. In the short-term and in follow-up, nondieting interventions resulted in improvement of body dissatisfaction, restrained eating, and eating disorder psychopathology, but not other psychological or physiological variables. Despite not focusing on weight reduction, there were no weight differences compared to weight loss treatments at 12–18 month follow-up. These findings suggest that elements of the nondieting paradigm may be beneficial to psychological wellbeing in individuals with overweight/obesity, and that integrating such interventions into clinical practice may be helpful.