Psychological maladjustments often account for both the start and preservation of obesity. Although this concept is generally accepted, its obverse has received little attention. What happens to a person attempting successful and permanent weight loss? As he sheds excess weight by dieting, does he also change his selfimage? Will he experience psychological changes in self-image, which afford him the opportunity to work through his feelings, and thereby support the weight-reduction program? Is successful coping with weight loss similar to the coping with other losses, such as loss of a leg? Silverstone categorizes obese persons into three psychological groups: maturity onset obesity, reactive obesity, and early onset neurotic obesity (). Silverstone defines maturity onset as obesity that begins in adult years -about age 30-from decreasing, activity associated with aging without a compensatory decrease in caloric intake. Silverstone estimates that two thirds of the obese are in this category and two thirds of his study sample of 187 obese people apparently belonged in this group. These people keep their former eating patterns despite the reduced physiological need for food and seem to have little psychological dis-