Beyond calories and fat grams: am I deserving of successful weight loss?

Psychometric Summary of the Technology-Delivered Tension Scales for Weight Management

The purpose of this article is to summarize the psychometric results from studies of the last 25 years of the Overeating Tension Scale, Exercise Tension Scale, Feelings Tension Scale, and Feelings About Weight Tension Scale. These reliable and valid technology-delivered weight management scales can be used by clinicians independently or in combination to longitudinally identify specific triggers of overeating, skipping exercise, feeling low or down, and strong feelings about one's body weight; motivational states, and related tension levels. Through cognitive behavior therapy, individuals can learn to shift to another motivational state and employ healthy coping mechanisms to avoid related negative behaviors. Psychometric results from seven developmental studies are described, including technology-delivery adaptation results from the original paper and pencil versions. Future tension scale development priorities also are discussed.

The Role of Spirituality in Holistic Weight Management

This descriptive, feasibility study was designed to determine how weight management patients defined spirituality and its connection with weight management. Relationships among spirituality assessment, spiritual well-being, selfesteem, and quality of life were explored. This study arose from clinical observations of possible relationships among patients' weight management failures, negative beliefs about self, and spiritual distress. Participants were 34 of 104 adult potential participants from a holistic weight management clinical practice. Survey data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and quantitative linear regression analyses. Participants readily defined spirituality; significant linear relationships were found: Total spiritual well-being explained approximately 47% of the variance for self-esteem and existential spiritual well-being accounted for approximately 68% of the variance for self-esteem. Similarly, existential spiritual well-being explained approximately 35% of the variance of quality of life. For this convenience sample, spiritual well-being was significantly related to self-esteem and quality of life.