Imagination helps slimmers lose five times more weight

SLIMMERS can lose up to five times more weight by imagining how much better their lives would be if they were thinner, a new study has shown.

Researchers found that overweight people who used functional imagery training (FIT) intervention lost an average of 4.3cm (1.7in) more from their waistline, and continued to lose weight after the intervention had finished.

The therapy works by encouraging people to not only imagine being slimmer, but also to think about what their weight loss would enable them to do.

Researchers at the University of Plymouth and Queensland University of Technology in Australia compared results from 141 people using two different weight loss techniques: motivational interviewing (MI) technique, in which people are encouraged to talk about their need to lose weight, and FIT.

Dr Linda Solbrig, the study leader, said: “It’s fantastic that people lost significantly more weight on this intervention, as, unlike most studies, it provided no diet or physical activity advice or education.

“People who used the FIT intervention lost an average of five-and-a-half times more weight after six months, dropping 9lb (4.08kg) compared with just over 1.5lb (0.68kg) among those using MI techniques. Six months after the intervention had finished, the FIT group had dropped an average of 1st (6.35kg) compared with 1.5lb (0.68kg) in the MI group.

Trisha Bradbury, a FIT study participant, went from 14st to 12st 2lb. She said: “I lost my mum at 60, and being 59 myself with a variety of health problems, my motivation was to be there for my daughter.

“I kept thinking about wearing the dress I’d bought for my daughter’s graduation, and on days I really didn’t feel like exercising, kept picturing how I’d feel.”

Prof Jackie Andrade, the FIT co-creator from the University of Plymouth, said: “It uses imagery to strengthen people’s motivation and confidence to achieve their goals and teaches people how to do this for themselves, so they can stay motivated even when faced with challenges.”

The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.