HEALTHY HABIT FORMATION TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT STABILISATION IN OBESITY
HEALTHY HABIT FORMATION TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT STABILISATION IN OBESITY

Summary/Abstract: The global rise in obesity constitutes one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, as it is associated with a multifactorial set of causes, contributes to a wide range of physical and psychological comorbidities, and places a substantial financial burden on healthcare systems. Sustained weight loss often fails due to the lack of internalization and consistent implementation of healthy habits. This literature review presents two well-established theoretical models of habit formation – the Habit-Goal Theory and the Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis – and discusses their relevance in the context of obesity treatment and weight maintenance (Wood and Neal 2007; Verplanken and Wood 2006). The aim is to derive evidence-based strategies for the development of sustainable, health-promoting habits. The results show that both models offer valuable implications for successful weight management. In particular, strategies such as inhibition, self-regulation, self-monitoring, avoidance, repetition, gradual behavioral change, and implementation intentions appear promising in supporting the establishment of long-term weight-stabilizing habits and effective relapse prevention.

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