Rehabilitation of Offenders
Need, in nearly every weight loss trial, there will be a small percentage of the treatment group (and some of the control group as well) who will lose an enormous amount of weight and keep it off consistently.
Rather than dismissing such ‘success stories’ as unrepresentative, however, researchers in that field of study recognise the experiences of these individuals, rare although they may be, as vital for the understanding of the science of weight loss (e.g., Chambers & Swanson, 2012).
What social supports and structures do such individuals have in place? How do their habitual patterns of thought change and differ from weight regainers?
What role does a change in the person’s identity or sense of self play in the process, and how is this reinforced by those around the person?