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BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY FOR OBESITY
Behavioural therapy for obesity originated in the 1950s and 1960s, at the same time that Dr Albert Stunkard was beginning to realize that binge eaters and night eaters would not respond to simply being told to 'go on a diet' but needed profound counselling and psychological help. The theory put forward at the time was that obesity was caused by an 'obese eating style'. Therapy would ensure a return to normal body weight by eliminating abnormal eating behaviour, and normal weight would be sustained permanently. Although this has clearly not occurred, behavioural techniques have improved and the advent of CBT in the 1970s, which identified and changed negative thoughts, has played an important role in the long-term management of obesity.
It is now possible to undergo behavioural therapy via the internet. It has been demonstrated that websites that include behavioural techniques induce greater weight loss than information sites alone.
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