Misperceptions and mismanagement in a weight loss regime A gaming experimental analysis on weight loss strategies

Abstract

There is a significant number of people who do not succeed in reaching their desired weight after a weight loss regime. It has been argued that this inability to achieve the goal is because of the misperception of the adaptive mechanism of the human body. For this reason, this study aims to provide empirical evidence of people’s weight expectations and performance during different weight loss regimes. To collect this data, a body weight management simulator was created so that different groups of participants could input their expectations and strategies to lose weight. From this data, it is observed that people’s expectations were significantly higher, and that most participants failed to reach the desired goal weight. Furthermore, significant change is seen in people’s expectations when undergoing a weight loss regime that includes physical activity. In general, the results show empirical evidence of people’s misperception and performance during different weight loss approaches. For this reason, it is recommended to develop an interactive learning environment for weight loss management in order to increase people’s knowledge of the different adaptive mechanisms of the human body. This could lead to an increased chance of success when pursuing a weight loss diet.