Discover a Winning Weight Loss Strategy

My roommate has always had some problems with extra weight due to the lack of physical activity and overeating. Besides, he prefers fast food to healthy nutrition and coke to healthy beverages. So, I decided to lend a helping hand as I was studying for a Psychology degree. My goal was to develop an individual weight loss program to make his wish of joining a football team come true. One-month behavior modification I suggest is based on the principles of operant conditioning.

That is how it worked…

• For the first three days, I was asking him to get up 30 minutes earlier he used before to have a 15-minute run in the park nearby.
• I excluded French fries from his menu, but he still had access to hamburger and coke. I was modifying his attitudes carefully, step-by-step.
• At the same time, he was penalized for any rule break. For instance, when he decided to taste French fries, coke was also excluded from his menu.
• Every time he skipped the morning run, he had to run 15 minutes more just after the classes. In addition, he was not allowed to play his favorite video game, “Metal Gear,” for 24 hours.

What about the continuous reinforcement?                    

As we both see the results, here are my further expectations. I will apply continuous reinforcement to this learning process. Every single time I will notice the targeted behavior of my roommate, I will strengthen it by adding new conditions to the weight loss program. In three days, if the expected progress occurs, I will forbid hamburgers by replacing them with fresh salads with chicken. I will include some press basic exercises to support the running activity. In other three days, I will add 15 minutes to the morning running ritual.  

I will maintain a powerful association between the behavior and response. I will measure my roommate’s progress in the amount of weight lost and consider the time it took him to achieve the desired results. I expect my friend to lose one pound within the first three days. This benchmark will stay the same until he loses, at least, four pounds. Then, I will require him to get rid of coke.

No more stress, Mr. Nice Guy!

I will also identify all the emotional triggers to prevent my roommate from stress as it is difficult to refuse favorite food and a fixed life regime all at once. I will make sure he is surrounded only by positive people who will not let him down. I will praise each achievement and effort to motivate my roommate to try harder.

On the whole, I choose Variable-Ratio Schedule. So, I will provide the reinforcement after a random amount of positive responses. In this way, I give my roommate a donut of his choice after the first lost pound. Then maybe forth, later I may expect 8 pounds, then request a single again. The acquisition will take more time to set in. However, I believe it is far more resistant to the extinction.