Conclusion
In conclusion, our results showed that the logic model’s key paths were significant in a digital behavior change intervention aiming at long-term weight regain prevention. The most effective path involved need satisfaction and intrinsic motives leading to improved self-regulatory skills and better weight change outcomes – a wantivation process. On the other hand, extrinsic motives lead to more self-regulatory skills linked to worse weight regain prevention, signaling that mustivation processes will provide energy but not a good direction for our behavioral efforts. These findings extend both the Self-Determination Theory and Self-Regulation rationales in that they link motivational and self-regulatory skills processes.In addition, the study generated hypotheses on how motivation-related (i.e., conscious) variables may be linked with habits and other sub-conscious processes; behavior internalization is hypothesized to be a function of autonomous motivation feeding habit formation. We are certainly looking to (or to see others) study this hypothesis in the future.