Department of Psychology of Development and Education, University of Warmia and Mazury,Abstract: The risk of obesity-related disorders is increased among the elderly, so changing eating habits can be an important element of prevention. The main aim of this article is to consider whether looking at pictures that present either fattening food or healthy food may motivate elderly people to change their nutrition habits. Might priming different kinds of food influence the attractiveness of the food for people in late adulthood undergoing obesity therapy? Based on priming theories, we analysed the effects of the conscious processing of stimuli associated with dietary habits in individuals aged with BMI 30 kg/m2. Our experiments confirmed the influence of a higher-priority goal of “slimming” on the perception and internalization of nutrition-related stimuli. In response to such stimuli, individuals who are actively involved in weight reduction and health-oriented programs use strategies for resisting temptation and to effectively “slim”. We present our findings in the context of their theoretical background and practical application.1. Introduction Overweightness and obesity have become widespread phenomena whose prevalence is increasing in most countries throughout the world [1]. Obesity can be a cause of chronic illness [2–4] or even death [5,6] and is observed in both rich communities and in and in those characterized by low or moderate incomes [7].According to Eurostat research from 2017 [8], 51.6% of the European population is overweight or obese. Unfortunately in Poland, the proportion of people with obesity or overweight is 53.3% and is therefore above the average for 28 countries from the European Union [9].Due to the physiological changes in the organism the frequency of obesity is proportionally greater among older people [10]. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in elderly is especially associated with many psychophysical health problems and increased mortality. Therefore there is a need to apply various public health interventions to reduce the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among elderly population so that they can lead a socially secure life.Many factors cause obesity. Both the roles of biophysical factors (e.g., genetics or hormones) [11–13], and environmental factors [14] are frequently discussed. An increasing emphasis is put on the role of changes in human lifestyle associated with modern civilisation (e.g., food environment, walkability of environs) [15], as well as psychological factors such as specific personality profiles [16–18],depression [19], stress [20] and, most of all, habitual patterns of behaviour [21,22]. Behavioural patterns associated with eating begin formation in earliest childhood [23] and are very difficult to change during later stages of development [24]. Not only are the roles of parents and caregivers emphasized in this process [25], but also the role of media-primarily advertising [26,27]. People watch advertisements that prime the eating of fattening food. Advertisements, even though processed on a peripheral level [28], deeply impact eating habits. However, different kinds of therapy for obese individuals seem effective in the reduction of eating tempting, delicious, and fattening food [29–31].Temptations, i.e., situational counter-triggers to pursuing one’s goals (in this case the reduction of quantity of food), stimulate the development of various preventative strategies. The activation of the higher-priority goal constitutes the basis for all such strategies. By frequently repeating self-control exercises, one can develop a positive relationship between a long-term goal and a conflicting short-term goal, i.e., temptation [32]. Thus, contact with an endangering stimulus can activate the cognitive representation of a goal. This situation suggests the presence of an obstacle to long-term plans, and activates protective self-control strategies [32]. This mechanism of self-control is determined mostly by the level of involvement. It is also associated with the active pursuing of one’s priorities, which is determined by individually-developed efficient strategies of self-control [33]. The broad theoretical basis of our reasoning is the theory of goal systems [34]. Kruglanski, et al. [35] studied a group of individuals trying to lose weight. They found that priming stimuli that endangered the achievement of higher-priority goals (i.e., reducing weight) automatically induced the projection of these goals, which, in turn, caused the activation of a control mechanism preventing one from surrendering to the endangering stimulus. Taking into account the aforementioned theoretical background and the previous experiments of Trope and Fishbach [33], Kruglanski, et al. [35], we decided to investigate our assumption about the influence of priming food-related stimuli on the improvement of dietary choices in obese individuals (BMI 30 kg/m2) who wish to lose weight. We decided to study the elderly population because of the prevalence of obesity in this group and the seriousness of the health consequences, like: asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol—metabolic syndrome—resulting in stroke and heart failure; as well as bone system disorder, resulting in being handicapped [36]. The identification of psychological factors related to obesity and body mass reduction allows interventions aimed at healthy ageing of elderly population. The problem is of crucial value as our population is aging in general. In the first experiment, we verified the previously described idea of stimulating the motivation to slim through the supraliminal priming of food-related stimuli. This study was, in some way, a modified replication of Kruglanski’s experiments [35], according to whom priming increases the importance of the higher-priority goal (i.e., slimming).The second experiment constituted an extension and partial replication of the first study. We tested the hypothesis regarding the directional effect of priming fattening or healthy food on the level of motivation to slim and the nutritional habits of obese individuals. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of priming fattening food on motivation to lose weight in slimming and non-slimming obese elderly. According to the theoretical background [34], an