Setting targets leads to greater long-term weight losses and ‘unrealistic’ targets increase the effect in a large community-based commercial weight management group

Avery, Amanda; Langley-Evans, Simon C.; Harrington, Michaela; Swift, Judy A.

Abstract

Background. Setting personal targets is an important behavioural component in weight management programmes. Normal practice is to encourage ‘realistic’ weight loss but the under-pinning evidence base for this is limited and controversial. This study investigates the effect of number and size of weight loss targets on long-term weight loss in a large community sample of adults.
Methods. Weight change, attendance and target weight data for all new UK members, joining January to March 2012 was extracted from a commercial slimming organisation’s electronic database.
Results. Of the 35 380 members who had weight data available at 12 months after joining, 69.1% (n=24 447)had a starting BMI≥30kg/m2. Their mean weight loss was 12.9±7.8% and for both sexes, weight loss at 12 months was greater for those who set targets (p

Citation

Avery, A., Langley-Evans, S. . C., Harrington, M., & Swift, J. A. (2016). Setting targets leads to greater long-term weight losses and ‘unrealistic’ targets increase the effect in a large community-based commercial weight management group. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 29(6), 687-696. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12390

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 25, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jun 14, 2016
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: May 3, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 14, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
• Print ISSN: 0952-3871
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-277X
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 687-696
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12390
• Keywords: Setting Targets/Goals, Community Weight Loss
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/971458
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jhn.12390/abstract