Research
Adherence
Setting realistic weight-loss goals does not improve weight-loss outcomes compared to ambitious goals.
Do not lower your goals to 'realistic' levels. Setting ambitious goals does not lead to worse outcomes and may lead to better weight loss. Focus on achieving significant weight loss rather than setting easily achievable targets.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
two studies showed that interventions designed to improve weight-loss outcomes by altering unrealistic goals resulted in more realistic weight-loss expectations but did not improve outcomes.
Why this rating
Based on studies cited in the text.
Source
Myths, Presumptions, and Facts about Obesity
Krista Casazza et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2013
DOI 10.1056/nejmsa1208051
narrative_reviewCited 438×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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