Dear NHS: how changing your advice on weight loss targets could double patients’ success rates

You recommend a ‘realistic’ weight loss target of 5-10% body weight

You may worry ambitious targets increase the risk of patients feeling like they failed, leading to: -disappointment -decreased effort -relapse And we understand that.

A new study looked at the weight loss targets of: 24,457 Slimming World members All accessing weekly support All with a BMI of >30kg/m²

It found… Setting a target increased slimmers’ chances of losing 10% at 12 months, tenfold! So it’s great that you encourage patients to set a target.

And it also found… Slimmers who set an ambitious target lose nearly double – 19% body weight vs 11%!

The more ambitious a person’s target the more weight they lose “Shoot for the moon, as even if they miss, they’ll land among the stars”   Level of target set Mean weight loss over 12 months No target set 10% Modest target set (less than 10%) 11% Medium target (10-16%) Higher medium target (16%-21%) 14% Stretching target (21-26%) 16% Ambitious target (27%+) 19%

This study suggests: -Weight loss targets are good This study suggests: -Weight loss targets are good! -And ambitious weight loss targets, together with support to achieve them, are even better!

What can the NHS do with this information? Encourage patients to set their own personal target and get support to achieve successful weight loss Ask patients what their dream weight is (avoid restricting them to a 5-10% weight loss) Signpost them to evidence-based support to help them reach their dream weight

When it comes to weight loss, patients should: “Shoot for the moon, as even if they miss, they’ll land among the stars”

Thank you for reading. You can see the full results of the study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5111772/