A Large-Scale Observational Analysis of Social Media Data Reveals Major Public Misperception of the Attainability of Drastic Weight Loss by Dieting

Conclusions: Despite the need for cautious interpretation of these data due to self-selection of users who updated weight loss and the possibility of unreliable weight reports, the study has several findings. Average goal BMI was in the normal weight range, demonstrating a highly unrealistic perception, in a very large lay-public cohort, of the plausibility of losing all excess weight. The success in weight loss and maintenance in self-selected individuals who continued reporting weight for many months may demonstrate the subjective value some individuals can obtain from forum participation.Obes Facts
Source: Obesity Facts - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Source Type: research