The Relationship Between How Participants Articulate Their Goals and Accomplishments and Weight Loss Outcomes: Secondary Analysis of a Pilot of a Web-Based Weight Loss Intervention.

In a web-based weight loss intervention, stating goals in repeating or both measurable and repeating terms was associated with greater weight loss, but simply stating them in measurable terms was not. For accomplishments, only those articulated in repeating terms were associated with greater weight loss. Posts about one-time goals and accomplishments represent an opportunity to encourage planning for future behaviors. Future research should examine if stating goals and accomplishments in repeating terms signals habit formation.