One of the world’s largest weight loss studies has revealed that following a scientifically backed ‘digital diet’ for as little as 12 weeks resulted in clinically significant weight loss for most people.
One of the world’s largest weight loss studies by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has found that following a scientifically backed ‘digital diet’ for as little as 12 weeks resulted in clinically significant weight loss.
Almost 60,000 Australians following the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet from 2015 through to 2019 were studied to understand how the scientifically formulated eating plan translated to the digital age.
The research showed that participants who completed the 12-week online program lost an average of 5.3 per cent of their starting weight, which was three times more than participants who started the program but didn’t reach the end.
The study also found that frequent use of the Total Wellbeing Diet’s system was associated with greater weight loss. The most successful participants, who on average lost 21 per cent of their body weight, used the system almost four times more during the 12-week program than those who only lost a small amount of weight.
CSIRO research scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie who led the study, described the findings as very encouraging for the millions of Australians looking for successful, sustainable weight loss in 2020.
“We have known for over a decade that the higher protein, low GI carbohydrate eating plan made popular in the Total Wellbeing Diet books resulted in clinically significant weight loss,” Dr Hendrie said.
“Now we have evidence, in a very large sample, that combining the diet with a specially designed system including online tools, results in weight loss for even more people. The results show that the more you use, the more you can lose.
“Interestingly we saw similar weight loss achievements across all demographics, with older participants aged 51 to 70 years losing around 5 per cent which was about the same weight as the younger participants aged 18 to 30 years.”
Analysis of the data also found those participants in the high-risk obesity group lost 6 per cent of their starting body weight.
“There is a wide body of research that shows for overweight and obese adults, the greatest health benefits come from losing the first five per cent of body weight”, Dr Hendrie said.
CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet member, Terry Munro has attributed his impressive weight loss to using the online tools on a regular basis for over 18 months.
“Since starting on the Total Wellbeing Diet and using the online tools, I have lost over 78 kilos which is 42 per cent of my body weight,” Mr Munro said.
“I have found it unlike other programs. The interactive tools really helped me stick to the diet, educating me about food and what a balanced diet actually looks like as well as providing me with motivational techniques and support.”
The study insights has led to a major overhaul of the Total Wellbeing Diet for 2020, with the release of a new Protein Balance Plus program and a suite of digital tools optimised for greater weight loss.
The new online program includes nutritionally balanced recipes to help reduce cravings and boost fat loss, plus all the digital tools associated with successful weight loss including meal plans, food diary, weight tracker, a personalised dashboard and support forums.
“At CSIRO, we are dedicated to understanding and solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology,” Dr Hendrie said.
“By making the Total Wellbeing Diet even easier to use, we hope to make it as easy as possible for Australians to lose weight and become healthier for life.
To find out how much weight you can lose in 2020 go to our free weight loss calculator at .
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There are other large longitudinal research studies with 50,000-60,000 people. These studies focused on health across the lifespan, as opposed to evaluating a scientific weight loss program as has been done in this study.
