Australian study finds secret to long-term weight loss success

Self-monitoring behaviours and tracking tools are the key to long-term weight loss success, Australian research found.

In a study published on Wednesday, a team from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) analysed the usage patterns of 6,602 people who completed the 12-week CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet programme.

It found out that 64 per cent of the participants had a sustained average weight loss of 10.6 kg, or 11.9 per cent of their starting body weight, one year after starting the programme.

A secondary analysis of how participants used the diet platform features revealed tracking, self-monitoring and ongoing education as the most important tools for long-term success.

Participants who achieved weight loss exceeding 10 per cent of their starting weight used all the platform’s tools.

The platform to include weigh-ins, meal plans, food searches, and a food diary 50 per cent more over the course of a year than those who lost less than 5 per cent of their starting weight.

Gilly Hendrie, a CSIRO research scientist, said the findings proved the importance of diet and nutrition education for health and lifestyle improvements.

“There are no quick fixes when it comes to sustainable weight loss and a healthy lifestyle, and this study helps us to show that weight loss comes from a range of regular actions and positive behaviours.

“We’re really happy to have more research that reinforces the critical role that lifestyle and behaviour change plays in long-term weight loss and management,” Hendrie said in a media release.

According to data published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2022, as of 2017 to 2018, 67 per cent of adults and 25 per cent of children and adolescents in Australia were overweight or obese.