Secret to long-term weight loss success

Self-monitoring behaviors and tracking tools are the keys to long-term weight loss success, Australian research has found.

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

It found 64 percent of participants had a sustained average weight loss of 10.6 kg, or 11.9 percent of their starting body weight, one year after starting the program.

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 percent of their starting weight used all the platform’s tools including weigh-ins, meal plans, food searches, and a food diary 50 percent more over the course of a year than those who lost less than 5 percent 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 behaviors,” Hendrie said in a media release.

“We’re really happy to have more research that reinforces the critical role that lifestyle and behavior change plays in long-term weight loss and management.

“According to data published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2022, as of 2017-18, 67 percent of adults and 25 percent of children and adolescents in Australia were overweight or obese.