The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has recently unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) weight loss coach, Hope, which uses psychological techniques to prompt and motivate members throughout their weight loss journey. Hope has been developed following research from CSIRO, which has uncovered the three critical behaviours that, when put into practice regularly, have the biggest impact on people looking to get healthier and achieve their weight loss goals.
The analysis of nearly 11,000 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet members revealed that those who weighed in regularly followed the menu plan and tracked their food intake the most achieved a weight loss of 8.1% of their starting body weight in 12 weeks, or an average of 7.5kgs. Those who engaged in these behaviours the least achieved a 3.3% drop in their weight (3.1kgs) – a difference of nearly 4.5kgs between the two groups.
Hope is designed to help Australians embrace these important behaviours and achieve their weight loss goals. Shaped by over 100 million points of CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet member data, Hope predicts appropriate weight loss targets, tracks progress and provides timely feedback, using state-of-the-art machine learning, to help members thrive on the 12-week program.
CSIRO Total Wellbeing Dietitian stated that the launch of Hope came at the perfect time for those looking to set their health goals for the year. She noted that whether a user has overindulged during the holiday season, or they’re looking to kickstart their health goals this January, Hope equips them with the real-time insights, personalised support and encouragement to help them to put their “best foot forward” and achieve their weight loss goals.
In designing Hope, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet continues to prove how the latest science can transform health outcomes, with an innovation that uses data from Australians, Australians, to achieve enhanced weight loss success throughout the entire program.
While high diligence across all three behaviours resulted in the greatest weight loss of 8.1%, it was also found that individuals displaying high diligence across two of the three behaviours were still able to achieve above-average weight loss, losing 7.5 per cent of their starting body weight. Many people feel they have to be strict to see results. This pressure can lead to unrealistic expectations so it’s really exciting to see in the research findings that there is room for flexibility in a sustainable weight loss journey, she added. It was noted that with the additional support of Hope, Australians can feel assured that they are embarking on a weight loss journey that is not only proven but also fits into their lifestyle.
The weight loss and weight management diet market size was valued at US$192.2 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach US$295.3 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 7.0% from 2021 to 2027. The better-for-you segment led in terms of market share in 2019 and is expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period.
An alarming increase has been witnessed in the incidence of health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer in developed economies in the past few years. Changes in food habits, sedentary lifestyles, and high disposable income in North America and Western Europe increase the susceptibility of individuals to develop health problems such as diabetes and cancer.
Thus, the rise in the incidence of health disorders has fostered the adoption of weight loss and weight management products. Moreover, an increase in fitness consciousness in countries such as China and India due to improvement in lifestyle and change in food habits is expected to offer lucrative business opportunities to players operating in the global weight loss and weight management diet market.