A study conducted by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has indicated that individuals who use meal plans tend to experience greater weight loss, suggesting a role for structured planning and personalization in dietary programs.
Study Methodology and Findings
The research involved approximately 78,000 members of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Key observations from this study included:
- Participants who used meal plans most frequently achieved an average weight loss of 6.4 kg over 12 weeks. This was 24% more than the weight loss recorded by those who used meal plans less frequently.
- Early and consistent use of meal plans correlated with greater long-term weight loss. Members who utilized meal plans most during the initial stages of the program lost an average of 6.9 kg after one year, which represented a 48% greater loss compared to those with the lowest early usage.
Further insights were gathered from an additional survey of 1,300 past and present CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet members:
- 90% of respondents who reached their weight loss targets reported using a meal plan.
- 89% of members who lost more than 10 kg in 12 weeks identified meal plans as a critical factor in their success.
- Among members who did not lose weight, 72% expressed a belief that personalized meal plans would have contributed to better outcomes.
Dr. Gilly Hendrie, a CSIRO Research Scientist, commented on the findings, stating that the research demonstrates the effectiveness of meal planning and highlights opportunities for further innovation in personalization.
Introduction of AI-Powered Personalization Tool
Following these findings, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has launched an AI-powered personalized meal planning tool named ‘My Plan.’ This introduction marks the first such development in the program's 20-year history.
My Plan is designed to create meal plans tailored to individual member needs, taking into account preferences, dislikes, allergies, intolerances, and specific eating styles. The tool also supports individuals managing conditions such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, or those in specific life stages like menopause. The system is engineered to adapt and enhance personalization over time with continued use.
Dr. Hendrie noted that the AI behind My Plan was trained using 23 million data points derived from over a decade of meal plan usage by 200,000 Total Wellbeing Diet members.
Nicole Pritchard, a Total Wellbeing Diet Dietitian, stated that the feature was developed for the Australian context, utilizing local data and adhering to national dietary guidelines. It is integrated within the existing CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet framework.