CSIRO diet: Want to lose weight? This is the ultimate motivator

An analysis of more than 48,000 people on a popular eating plan found that those who turned to this motivator lost 28 per cent more weight than those who didn’t.

CSIRO scientists have found that a financial reward is a key motivator for losing weight.

With two in three Australian adults overweight or obese and 47 per cent of Australians now living with related chronic health conditions, an updated report from CSIRO has reinforced that personal accountability coupled with financial rewards can lead to 28 per cent more weight loss.

The recent analysis of over 48,000 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet members, more than triple the sample size from the original study in 2018, found that those who successfully claimed the financial incentive offered by the program, achieved 28 per cent greater weight loss than those members who didn’t claim the financial incentive.

Financial reward claimants lost an average of 6.2kg (or 6.7 per cent of their starting body weight), in comparison to the 4.8kg (or 5.2 per cent of starting body weight) lost by those who didn’t claim the financial reward.

CSIRO research scientist and report author Dr Gilly Hendrie said the research was telling evidence of how taking personal accountability by engaging in self-monitoring behaviours promoted healthy weight loss.

“It is encouraging to see the results of our study support other psychology and behavioural change research that self-accountability and financial incentives can have a meaningful impact on people’s weight loss success,” Dr Hendrie said.

“Breaking unhealthy habits that have developed over a long time can be hard and it is easy to lose motivation if you are not seeing immediate results on the scales.

“We’ve found self-accountability activities like tracking your weight and taking progress photos can be positive for members to see the physical changes from one week to the next; it can give them the drive to stay on track and continue to form the healthy habits which will help them achieve their health goals.”

The analysis also found that two-thirds of members who claimed the refund reward lost a clinically relevant amount of weight, more than five per cent of their starting body weight, compared to half of the non-rewarded members.

“A five per cent reduction in body weight is proven to markedly lower the risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and improve metabolic function in obese and overweight people,” Dr Hendrie said.

CSIRO Total Wellbeing dietitian Pennie McCoy said since the financial incentive’s launch in 2015, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet had given Australians $2.2 million in refund rewards, as well as improving their health.

“With the number of CSIRO Total Wellbeing members claiming the refund reward increasing to nearly one-third over the past two years it is telling that Australians are not only prioritising their health but looking for weight loss programs that are also good for their wallets,” Ms McCoy said.