Interval Weight Loss program: How eating with chopsticks and a teaspoon helps shed kilos

Chris White, 73, signed up to a revolutionary new program that’s helped him lose 20kg. Part of it involves using certain utensils to eat food.

A tiny teaspoon and a pair of chopsticks form part of a weight loss toolkit that has seen Chris White shed over 20 kilos and regain an active lifestyle.

The 73-year-old Sydneysider was one of the first to join up to a revolutionary new diet, the Interval Weight Loss program, which has just outperformed some of the best-known and promoted diets around in a new study.

The IWL program, devised by a team at the University of Sydney, involves a ‘month-on, month-off’ approach that allows the body to regularly reset to a new weight rather than battle a biological push to slow down weight loss.

Participants adhere to a “big to small” approach by eating the largest meal at the start of the day and they’re encouraged to use “uncomfortable” utensils such as teaspoons, chopsticks and oyster forks to slow down their eating.

“I’m six-foot tall but I was 110kg at my heaviest,” Mr White said.

“In two years on the IWL program I lost 22 kilos – an average of around one kilo a month which is slow but sustainable.

Chris White before he made a change.

“I eliminated processed meats and ate more fish, vegetables and fruit; I changed my breakfast to the most important meal of the day and yes, I use a teaspoon to eat my oats in an effort to slow my eating down.

“When I was younger I did a lot of sport, but the weight crept on over the years and it exacerbated my arthritis – I struggled to walk down stairs, now it’s not a problem. I’ve lost kilos, inches off my waist and I feel better than ever.”

While the IWL program had shown success in clinical trials, and has been available to the public since 2019, it’s now been peer reviewed – with a University of Wollongong study revealing that participants in the IWL diet lose more weight than those on both the popular CSIRO and Weight Watchers programs.

Chris White now feels much healthier.

More than 17 per cent of IWL participants achieved a 10 per cent weight loss – compared to 15 per cent of CSIRO participants and 14 per cent of Weight Watchers members – in the review which looked at participants who stayed on diets for 12 months.

University of Wollongong dietitian and statistician Professor Marijka Batterham was the lead author on the study, which was recently published in scientific journal Nutrients.

“This is the first real-world evaluation of the program, which offers a different approach to weight loss,” she said.

“There’s a lot of online weight loss programs but very few of them have robust statistical analysis to evaluate them and provide evidence that they work – now this does.”

The study evaluated the results of 1705 IWL subscribers and compared them to published results from CSIRO and Weight Watchers.

Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of people achieved a five per cent weight loss; in comparison to 49 per cent on the CSIRO diet.

“One of the interesting findings was that while there were less men than women on the program, the men tended to do better – generally men haven’t done as many diets as women and when they do commit to one, they take it very seriously,” Professor Batterham said.

“We also found older people, in their 60s and 70s, did better than the under 30s – I think people in this age group are tending towards retirement and have more time to commit to a dietary plan. They’re often quite regimented too – eating the same breakfast and lunch and similar dinners each day.”

Mr White, from Sydney’s lower North Shore, works from home as an accountant and finds the IWL program fits easily into his lifestyle.

Chris White uses a tiny teaspoon to eat his oats.

“I’ve changed what I put down my throat, but I still enjoy food – I focus on what I eat, not how much I eat,” he said. “This isn’t a diet, it’s a permanent lifestyle.”

The findings of the study come as no surprise to Dr Nick Fuller of Sydney university’s Faculty of Medicine and Health, who said the IWL approach differs to most conventional diets by focusing on a “stepped” approach rather than continuously restricting calories.

“There’s no shortage of diets out there and the reality for most is that we lose a bit of weight, and then we regain it, and we think that we’ve failed, that it’s due to our lack of willpower,” Dr Fuller, clinical trials director at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said.

“However it’s actually down to a complex series of physiological protections that come into play – when we lose even just a few kilos, our metabolism slows down to compensate.

“IWL works by helping people lose weight in small intervals – so they have a one-month period of weight loss, followed by a one-month period of weight maintenance. The maintenance month allows the body to recalibrate and reset to the new weight – so we’re not fighting our biology.”

The program is based on three pillars – diet, exercise and sleep – and doesn’t restrict any food group; instead there’s a focus on enjoying more of “nature’s treats” such as fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds.

“We burn calories Two-and-a-half times more efficiently in the morning than evening so it’s about switching our routine to suit,” Dr Fuller said. “It’s not about calorie counting, it’s about eating a diet that’s sustainable and enjoyable.

“Savour each meal – use a smaller plate, use utensils you’re uncomfortable with, take your time. If you eat in front of the TV it might take eight to 10 minutes to finish a meal, sitting around a dinner table and eating slowly can take 30 to 40 minutes – which allows your appetite regulation system to do its job.”