Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has launched a new tool designed to help Australians break free from unhealthy eating habits and make it easier to succeed at weight management.
The free, online Healthy Habits Quiz is based on psychology and behavioural science. It assesses participants’ habit strength, moods and tempting foods, providing tailored, science-backed guidance to make and break habits for a healthier lifestyle.
A recent CSIRO analysis of nearly 2,000 Australians revealed mood significantly influences eating behaviours, with three-quarters eating more when bored and over half eating more when feeling depressed.
Positive emotions had the opposite effect, with nearly half of participants eating less when feeling happy. Females were more prone to emotional eating than males, with 24 per cent eating to lift their mood compared to 16 per cent of males.
The analysis also revealed important differences between participants who were successfully managing their weight versus those in earlier stages of the weight loss journey.
Successful dieters were far less likely to use eating as a way of coping with negative emotions, were more aware of their habits, and were more likely to notice when their eating behaviours were getting off track. Conversely, those in the earlier stages of weight loss had stronger eating habits, making them harder to break.
CSIRO Research Scientist Dr Naomi Kakoschke, who led the analysis, said the insights highlight the “chicken and egg” nature of eating behaviours and weight management.
“We know that healthy habits support healthy weight loss, and unhealthy habits typically lead to weight gain,” Dr Kakoschke said.
“By becoming more aware of their habits through the Healthy Habits Quiz, Australians can kickstart a positive change to their habits and their health”.
Almost all participants indicated they were tempted by foods that can be a challenge for weight management if consumed too frequently or in large amounts, while over a third agreed or strongly agreed that eating tempting foods was something they did automatically.
Chocolate was revealed as the top tempting food at 72 per cent, closely followed by cheese at 61 per cent, and bread rolls at 52 per cent.
Males were more likely to be tempted by beer and processed meats, while females reported a higher temptation for savoury crackers, cakes and muffins.
The survey participants also shared their top three strategies for making healthy habits stick. These included tracking and monitoring their food intake, building and seeking support and accountability from social networks, and monitoring their progress.
Additionally, positive self-talk and affirmations, and reward and recognition were identified by survey participants as key drivers of healthier habits.
“The data highlights that building healthy habits requires more than just good intentions; it requires support to make small, incremental changes that can be sustained over the longer-term”, Dr Kakoschke said.
“By leveraging a science-backed and structured program like the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, which offers tools such as meal plans, food trackers, and a community network, Australians can practise healthy habits that lead to a steady progression toward better health.”
People find success with the CSRIO Total Wellbeing Diet
Emma, who is in her 40’s and lives in Brisbane is one Australian who has recently managed to lose a significant amount of weight while following the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet.
Emma’s weight gain was a gradual accumulation over 13 years, and she notes aging, a sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy eating habits as the key contributors.
She decided to take some positive action after she saw a photograph of herself at a friend’s birthday party.
“I thought, do I really look like that? I suddenly became fearful that if I remained on this trajectory and didn’t overhaul my lifestyle now then I was potentially headed for some significant health issues down the track.
“I didn’t feel ‘right’ or like the ‘real me’. I wanted to seize back control over my life and return to a feeling of leading a ‘balanced’ life in relation to my food and exercise choices.” Emma shared.
Having experimented with other diets that she found restrictive, Emma chose the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet for its scientific backing, food group inclusivity, and user-friendly tools. The Healthy Habits Quiz helped Emma reflect on how her eating habits were linked to her weight struggles.
Knowing that changing these behaviours was necessary to sustaining weight loss, she lent on the support tools to do so – diligently tracking her weight, taking photos and measurements weekly, and embracing the Positive Psychology tools available on the program – setting a vision for her ‘Best Self’, and using gratitude notes along the way. The success stories of other members also played a key role in inspiring her progress.
Emma lost a remarkable 14.5kgs in just 9 months, and also reported the positive aspects of being fitter on her physical and mental health.
“Losing weight has been a transformative journey for me. I’ve learnt to work with my habits to make them healthier. For example, takeaway is now an occasional indulgence for me and I opt for healthier options with lots of protein and plenty of vegetables.
Emma’s advice for others looking to create healthier habits and lose weight is to take small steps in making gradual changes, get curious about your behaviours and what’s driving them, and be persistent.
Jayne from South Australia decided to do something about her weight when she tipped the scales at 117kgs. She reported having no energy, a body riddled with aches and pains, and reflux. Mentally, she was unhappy and hated looking at her reflection, or herself in photos.
The years of poor eating habits – snacking too much on processed foods and eating fast food rather than nutritious meals – had finally caught up. Finding out she was about to become a grandmother was a big motivator for her to make a change.
“Using the CSIRO Total Wellbeing app has helped me so much with my weight loss journey. Tracking your food intake puts it all there in black and white. It has also educated me around proper portion sizes.”
“Learning that I eat when I’m bored helped me identify when I’m turning to food out of boredom, or if I’m actually hungry.” Jayne shared.
Over 8 months Jayne lost 21.5 kgs, and she has a new spring in her step. Her husband also joined her on the diet – losing 30 kgs.
Learn more about the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet and tools.
