A new study from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has revealed that people who use meal plans lose more weight, highlighting the power of planning and potential for personalisation.
The study of nearly 78,000 members of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet found:
- Those who used meal plans the most lost an average of 6.4 kg at 12 weeks, 24 per cent more than those who used them less frequently.
- Timing matters: members who used their meal plans most in the early stages of the program lost 6.9 kg after a year, 48 per cent more than those who used them the least.
To gain deeper insight into members' experiences with meal planning, an additional survey of 1,300 past and present CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet members revealed that 90 per cent of those who achieved their weight loss goals used the meal plan. Additionally, 89 per cent of members who lost more than 10 kilograms in 12 weeks said that having a meal plan was crucial to their success.
Of the members who didn't lose weight, 72 per cent believed they would have been more successful if meal plans were personalised to their preferences and lifestyles.
CSIRO Research Scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie said the findings highlight both the power of meal planning, and the opportunity for further innovation.
"This research shows just how powerful meal planning can be. It provides the know-how of what to eat and helps build the habits of planning ahead, which we know are essential for long-term weight loss success," Dr Hendrie said.
"There's no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss, and that's where personalisation can make a real difference."
In response to the findings, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has launched a new AI-powered personalised meal planning tool, My Plan, the first of its kind in the program's 20-year history.
My Plan creates meal plans tailored to each member's individual needs, considering likes, dislikes, allergies, intolerances and eating styles. It's also tailored to support conditions like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, or life stages such as menopause, helping Australians reach their goals safely and effectively. Additionally, the tool learns and evolves over time, becoming more personalised as it's used.
"AI allows us to personalise meal plans at scale. We used 23 million data points from more than a decade of meal plan usage among 200,000 Total Wellbeing Diet members to train the AI behind this tool," said Dr Hendrie.
Total Wellbeing Diet Dietitian Nicole Pritchard said that unlike many international weight loss technologies designed for overseas markets, this feature is built for Australians, by Australians.
"It is grounded in local data, reflective of the national dietary guidelines, and designed to be accessed alongside the support and guidance offered through the trusted CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet framework," Ms Pritchard said.
Learn how to kickstart your health journey in 2026 with the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet .
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Infographic, images and pre-recorded interviews and b-roll available here .
