Georgina Willard never thought artificial intelligence (AI) would help her lose 40kg.
After gaining weight during the COVID years, Willard used the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet and its new AI function to lose the weight over 16 months.
While the CSIRO diet has been around for a long time, its new AI function My Journey allows users to customise achievable weightloss goals based on age, height, and health status.
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“Like so many others I did suffer with the COVID kilos after lockdown and I jumped online and came across the CSIRO Total Wellbeing diet,” Willard told Michael Usher and Monique Wright on Sunrise on Tuesday.
“Everything that I read was proven by science. There were so many different tools and resources available, from the AI tool to success stories, the community social media pages.
“They want you to succeed and want you to make that long lifestyle change.”
Georgina Willard and Dr Gilly Hendrie on Sunrise on Tuesday, speaking about the new AI tool involved with the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Credit: Seven Williard said she lost the weight by focusing on 5kg increments as part of her overall goals.
“I targeted the first 5kg and I quickly came across that in the first three weeks,” she said.
“Then it was the next five. Suddenly it built up.”
Williard said she felt amazing after the transformation, saying she regularly hits her 10,000 steps per day for exercise and focuses on Pilates to keep the weight off.
Williard added her severe eczema has cleared up and her asthma has improved.
“It’s incredible. For me, it is just a matter of jumping on the app every day,” she said.
“I track everything I eat still. The best thing about the program is it’s not about depriving yourself of the chocolates and the ice-cream and the fries and the burgers. It’s about moderation instead.”
CSIRO research scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie told Sunrise the diet does not rule out any particular food.
“It’s high protein, low GI carbohydrates and nothing is off limits, so it includes indulgences,” Hendrie said.
“Sometimes with those programs where you do lose a lot of weight more quickly, there’s restrictions on which food groups you can and can’t eat.
“Over the longer term that is not sustainable. This is about healthy eating and learning the skills and knowledge to maintain that in your lifestyle going forward.”
Hendrie spoke about the difference between using the diet compared with weightloss medications such as Ozempic.
“Ours is more of a lifestyle plan — healthy eating and exercise, sleeping well — it’s about a healthy lifestyle generally,” she said.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach … people are learning the skills and knowledge, they find that really helpful.
“That is often the thing that they tell us with the program (that they love the recipes and learning how to cook and eat better).
“It’s good for their families as well.”