Lose weight by playing games on an app – sign up to test it out now
OVERWEIGHT Brits are being urged to test an app that could help them lose weight.
Thousands of volunteers are being called as part of a study led by Cardiff University.
Participants will need to play a brain-training game once a day while recording their weight over three months.
Brain scientists hope those involved will drop the pounds just by completing the 10-15 minute tasks.
Losing weight comes down to food choices and exercise.
But often “diets” don’t tackle the psychological aspect of obesity, leaving many returning to their old habits.
Cardiff researchers hope their app is a step in the right direction to help tackle obesity at the root causes.
Project lead Professor Chris Chambers said previous research has suggested that brain training could be a successful method of weight loss – and now scientists want to test it on a large scale.
He told The Sun: "Some of the games target our low-level instincts, helping us build associations between certain foods and certain actions – such as avoiding donuts or approaching apples.
"Other games target higher-level thoughts, such as the rules we set for ourselves in our daily lives. Will I stop by the chip shop on the way home from work, or will I keep driving?
"Some research suggests that mentally rehearsing good rules (keep driving!) can help us make better choices."
Prof Chambers said testing the app is "especially important now" after so many people have put on weight during the pandemic.
He said: "There’s no better time to launch this than now. Overweight and obesity have been a growing problem for decades, and have worsened a lot during the pandemic."
The app, called Restrain, is available to download from the Google Play store to Android users now.
If you would like to be involved in the Restrain project, download the app or email restrain@cardiff.ac.uk.
To take part in the trial people must be over 18, have a body mass index of 25 or over, have no past or current eating disorder, not be pregnant and not follow a restrictive diet such as vegan.
What does the trial involve?
Every day trial participants will need to commit to a few tasks on the app.
The researchers say you can participate as much or as little as you like – but the more you do, the better.
Prof Chambers said the goal of each game is backed by scientific research but need to be tested in the real world.
He said: "Some of the games try to change the way we feel emotionally about certain foods, while others train people to stop or restrain an action (like pressing a button) when they see the food.
"These types of training work on our low-level automatic instincts when we see food, conditioning us to make better choices without needing any effort or willpower.
"Another type of training helps people form clear goals in their mind for what they want to achieve – such as 'When I go to the supermarket, I will skip the confectionery aisle'. "
App users can select foods in the “virtual supermarket” to make the games personalised toward their own cravings.
For example if someone wants to eat less chips and cookies, they can gear the games towards those foods.
Researcher Mark Randle said: “The app tasks are designed to bias the user’s thoughts and behaviours towards healthy foods and away from unhealthy foods.
“If they work at promoting healthy eating habits, then this training could become a useful tool for weight loss, especially for people who struggle with exercise or dieting.”
Researcher Ines Duarte added: “One of the possible advantages of such training is that it doesn’t require much time or effort – it attempts to reprogramme a person’s relationship with food, rather than relying on willpower or requiring them to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle.”
Users will also be asked to weigh themselves once a week and to report which foods they have consumed.
The research team will also measure attitudes towards foods, craving and exercise to see how these change with training.
They will look at how much weight people lose while using the app to see if it can be a useful tool in slimming down.
Public reviews of the app have been mixed so far.
One user, Melanie Delaney, said: “I have been using this app now for about ten weeks and have reached my target weight.
“I cannot reccomend [sic] this app enough. For the first time in my life I can honestly say I no longer crave chocolate or cake!
“It’s so easy to eat healthily.
“It did take about 2 ½ weeks to really work but then something just clicked with me and there’s no going back for me now!”
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However, another reviewer, Herbert Hisbert, said: “I’ve used this app for 11 weeks so far, so just another week to go, and I’ve steadily put on weight… it just hasn’t worked for me.
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“My feeling is that if I’d been quite strongly motivated at the start, this might have helped reinforce that.
“But coming to the app hoping it would actually change my mindset hasn’t worked and was perhaps an unrealistic hope.”