Creating a self directed HWFL program
Need help? Call 1800 226 180 or SMS 0429 200 622 to contact our team for answers to your questions!
Don't have private health insurance that will cover the program costs? We can help you structure your own cost-effective, self-funded program. The structure and tools used in the HWFL programs can be tailored to your own needs for less than the cost of visiting a health specialist.
Self-funded program - recommended structure
The objective of the Motivate Phase is to achieve motivational weight loss of 5-6% in around 6 weeks.
We recommend following a similar structure to the HWFL programs for optimal results. This structure has been expertly researched and developed to assist in weight loss.
Recommended structure of Phase 1 - Motivate (week 1 - 6):
Use two KicStart™ VLCD shakes or soups to replace two meals a day, usually breakfast and lunch.
The third main meal, usually dinner, is a portion controlled normal meal prepared using the Healthy Weight For Life portion planner.
Use 'Free Foods' to supplement KicStart™ meals, as snacks and to bulk up main meals.
Care Support Team
The HWFL Care Support Team is a specialised multidisciplinary team of pharmacists, dietitians, occupational therapists, nurses, diabetes nurses, program navigators and logistics experts. If you have any questions about your self-funded program, please feel free to contact us.
What you purchase is completely up to you. You’re welcome to just order KicStart™ sachets and a shaker or you can purchase the resources used in the typical HWFL program.
Click here to browse the variety of products available for purchase or call the HWFL team on 1800 226 180 for assistance.
If you wish to follow a similar structure to the fully funded HWFL programs, here is a list of recommended tools and resources to purchase:
Phase 1:
Select up to 84 x KicStart™ sachets (mix and match flavours in both the shakes and soups) - For example:
6 weeks supply - select 84 sachets to replace 2 meals per day (total RRP $247.80), OR
3 weeks supply - select 42 sachets to replace 2 meals per day (total RRP $123.90), OR
2 weeks supply - select 28 sachets to replace 2 meals per day (total RRP $82.60)
Healthy Weight For Life Portion Planner Disc (strongly recommended)
The Portion Planner Disc (RRP $12.95) is used to help you serve enjoyable, nutritious portion controlled dinners so you can reduce the energy content of your evening meal by around 50% without feeling hungry or deprived.
Healthy Weight For Life Week by Week Guide (strongly recommended)
The HWFL guide book (RRP $49.95) is designed to provide advice about healthy eating, increasing physical activity levels and maintaining motivation to help individuals achieve their goals.
Purchase Phase 1 core resources now
Healthy Weight For Life Lunch & Snack box (recommended)
One of the simplest ways to take control of what and how much you eat is to pack your own lunch and snacks every day. With the Healthy Weight For Life lunch and snack cooler bag (RRP $14.95), along with the healthy lunch portions instructions, you will have delicious, healthy and satisfying lunches and snacks everyday.
Healthy Weight For Life Shaker (recommended)
High quality premium 500mL shaker (RRP $9.95) with screw top lid with an easy pour spout and volume graduations make preparing your shake in less than 5 minutes a breeze!
Healthy Weight For Life Drinkbottle (recommended)
To help you reach the desired intake of water each day try to get into the habit of filling your 750mL HWFL drinkbottle (RRP $11.95) before breakfast and aim to finish it by lunchtime. Then refill it again after lunch with the intention of drinking it by bedtime.
The objective of the Consolidate Phase is to achieve and maintain a weight loss of around 7% of your starting weight (with a secondary goal of 10% loss if possible).
We recommend following a similar structure to the HWFL programs for optimal results. This structure has been expertly researched and developed to assist in weight loss.
Recommended structure of the Phase 2 - Consolidate (week 7-12):
In phase 2, one KicStart™ VLCD shake or soup replaces 1 meal a day, usually breakfast.
The other 2 main meals, usually lunch and dinner, and snacks are portion controlled versions of your usual food choices prepared using the Healthy Weight For Life portion planner, free food snacks and recipes.
What do I need to purchase for Phase 2
If you already purchased the tools and resources in phase 1, all you need to purchase for phase 2 is:
42 KicStart™ sachets - purchase now
Select 42 sachets (RRP $123.90), mix and match your favourite flavours in both the shakes and soups.
The objective of the Maintain Phase is to transition to few or no replaced meals and consolidate the complete set of new lifestyle skills and habits needed to maintain a healthy weight for life.
Recommended structure of the Phase 3 - Maintain (week 13 - 18 and beyond):
In phase 3, replace intermittent meals with KicStart™ VLCD as required. The majority of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are portion controlled versions of your usual food choices prepared using the Healthy Weight For Life portion planner, free food snacks and recipes.
What do I need to purchase for Phase 3?
If you already purchased the tools and resources in phase 1 or 2, all you need to purchase for phase 3 is KicStart sachets.
Usually participants order 21 KicStart™ sachets (RRP $61.95) but you can always purchase more for ongoing use of the meal replacements. Click here to order KicStart sachets.
HWFL resources - overview
Learn more about using KicStart™, portion planning disks and the Week-by-week guide recommended to use in the self-directed program.
KicStart™ VLCD (stands for Very Low Calorie Diet) is a unique, high quality, nutritionally complete meal replacement that has been developed, manufactured and packaged in Australia.
It can be used in:
- Meal replacement programs that replace one or two meals a day.
- Medically supervised Very Low Calorie Diet programs that replace all daily meals for the dietary management of obesity
KicStart™ VLCD has been used in multiple internationally published clinical trials that showed medically significant weight loss and health improvements across many different clinical conditions (ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4)
Importantly, the same level of weight loss has also been replicated in 'real world' Healthy Weight For Life programs with over 10,000 participants (ref).
Evidence supports low- and very low-energy meal replacement as a successful strategy for weight loss in overweight individuals (ref 1, ref 2)
There are 6 delicious KicStart™ shake flavours and 5 hearty KicStart™ soup flavours available which can be used on their own or mixed with an amazing variety of additional ‘free food’ ingredients to make an endless array of unique personalised flavours.
For variety or to jazz up your favourite KicStart™ why not try some of our serving suggestions? (view)
To view KicStart™ Ingredients, Nutritional Information and flavours, click here.
The HWFL Week-by-Week Guide is the book that forms the backbone of the HWFL programs. It has been carefully designed to be read week by week throughout the program and maps out the complete journey, making it an easy-to-follow process. Topics covered in the book include:
- Goal setting
- Energy balance
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity and activity for life
- Mindful eating and drinking
- Making good habits for life
- Shopping, cooking and dining out
- Stress management
- Support network
- Mastering motivation
- Overcoming plateaus
The guide also includes some delicious, healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. This is a great resource for those completing a self-directed program as it provides a step-by-step guide and support through the program phases and advice on your use of KicStart™ and portion-planned meals.
Use the Portion Planner Disc to prepare enjoyable, portion controlled dinners.
The Portion Planner Disc is a practical tool to help with the implementation of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
This helps alleviate a common mistake people make with the evening meal - not including enough tasty, low energy density foods (which are usually high in fibre and water, such as salads and vegetables; and too many more energy dense foods than we need, such as meat, rice, bread, pasta and creamy sauces.
Click here for more information on using the portion planning disk
The Lunch & Snack box has been designed to help satisfy your hunger and your energy needs throughout the day. The contents of the box, guided by the lunchbox building instructions in the HWFL Week-by-week Guide are designed to be consumed over the course of the period between breakfast and dinner and are not meant to be consumed all in one sitting.
Planning ahead and having a packed lunchbox near you during the day will help you resist the temptation to snack on high energy foods that are on offer, both out and about or in the pantry and fridge at home.
Pack your lunchbox before you leave home in the morning, or if you are usually rushing out the door with no time to spare, pack it the night before and refrigerate overnight. You will then be sure to have healthy, energy and portion- controlled food ready for your morning tea, lunch and afternoon snacks.
The Healthy Weight For Life (HWFL) Shaker is a high quality premium 500mL shaker with screw top lid. The easy pour spout and volume graduations make preparing your shake a breeze!
To make your KicStart™ VLCD shake:
- Add 200 ml (or more*) of cold water into the shaker provided, or to a blender, then add the sachet of KicStart™ powder to the water (add some ice cubes for a frothier consistency).
- Shake or blend for 30 seconds or until the consistency of the liquid is smooth and slightly frothy.
- Pour into a cup to enjoy or drink straight from the shaker!
To make your KicStart™ VLCD soup:
- Add 200 ml (or more*) of cold water, not hot water, to the shaker provided, or to a blender, then add the sachet of KicStart™ powder to the water.
- Shake or blend for 30 seconds or until the consistency of the liquid is smooth and slightly frothy.
- Pour the mixed soup into a heatproof container and gently heat in the microwave or on a stove top until warm. Do not boil the soup.
Filling and re-filling your drink bottle (aiming for up to two litres each day) with plain water and drinking from it regularly throughout the day will help you:
- Maintain your hydration and minimise the risk of mistaking thirst for hunger - surprisingly a lot of people confuse the two and over eat as a result
- Reduce the likelihood of drinking high energy fruit juices, fruit smoothies, full fat flavoured milk drinks, soft drinks or sports drinks when you are thirst.
- Avoid spending money on expensive bottle water
Self-funded program - Support resources
Sometimes people using a VLCD meal replacement product can experience short term constipation.
As such, during the Healthy Weight For Life™ program it is important to:
- Take preventative steps to reduce the risk of developing constipation
- Be aware of your normal bowel habits and act early if you notice you are needing to open your bowels less than usual.
- If you become constipated don’t ignore it, take action as soon possible
- Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if symptoms persist, if faeces are bloodstained or black and tar-like, if you have other symptoms such as a headache, fever or pain.
For more information, click here.
Yes, you can change around the meals that you replace with KicStart™ to fit in with your lifestyle. E.g. for shift workers. Some people find that they need a little bit of an extra boost in the afternoon, so they have a portion controlled main meal during the middle of the day and replace their morning and evening meals with KicStart™ instead. Others have found that having a portion controlled breakfast suits their routine better and will replace the other two meals with KicStart™.
You can also move the portion planned meal around to work in with your social commitments - if you are out for lunch, then have your portioned meal then and a sachet at breakfast and dinner. Or if you are going out for breakfast with family or friends, have the portioned meal at breakfast and use your meal replacements at each of the other 2 meals. To ensure that you are selecting the correct food in the correct portion you should refer to the relevant guidelines in your Week by Week Guide book. As you move through the program, gradually you will reduce the number of meals replaced with KicStart™ as you build up new healthy eating and lifestyle habits.
Have a drink of water
Often people confuse thirst for hunger so try having a drink of water to see if that helps manage your hunger. You could also try one of the 'free drinks' listed.
If the distractions and a drink of water or another 'free drink' do not reduce the desire to eat after 15 minutes then you can use your imagination to prepare a 'guilt free' tasty snack from the 'free foods' list.
Distract yourself
If you feel that you are hungry the first approach is to try and distract yourself for 15 minutes - for example you could:
- Play with a pet
- Go for a short walk outside
- Phone a friend for a chat.
Can I have additional fruit?
Whole pieces of fruit (NOT fruit juice) are an important part of a long term healthy diet however they do contribute to your overall energy intake. During phase 1, the Motivational Weight Loss Phase, it is preferable to limit your snacks to 'free foods'.
Information about fruit can be found in phase 1 page 8 of your Week by Week guide. The free food list is designed to incorporate all the foods you can be having between meals that will not have a negative impact on your program. If a food is not listed there it is safe to assume we do not want you to be eating it in phase one. We will introduce more fruit in phase 2 but at this point berries are what is recommended because of their lower sugar content. For longer term thinking we follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommendation of 2 serves of fruit per day.
We recommend that members should aim to increase their incidental activity during the day PLUS a planned period of physical activity every day. If this is not something you are already capable of, just start with a comfortable 5 or 10 minute walk on a flat surface. Aim to increase this every few days until you have built up to 3 x10 minute walks each day during phase 1. By the end of phase 2 there is an expectation of regularly achieving 30 mins of physical activity or 10000 steps per day on a wearable device eg Fitbit, Garmin or Apple watch. This level of activity should continue throughout phase 3 & beyond.
What kind of activity should I do?
Some people may find walking too painful on their joints, and so we recommend that you find alternate options that suit you and that you find fun. Examples include swimming, cycling, yoga, pilates, taichi, dancing, rowing, and so forth.
Active living doesn’t require excessive motivation or discipline nor does it have to include a rigid exercise regime. With a little planning and imagination, becoming more active can be easy and enjoyable - even fun! Any chance to be more active should be seen as an opportunity not a chore.
The program is designed to address old eating habits that no longer serve you and replace them with a healthy approach to eating.
If you want to achieve this you will need to change some of the things you have been used to doing (habits). Adding sweet treats cancels out any benefit from using the meal replacements.
Sugar cravings are very real, but they can be managed and reduced – as with many addictions you can go “cold turkey” if you are feeling strong, or wean off gradually. If you can identify the time you are craving the sugar and also what action you usually take (eg a sweet treat after dinner every night), this is the first step to making a change. Interestingly a recent study has shown that a 15 min walk will produce a similar feel good “rush” as eating chocolate would stimulate in the brain, hence the cravings get easier to resist. So give that a go if you can.
There are some sweeter choices that can be eaten in moderate portions in the breakfast and lunch plans (eg yoghurt, plain sweet biscuits such as milk arrowroot,sweeter fruit) or you can choose sweet things that use sugar-substitutes (eg diet jelly) so that you get the sweetness without the calories, or you can work on reducing the craving by not feeding it, by distracting yourself, and also counteracting with a savoury or neutral taste.
Some suggestions include:
- Green tea or licorice tea
- Water with lemon wedge
- a small savoury snack (from the Free Food list – see the recipe section for some ideas)
- have some air-popped popcorn or a punnet of strawberries
- Chew sugar-free gum
- Go for a walk
- Phone a friend
- Gardening or other activity to keep your hands busy
- Identify if there is an emotional trigger and plan alternate strategies
Even artificial sweeteners can still trigger sugar cravings so it's better to try gradually weaning yourself off natural sugar rather than swapping it for artificial substitutes where possible. As you gradually switch out the more refined carbs for whole choices, your taste buds adjust, and you’ll likely find yourself craving less sweet things.
Alcoholic drinks do contribute to the overall energy intake for the day which shouldn't be overlooked when you are trying to lose weight. Alcohol is high in energy (kilojoules) and of little nutritional value. In addition, in some people alcohol can stimulate appetite and/or reduce inhibitions leading to more food being eaten than initially intended.
In Phase One it is preferable that, if possible, you avoid alcohol entirely to give you the best chance of actual weight loss. If you do choose to have a drink of alcohol during Phase One we suggest that you try to counteract the extra energy intake with some extra activity. As an indication, the energy in 1 full strength beer or an average glass of wine would have to be balanced with an extra 30 minute walk (approximately).
During Phases Two and Three and in the long term, alcohol should be considered an “extra” and the additional calories off-set by increasing your activity where you can.
If you would like some more information on safe alcohol consumption you can refer to the National Guidelines for Alcohol Consumption.
Recent clinical data indicates a strong relationship between stress, obesity and ill health. Short, sharp reactions to acute stressors such as an argument with a friend or family member or problems with work that are quickly resolved and forgotten about, will cause no permanent harm and the body is well designed to cope with this type of situation.
However an inappropriate and prolonged (chronic) stress response where you feel unable to cope and continually on edge, results in an excessive and continual secretion of stress hormones. These hormones, via a complex relationship with other chemicals, can exert a wide range of effects on various tissues and organs of the body, but most specifically in relation to body weight, they can cause increased visceral (tummy) fat deposition and a decrease in your lean muscle mass over time. Both of these situations are deleterious to long term health.
You may not be able to avoid situations that cause you stress, but what you can do is find strategies to make sure your reaction to the stressor doesn’t affect your health or your weight.
Many who have lost weight only to regain it later tend not to allow themselves to confront problems directly and are much more likely to turn to food or drink in response to emotional distress. Conversely people who have successfully achieved a lasting weight loss have been able to learn how to face problems head on and use problem solving strategies to overcome the hurdles everyday life presents to them.
The development of problem solving skills is particularly helpful at times when you are dealing with emotional distress so you don’t revert to old unhealthy habits.
More questions?
For more answers about the diet, activity levels, the compatibility of medications or health conditions with the meal replacement sachets and other general queries, visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
If you still have questions after visiting the FAQ page, feel free to call 1800 226 180 or SMS 0429 200 622 to contact our team for answers to your questions!