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Science & Technology
Sinque™ technology is deeply rooted in medical and behavioral science
Through technology, Sinque™ enhances weight loss success by addressing both the physiological and psychological challenges associated with behavior change and weight loss. On this page, we explain how this works.
Select a topic to learn more about the science and the solution:
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Explaining natural weight fluctuation
Understanding the natural fluctuation of body weight is key to taking a healthy and informed approach to weight management. Daily fluctuations in weight are a normal aspect of human physiology and can be influenced by various factors, such as hydration, metabolism, and the environment—important for functions like digestion and keeping our cells stable. Other examples are:
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Physical activity
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Stress levels
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Medication
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Sleep patterns
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Hormonal changes
Observed weight fluctuations throughout the day can serve as visible indicators of the body's continuous adjustments to internal and external factors. You could do an experiment and record your weight using a scale every 20 minutes for a full day, and see your weight going up and down, before and after meals, using the bathroom, etc.
Understanding weight fluctuations is crucial for successful weight management. It allows individuals to make informed decisions about their lifestyle and set realistic goals and expectations. On the contrary, a lack of understanding can negatively affect one's attempt to manage their weight. This is described in the chapter below.
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The frustrations with the ups and downs on the scale
The Stages of Change
The key to weight loss is a lifestyle shift, rooted in daily behavior change. To provide insight into the process of changing behavior, the researchers Prochaska & DiClemente (1983) introduced the Transtheoretical Model.
The model suggests that people move along the following five stages of
change as they attempt to change their lifestyle: precontemplation,
contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. A failed attempt
to move along the stages results in a setback to the first stage.
In weight loss attempts, about 80% of people relapse, going back to
old habits and often gaining more weight than before.
Research shows that relapses during weight loss attempts are often caused by a lack of useful, reinforcing information. As people change behavior, useful information and feedback is crucial to help them stay motivated
and move along to the next stage. In contrast, non-useful or inaccurate information causes people to avoid the information regarding their progress, which often leads to loss of motivation and giving up. This is described as
'The Ostrich Problem' (Chang et al., 2017).
The Ostrich Problem
Earlier, we described that our body weight fluctuates on a daily basis. However, many people are often unaware of this. This lack of understanding often leads to confusion and frustration when tracking their progress using a scale. They might be losing weight, but if they happen to step on the scale on a moment when their weight is high, and the number doesn't align with their expectations, confusion sets in, which often leads to loss of motivation and a relapse.
People tend to completely avoid the information when they experience it as inaccurate or unuseful. They 'stick their head in the ground', like an ostrich, and give up. In the next step, we describe how Sinque™ provides a solution.
“People seem to avoid to track their goal progress when they feel that the information about their progress is not accurate or useful.”
Chang, Webb & Benn - Frontiers in Psychology, 2017
Source: Prochaska, J., DiClemente, C.,. (1984). Stages and Processes of Self-Change of Smoking: Toward an Integrative Model of Change. Psycnet.apa.org. psycnet.apa.org/record/1983-26480-001.
Source: Chang, B. P. I., Webb, T. L., & Benn, Y. (2017, February 8). Why do people act like the proverbial ostrich? investigating the reasons that people provide for not monitoring their goal progress. Frontiers in psychology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5297323/
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Sinque looks beyond the numbers and reveals the true weight trend
A stress-free way to track progress
Combining science and technology, Sinque™ offers a better way for people to track their progress.
Using our Sinque™ app and monitor, users complete measurements at least 3-4 times per week. As the monitor doesn't show any numbers, this is completely stress-free.
Users can keep their clothes on, and measuring takes around 15 seconds per day. It's quick and easy. Also, regular self-weighing is associated with weight loss and weight loss maintenance (Burke et al., 2011).
In the app, users receive fun, helpful messages, helping them stay motivated and feel supported.
Sinque learns the natural fluctuation pattern
As users track their progress, data starts coming in. Sinque™ uses this data to learn their weight fluctuation pattern.
Sinque™ uses an algorithm that creates many more weight points around the recorded weekly measurements in order to define a weekly weight range.
By comparing these weekly weight ranges over time, Sinque™ learns the weight fluctuation pattern, providing reliable insight into the progression of weight change. This eliminates frustration with the ups and downs on the scale.
Revealing the weight trend, 2 weeks in advance
Based on the fluctuation pattern over the past weeks, the algorithm projects the user's weight trend two weeks in advance, with 90% accuracy.
The Sinque Dial shows the weight trend, which the user sees in the Sinque App every time they record a measurement.
Instead of showing numbers, the Sinque Dial shows if they are gaining, maintaining or losing weight. If it shows they're gaining weight, they know it is only a prediction -- they still have time to change their behavior and change the prediction of the dial. If they see they're losing weight, they feel motivated to stick to their current behavior and stay on track. This interplay between motivation, self-regulation and weight control is further explained in the provided article by Texeira et al., (2012).
This method of tracking and revealing progress reinforces behavior change, helping users stay informed and motivated as they progress through the stages of change and work toward reaching their goals. In the next step, we describe how data collected by Sinque™ is used by professionals to provide proactive, personalized support.
Source: Burke, L. E., Wang, J., & Sevick, M. A. (2011). Self-monitoring in weight loss: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(1), 92-102.
Source: Teixeira, P. J., Silva, M. N., Mata, J., Palmeira, A. L., & Markland, D. (2012). Motivation, self-determination, and long-term weight control. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 9, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-22
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Professionals provide proactive, personalized support using the dashboard
No more blind spots in-between appointments
Research indicates that the level of continuous support significantly influences client retention, adherence, and program success in attempts to change behavior and lose weight (Lemstra et al., 2016). However, the limited visibility professionals often have into client behavior and progress creates a blind spot between appointments that restricts their ability to provide proactive, continuous support.
With Sinque™, this is different. By encouraging users to monitor their weight with the stress-free monitor and app, Sinque™ facilitates data acquisition. While the user only sees their Sinque Dial, the system collects much more valuable information regarding their behavior and progress. This is shown to the professional in the dashboard.
Provide better support while reducing management time
The dashboard offers a simple but complete and easy-to-use overview of client behavior and progress.
This makes it easy to see who is on track to achieve program objectives, and who needs attention to get on track, empowering the professional to stay informed at any time and adjust their approach based on the needs of their clients.
For example, if they see that their client isn't stepping on the monitor, they can step in and provide support to help them stick to the program. Being there at this moment can prevent a relapse and help the client move along the stages of change as they work towards their goals.
In the meantime, the client feels the support of their professional, which motivates them to keep going, even during difficult moments.
Source: Lemstra, M., Bird, Y., Nwankwo, C., Rogers, M., & Moraros, J. (2016). Weight loss intervention adherence and factors promoting adherence: a meta-analysis. Patient preference and adherence, 10, 1547–1559. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S103649
The Sinque cycle: empowering users and professionals
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