The science behind getting leaner together

Keeping a simple daily record of what you eat and do is one of the best-evidenced habits in healthy weight management. Across decades of behavioural research, people who self-monitor consistently tend to do better, and the effect is dose-dependent: the more regularly you track, the better the typical result.

It works because tracking creates awareness (hidden calories, drinks and portions become visible), accountability, and feedback on your progress. LeanerTogether pairs that with a coach, goals and gentle nudges, which is exactly the combination the evidence favours.

Healthy living, becoming leaner, better sleep and more daily movement are linked to lower risk of the conditions that burden families and health systems most, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A scalable, low-cost tool that helps people build these habits can support national goals such as Singapore's War on Diabetes and Healthier SG.

When our community opts in, the anonymous, aggregate patterns in the data can help researchers and health partners understand what genuinely helps people get healthier, so good ideas can reach more people.

• Opt-in only. Your data is used for research only if you explicitly choose to allow it, and you can opt out at any time.
• Anonymous and aggregate. Research outputs are group-level summaries. Individual data is never shared or sold.
• Small groups are hidden. Any figure that would describe fewer than ten people is automatically suppressed, so no one can be singled out.
• PDPA-aligned. We handle personal data in line with Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act. See our Privacy Policy.

We believe transparency builds trust. Our data is self-reported, so it carries the normal limits of any food or activity diary, and what we share is real-world evidence of association and engagement, not the kind of causal proof that only a clinical trial can give.

We focus on outcomes that are harder to mis-measure, such as change in weight and waist over time, and we look at them alongside steps and photo-based food logging. We report progress honestly, including who stops tracking, rather than only the best cases.