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## Obesity
In the United States (US), more than two-thirds of adults are now overweight and one-third is obese. Not only does this have the obvious health consequences but has a large economic impact. Research to date has identified at least four major categories of economic impact linked with the obesity epidemic: direct medical costs, productivity costs, transportation costs, and human capital costs. Substantial economic impacts of obesity are identified in all four categories by existing research. The magnitude of potential economic impact underscores the importance of the obesity epidemic as a focus for policy and a topic for future research. 

- 1 in 3 adults suffer from obesity in the developed world.
- Overweight and obesity contribute to numerous diseases (co-morbidity), being also a significant risk factor in disease morbidity and mortality. 
- Obesity has substantial economic impact for individuals and nations, including direct healthcare costs and indirect costs from lost or reduced productivity, upto 3 trillion Euro per year.
- Individuals who suffer from overweight/obesity fail to achieve long-lasting results in weight loss due to lack knowledge about healthy lifestyle and lack of psychological support from those around.

Individuals who suffer from overweight/obesity need:
- Knowledge and guidance on how to achieve a sustainable behavioral modification program that results in a sustainable healthy lifestyle promoting lasting weight-loss.
- Support of the community and the feeling of not being alone on this journey. 
- To become physically and mentally healthier, not only lose weight. 


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In which some distressing facts are learned.

A big fat story 

## The Tale of Eliza and Her Journey Through the Storm

In a quiet town, nestled between rolling hills and whispering trees, lived a woman named Eliza. Eliza was known for her kind heart and gentle smile, but beneath that smile lay a world of hurt and struggle. She had tried countless diets, hoping each one would be the key to a new beginning. Yet, the cycle of binge eating continued, each episode leaving her feeling more defeated than before.

### The Shadow of the Past

Eliza's troubles with food began years ago, a shadow cast by traumas she rarely spoke of. These memories lingered like ghosts, haunting her thoughts and driving her to seek solace in food. She remembered the nights of loneliness, the echoes of harsh words, and the ache of unhealed wounds. Each bite was an attempt to fill the void, to silence the pain, if only for a moment.

### The Cycle of Despair

Every new diet came with a spark of hope. She would meticulously plan her meals, track her calories, and envision the transformation she longed for. But the storm inside her was relentless. Stressful days would unravel her resolve, and before she knew it, she was reaching for comfort in the form of sweet and savory treats. The guilt that followed was a heavy burden, deepening her sadness and fueling the cycle anew.

### Seeking Help

Desperate for change, Eliza sought the advice of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists. They offered guidance and strategies, but the root of her struggle remained untouched. "It's not just about the food," she often thought to herself. "It's about the emptiness inside." She attended support groups, shared her story with others, and listened to theirs. While these moments brought some comfort, the binge eating persisted, a relentless tide that refused to ebb.

### A Glimmer of Understanding

One day, while walking through a park, Eliza met an old friend named Grace. Grace had faced her own battles and carried her own scars, but there was a calmness about her that Eliza hadn't seen before. They sat on a bench, surrounded by the gentle rustling of leaves, and Eliza poured out her heart.

Grace listened intently, her eyes filled with empathy. "Eliza," she said softly, "I used to feel the same way. The pain, the frustration, the endless cycle. It wasn't until I started being kind to myself that things began to change."

### The Path to Healing

Grace explained how she had found and downloaded the LeanOnMe App whilst browsing and also joined a LeanOnMe support group. She had learned, over time, to treat herself with compassion, to forgive herself for the past, and to understand that her worth wasn't tied to her eating habits. She spoke of learrning mindfulness, of being present in the moment, and of finding joy in small, everyday things.

Eliza felt a spark of something she hadn't felt in a long time—hope. She decided to follow Grace's advice and tryout the LeanOnMe approach, not as a quick fix, but as a new way of living. She began to journal her food and achievements and her mood, to practice mindfulness during meals, and to find non-food-related activities that brought her peace. She found guilty free food that tasted just as good as all the naughty bites she was used to eating but with way less calories. she began to change.

### A Journey, Not a Destination

The road was not easy, and there were many setbacks. But with each step, Eliza learned to be kinder to herself. She reached out to a therapist who specialized in trauma and began to unpack the heavy baggage she had carried for so long. Slowly, the binge episodes became less frequent, the content of the binges less harmful, and the guilt that once overwhelmed her started to fade.

Eliza realized that healing was not a straight path, but a winding river journey with hills and valleys. She began to see herself not as a failure, but as a survivor, someone with the strength to face her past and the courage to build a brighter future.

### The End of the Beginning

As the seasons changed, so did Eliza. She still had days of struggle, but they were now interspersed with days of light and laughter. She learned to celebrate her progress, no matter how small, and to seek support when she needed it. She found LeanOnMe provided lots of ideas to try out and find the ones that suited her most.

Eliza's story was one of resilience and hope, a testament to the power of self-compassion and the human spirit's ability to heal. And as she stood by her window, watching the sun set over the quiet town, she whispered to herself, "I am enough, just as I am."

In the end, Eliza's journey was not just about overcoming binge eating, but about finding herself and learning to live with grace and kindness. And in that, she discovered a strength she never knew she had.

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In which a story of the river is explained and one of binge eating is revealed

A story of the river and the binge eater

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### How LeanOnMe began

LeanOnMe really began around 2008 when in The Netherlands the idea took hold based on the following realization: Obesity is a growing public health challenge worldwide with significant health and economic impacts. The World Healthcare Organization (WHO) has declared obesity an epidemic and the largest healthcare threat for the coming century. In the current upward trend, the WHO calculated that before 2050, more than half of the world population will suffer from obesity.

In the United States (US), more than two-thirds of adults are now overweight and one-third is obese. Not only does this have the obvious health consequences but has a large economic impact. Research to date has identified at least four major categories of economic impact linked with the obesity epidemic: direct medical costs, productivity costs, transportation costs, and human capital costs. Substantial economic impacts of obesity are identified in all four categories by existing research. The magnitude of potential economic impact underscores the importance of the obesity epidemic as a focus for policy and a topic for future research. 

So back to 2008 and a clinic was born with a particular type of program. Dealing with obesity as a food addiction. With the careful design and interaction with the patients the clinic achieved remarkable results: 60% of people had maintained their weight loss after five years. This is remarkable because the success of traditional weight loss programs is OK, but sustained weight loss is often seen at between 3% to 10%. During a particularly rainy period during the COVID lock down in 2021 the idea was born to digitize the program concept by a couple of seasoned founding fathers.

The founders of the digital program, LeanOnMe have a particular background suitable to the initiative. In close and constant collaboration with the original program creator. 
The founders have complimentary backgrounds in Sales and Marketing, IT, App development and Psychology. 

Having recruited a core team of young and dynamic scientists with great track records and PhD’s and an experienced (20 years) clinical psychologist to lead the development of the program the story unfolds.
We also created, as soon as possible, a board of advisors comprising of practicing surgical and substance addiction doctors, university staff for ethics and ‘C’ level management to maintain perspective and provide insights into our growth on the crucial aspects of respect, ethics, legal, financial, process and scaling.

The combination of old heads and young vigor creates a stimulating, exciting and energized team spirit. People are recruited with a paramount focus on caring for the world and solving people’s problems foremost in their mind.




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In which the story of how LeanOnMe was born.

How it all began

## The Tale of the Curious App Developers in Forest Glade

In the peaceful Forest Glade, where the trees whispered secrets and the streams giggled as they meandered, lived a group of curious app developers. They were inspired by the wonders of technology and often gathered under the shade of the old willow tree to discuss the latest trends.

One sunny morning, Honey Bear, who loved honey almost as much as he loved learning new things, joined the developers' meeting. He sat beside his friends, Little Lamby, Jumpy Jaguar, and Mellow Moose, eager to hear about the latest buzzword – Artificial Intelligence.

"Today," began Wise Owl, the wisest of them all, "we will talk about AI and how it helps personalize apps."

"Personalize apps?" echoed Honey Bear, tilting his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means making the app special for each user, like how you know just where to find the sweetest honey," explained Wise Owl.

The developers nodded eagerly, each thinking of the wondrous possibilities. Wise Owl continued, "Some app developers claim their apps use AI to personalize experiences, but it's not always true. Let me tell you a story."

### The Story of Tinke Ring and the AI Illusion

Once upon a time, there was an app developer named Tinke Ring. Tinke Ring wanted to impress users with an app that seemed smart and personal. Tinke Ring claimed the app used AI to understand users' preferences and recommend the best content just for them.

The users loved the idea and flocked to Tinke Ring's app. They believed it was as clever as Wise Owl and as playful as Jumpy Jaguar. But behind the scenes, things were not as they seemed.

### The Mystery Unfolds

One day, Rabbit, who was very particular about details, decided to investigate. Rabbit downloaded Tinke Ring's app and observed its behavior closely.

"Hmm," said Rabbit, noticing that the recommendations were quite generic. "This doesn't seem very personal at all."

Rabbit called for a meeting with Tinke Ring. "Tinke Ring, could you explain how your AI works?"

Tinke Ring, feeling a bit flustered, replied, "Well, it's quite technical. The AI uses something called Linear Regression and Decision Trees."

"Ah," said Rabbit, nodding. "But how exactly does it work in your app?"

Tinke Ring hesitated and then admitted, "It's not really AI. We just use some basic rules to recommend content based on what users click on. It's not as sophisticated as true AI."

### The Lesson Learned

Wise Owl paused and looked around at the attentive faces. "You see, my friends, Tinke Ring's app wasn't truly using AI. It was more like a set of predefined instructions. True AI, like Linear Regression or Decision Trees, involves algorithms learning from data to make predictions or recommendations."

"What's a Linear Regression?" asked Little Lamby, feeling a bit lost.

"Imagine," explained Wise Owl, "you have a list of all the honey pots Honey Bear has eaten and how happy he was each time. Linear Regression helps us draw a line that best predicts Honey Bear's happiness based on the number of honey pots."

"And Decision Trees?" asked Jumpy Jaguar, bouncing with curiosity.

"Think of it like a flowchart," said Wise Owl. "If Honey Bear likes honey, go this way. If not, go that way. It helps make decisions based on past choices."

### The Right Way Forward

"Wow," said Honey Bear, scratching his head. "So, real AI learns and gets better over time?"

"Exactly," said Wise Owl. "And it requires a lot of data and careful tuning."

The developers in Forest Glade nodded in understanding. They realized that true AI was powerful but also complex. They decided to be honest with their users about what their apps could do and to work towards truly integrating AI in a meaningful way.

And so, the developers learned an important lesson. Just like how Honey Bear always searched for the purest honey, they too would strive for genuine, honest innovation in their apps.

### The End

And as the sun set over Forest Glade, the developers, along with Honey Bear and his friends, knew that honesty and hard work were the true keys to creating something special and personal for everyone.

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The Tale of the Curious App Developers in the Forest Glade


The story of curious App developers

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About us

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## Welcome!

Welcome to our community. Here we share stories and what we think are valuable insights on things related to health, wellness, and personal growth. Whether you're on a journey to shed pounds, seeking to manage anxiety and stress, or looking for the best diet tailored just for you, we believe in the program LeanOnMe. We take into account all our experience about how trying it can be when budgets don't seem to stretch for fresh food, its hard to start exercising and you've already tried twenty times to lose weight and nothing seems to work. If you are a first time dieter, welcome! Let's aim that this is the only program you will need for sustainable long term weight loss. 

Our stories box is the beginning of a treasure trove of information on weight loss management and diet strategies, featuring tips and tricks to help you achieve your health goals. Over time we'll present our latest ideas in personalized food plans and the benefits of food logging, all designed to support your unique path to losing weight and keeping it lost. 

We'll also fill this story box with anecdotal stories about the industy which we think might explain some of the jargon being lauded around and give some background into some of the 'facts'. Although we try to make some of these stories light hearted, they are written by experts with many years of study and practical experience behind them.

On another front, we're passionate about leveraging science and technology for better health, You'll find exciting insights on how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way we approach diet and wellness. From personalized recommendations to advanced food tracking, we're here to help you make informed decisions with the power of AI. You'll also find stories and backgrounds in which we explain why Ai is not the answer to everything, not now anyway. We all need the personal touch especially on long and tough journeys.

Join us as we explore these diverse topics, all aimed at explaining who we are, and helping you live a healthier, happier life. Let's embark on this trip down the river together, one story at a time. Grab a paddle and let's navigate the winding river of health and wellness, where each bend holds a new adventure and every ripple tells a story worth sharing. Please also share your experiences, we'll take them into account for the improvement of the program.

Inside dreams, not fairy tales

Welcome!

A big fat story

A story of the river and the binge eater

How it all began

The story of curious App developers