MyHabeats

Supporting lifelong healthy habits after weight loss surgery.

WORK

1/8/20253 min read

Supporting healthy habits after weight loss surgery.

MyHabeats

  • Behavioural Strategy

  • Behavioural Problem Framing

  • Behavioural Research

  • Behavioural Design

  • Behaviour Validation

Bariatric surgery is a life-changing decision. It’s the start of a new chapter—but turning that chapter into lasting change takes more than willpower. That’s where MyHabeats comes in: an app designed to help patients build healthier habits after surgery.

The problem? Patients loved the app... in the beginning, but as the novelty wore off, so did their engagement. Old habits crept back, and the progress they worked so hard for was at risk.

So, MyHabeats partnered with us... the behaviour specialists. Together, we turned their app into a tool that not only kept patients engaged but became a seamless part of their daily lives.

"Success is 30% surgery, 70% behaviour change."

Katie Milioni, CEO of MyHabeats

Overview
a person holding a bowl of food with a spoon and fork
a person holding a bowl of food with a spoon and fork

After bariatric surgery, patients are faced with the challenge of reshaping their daily lives. It’s not just about what they eat—it’s about how they think, feel, and act. MyHabeats aimed to be the go-to guide for patients during this transformation, but something wasn’t clicking. Engagement dropped off after the first month, and patients started falling back into old routines.

Here’s what we found:

  1. Motivation burnout:
    Patients began their journey full of determination, but without reinforcement, that energy faded fast.

  2. Environmental challenges:
    Kitchens and homes were filled with triggers that made unhealthy choices too easy.

  3. Generic advice:
    The app’s guidance wasn’t tailored enough to resonate with each patient’s unique needs.

The problem
a kitchen with behaviour trait analysis at key touchpoints
a kitchen with behaviour trait analysis at key touchpoints

Behaviour Traits Analysis in ethnographic research and driver analysis

At Alterkind, we don’t just design solutions—we design behaviours. For MyHabeats, this meant rethinking how the app fit into patients’ lives. Using our Behaviour Thinking® Methodology, we focused on making MyHabeats more than an app. It became a personal coach, a daily companion, and a source of encouragement.

Here’s what we did:

  1. Start early:
    We introduced MyHabeats to patients before their surgery, during the window of highest motivation. This gave them a chance to explore the app and start building habits before the real challenges began.

  2. Simplify onboarding:
    We streamlined the app’s setup process, making it easy for patients to get started without frustration.

  3. Make it personal:
    Partnered with nutritionists to tailor the app’s advice to each patient’s cultural, dietary, and emotional needs. Because one-size-fits-all never fits anyone.

  4. Encourage through nudges:
    Designed timely prompts to help patients through tough moments, like evening cravings or social events. These nudges reminded patients that small wins matter.

  5. Redesign the environment:
    Focused on practical changes in the home, starting with the fridge. A few simple tweaks helped patients make healthier choices instinctively.

Our approach

Sometimes, the biggest changes start in the smallest places. For many patients, the fridge wasn’t just a place to store food, it was where healthy intentions went to die.

Why? Because for most their fridges were too small for their new controlled diet and it acted as a trigger to old habits.

So, we made it a focus:

  • Reorganising for success:
    We helped patients prioritise healthy options, putting them front and centre.

  • Creating space:
    For those with limited fridge space, we recommended partnerships with charities to provide affordable solutions.

  • Family buy-in:
    Patients involved their families in clearing out temptations, creating an environment that supported their new lifestyle.

The fridge fix

MyHabeats is now rolling out these strategies across their platform, with plans to track long-term outcomes. Together, we’re continuing to refine and adapt the approach to ensure every patient gets the support they need.

"Alterkind’s work has been nothing short of transformative. The project not only impressed our design team and physicians but also sparked new insights and discussions we hadn’t considered before. Several points truly blew us away. The level of depth and strategic thinking has been invaluable.”

Katie Milioni, CEO of MyHabeats

What's next

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For fresh ideas in behavioural thinking and health behaviour change contact Alterkind.
For fresh ideas in behavioural thinking and health behaviour change contact Alterkind.