SuperFastDiet: The weight loss innovation set to go global

Finding the 5:2

After meeting at work in their early 20s, Sydneysiders Victoria Black and Gen Davidson recognised a shared entrepreneurial spirit.

“We were working at a womens-only gym called Gloria Marshall Figure Salons,” Davidson says.

“Back then the weight-loss industry was just that; there was no support for life post-weight loss. We both thought we could do it better.”

While Davidson remained in the fitness sector, Black ventured into marketing. When the pair eventually reconnected at a function decades later, something had changed.

“We’d both had kids, and we’d both put on weight,” Davidson says.

“I just couldn’t lose mine, and I tried everything. My weight would just yo-yo. It was a struggle, and I could see it in others, too.”

That was when Davidson discovered a weight-loss innovation in intermittent fasting, a clinically proven method that gained widespread popularity through the 5:2 diet.

For five days of the week, dieters can eat normally; on the other two, they’re restricted to just 500-600 calories.

“I did my research and gave it a go,” she says.

“In three months, I lost 20 kilos. It was so easy, I couldn’t believe it. The struggle was gone.”

Slimming down and starting up

Davidson ultimately lost 35 kilograms through intermittent fasting, while Black lost 10 kilos. The fast, satisfying results got the pair thinking about starting a weight-loss innovation company of their own.

To get to know the science, they attended a global obesity conference in Sydney where the topic was intermittent fasting.

“It was serendipitous,” Black says.

“We met top intermittent fasting scientists from American universities, and what we realised was that we were onto an incredible rediscovery. People have been intermittently fasting for thousands of years, but as a concept it had been forgotten.”

Davidson stresses that it’s not just about weight loss – it’s about the right mindset.

“People can’t easily admit they have weight to lose.”

“But once you’re in the right headspace for it, the health benefits – and the mental health benefits – are huge.”

Support crucial for weight-loss success

Bolstered by science, experience and their passion for weight-loss innovation, Davidson and Black established SuperFastDiet, an online platform that provides weight-loss programs, motivational mindset videos and nutritious meal plans all centred on intermittent fasting – not to mention a sizeable weight-loss community.

“Our goal was to support people on their weight-loss journey,” Black says.

“It’s all about support. That’s why we call SuperFastDiet ‘unbreakable’, because even if you have a cheat meal and spoil your fast day, you can fast tomorrow instead. That’s the kind of support people need to get into a diet and stick to it.”

Before long, SuperFastDiet had a 15,000-strong weight-loss community, primarily of women.

A city on the scales

The business attracted specialists such as weight-loss expert Dr Penny Adams and happiness expert Dr Tim Sharp, who believes weight loss is an important way to care for yourself.

“Dr Tim, or Dr Happy as we call him, runs a positive psychology program for us,” Davidson says.

“That’s part of the support we offer to the weight-loss community.”

In 2018, SuperFastDiet was named Australian Start Up Business of the Year at the Optus Business Awards. A book deal with Pan Macmillan followed soon after and a second SuperFastDiet book is about to launch in the US.

Taking the world by storm

A finalist in the St. George Kick Start 2020 program, SuperFastDiet is hoping a top two place among a group of strong contenders will help them reach even greater heights. With a launch in the US and the UK underway, an app in development and a second book on the way, the prize money would go to good use.

“For us the timing has been incredible. It’s an amazing initiative to promote small business, and to be selected as St. George Kick Start winners would help us complete our vision for SuperFastDiet.”

Conclusion

With the COVID-19 pandemic beginning to have an adverse effect on the world’s obesity epidemic, Davidson and Black hope the growth of their weight loss innovation venture will be the solution the world needs to shake a few kilos and change a few lives.

SuperFastDiet is a Kick Start 2020 finalist. To learn more about other finalists in this category, visit the St. George Kick Start hub.