Diet program showed remarkable weight loss success

SNS - University of Illinois researchers found that flexible, personalized diet plans were crucial for weight loss in a regimen high in protein and fiber. Participants in a 25-month study within a self-directed dietary education program achieved the most success when they devised their own plans.

An ideal addition to your diet if you are trying to lose weight is raw pears because they are high in fiber. An average, medium-sized piece usually contains about 5.5 grams of dietary fiber.

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At the one-year mark, successful dieters — 41% of participants — had shed 12.9% of their body weight, compared with the remainder of the study sample, which lost slightly more than 2% of their starting weight, according to a paper published in Obesity Science and Practice.

The dieters were enrolled in the Individualized Diet Improvement Program (iDip), which employs data visualization tools and intensive dietary education sessions to enhance participants' understanding of essential nutrients. This approach allows them to create personalized, safe, and effective weight-loss plans, said Manabu T. Nakamura, a professor in Nutrition Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the study's leader.

The main goal of the iDip program is centered around boosting protein and fiber intake while consuming 1,500 calories or less daily.

The iDip team created a one-of-a-kind, two-dimensional quantitative data visualization tool that plots foods’ protein and fiber densities per calorie and provides a target range for each meal. Starting with foods they usually ate, the dieters created an individualized plan, increasing their protein intake to as much as 80 grams and their fiber intake to close to 20 grams daily.

A total of 22 people finished the program, including nine men and 13 women. Most of them were between 30 and 64 years old. They said they had tried to lose weight at least twice before. Many of the participants had other health problems—54% had high cholesterol, 50% had bone or joint issues, and 36% had high blood pressure or sleep problems. Some of them also had suffered from diabetes, liver disease, cancer, or depression.

Throughout the program, participants experienced significant body transformations. They reduced their fat mass from an average of 42.6 kilograms to 35.7 kilograms after 15 months. Additionally, their waistlines shrank by about 7 centimeters after six months and a total of 9 centimeters after 15 months.

Tracking participants' protein and fiber intake, the team identified a strong link between higher consumption of these nutrients and weight loss at three and 12 months.

"Flexibility and personalization are key in creating programs that optimize dieters’ success at losing weight and keeping it off," Nakamura said. "Sustainable dietary change, which varies from person to person, must be achieved to maintain a healthy weight. The iDip approach allows participants to experiment with various dietary iterations, and the knowledge and skills they develop while losing weight serve as the foundation for sustainable maintenance."

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