CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An individualized diet program that allows users to create their own plan based on specific levels of protein and fiber shows promise in helping people lose extra pounds and keep them off.
The Individualized Diet Enhancement Program is a self-guided approach involving easy-to-use tools, according to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign nutritionists who created iDip.
“Our program does not provide or offer a strict diet plan or recipes for participants to follow,” said the graduate student. , co-author of the study. “We are not excluding food groups like low-carb or low-fat plans do. The main goal is to empower dieters to make informed decisions so they can create their own sustainable weight management program.”
Diet flexibility is key to making weight loss and maintenance sustainable, study co-author said Manabu T. Nakamuraprofessor of nutrition at the university.
“The problem with currently available commercial weight-loss programs and products is that the magnitude of weight loss for dieters is not great,” he said. “The most serious problem is that people cannot maintain it.
“If they follow the program or eat only the foods they are told for four or six months, they lose a certain amount of weight, but when they stop following the program or buying the products, the weight comes back. And that’s very discouraging for them.”
A visual tool developed by researchers charts the protein and fiber intake of dieters, helping them choose foods that reduce their total calories without reducing their protein and fiber.
Based on dietary guidelines issued by the Institutes of Medicine, the iDip visual tool plots the protein and fiber densities of foods per calorie along with a target range for meals. The tool helps users create meals with around 80 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber per day while limiting their intake to less than 1,500 calories per day.
Ranging in age from 24 to 59, all participants in the initial clinical trial had a body mass index greater than 28, placing them in the overweight or obese categories. Based on the participants’ self-reports, they had obesity-related health problems, such as high blood pressure, and had tried two or more commercial diet programs or weight-loss products in the past.
Participants weighed themselves daily at home using a Wi-Fi-enabled scale, and the researchers provided each person with a chart each week showing their weight loss progress, predicted rate of loss, and six-month goal weight.
Daily weigh-in and weekly feedback charts allowed participants to monitor their progress without counting calories or completing a food diary, which can be tedious, time-consuming and inaccurate, Nakamura said.
“In all of human history, no culture counted calories,” Nakamura said. “And we know that it is not sustainable in the long term. But weighing daily and recording the trend is a very important tool. It’s easy to maintain throughout life and is a good habit for anyone who wants to lose weight or maintain their weight.”
During the 12-month program, participants attended 22 educational sessions led by registered dietitians. These included 19 group lectures that offered nutritional information and explained how to apply this knowledge to grocery shopping and cooking. Lectures also focused on the benefits of physical activity and how to break through plateaus and maintain weight loss.
In addition, each participant received three individual coaching and counseling sessions.
According to the study, 12 of the 14 participants completed the program. Half met the researchers’ goal of losing at least 5% of their body weight and kept it off during the six-month follow-up phase, Lee said.
Although the number of participants was small, the researchers said it demonstrated the feasibility of the program.
A third clinical trial of iDip with 30 participants is currently underway, and the results are even more promising. At the end of the six-month weight loss phase, the participants have lost about 6.5% of their body weight, Lee said.
Other co-authors of the article were John Erdmanprofessor emeritus of food science and human nutrition; and alumni Catherine C. Applegate and Annabelle L. Shaffer.
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
