Meal replacement shakes help women lose 12% of body weight in five months

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015 5:34 am Email this article
Women consuming a 1,000 calories per day including four servings of a liquid meal replacement (Optifast 800) lost an average of 12.1 percent of their body weight after five months compared to 7.8 percent for another group eating a 1,200 to 1,500 calorie per day diet versus 0.1 percent for non-dieting control group according to a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Weight loss after 5 months: 25.6 lbs vs 17 lbs vs 0.2 lbs

In terms of weight loss, after five months the average weight loss was 25.6 pounds in the meal replacement group compared to 17 pounds in the 1200-1500 calorie group versus 0.2 pounds in the non-dieting group.

(I calculated pounds of weight loss based on the average starting weight in each group. The actual average weight loss might be slightly different due to dropouts, however, the paper does not provide this data, so I used the average starting weights instead.)

Weight loss after 10 months: 11.5% vs 8.4% vs 0.8%

After ten months—five months after the dieting stopped—the meal replacement group had maintained a weight loss of 11.5 percent compared to 8.4 pecent for the 1200-1500 calorie group and 0.8 percent for the non-deiting group.

Weight loss after 10 months: 24.3 lbs vs 18.3 lbs vs 1.7 lbs

In terms of weight loss, after ten months the average weight loss was 24.3 pounds in the meal replacement group compared to 18.3 pounds in the 1200-1500 calorie group versus 1.7 pounds in the non-dieting group.

Weight loss after 15 months: 8.6% vs 6.3% vs weight gain of 0.8%

After fifteen months the meal replacement group had maintained a weight loss of 8.6 percent compared to 6.3 pecent for the 1200-1500 calorie group and a weight gain of 0.8 percent for the non-deiting group.

Weight loss after 15 months: 18.2 lbs vs 13.7 lbs vs weight gain of 1.7 lbs

In terms of weight loss, after ten months the average weight loss was 24.3 pounds in the meal replacement group compared to 18.3 pounds in the 1200-1500 calorie group versus 1.7 pounds in the non-dieting group.

Four Optifast shakes plus an evening meal, a serving of fruit and a salad

The women in the meal replacement group consumed four Optifast 800 meal replacement shakes combined with an evening meal of a frozen food entree, a serving of fruit, and a green salad.

Each shake: 160 calories

Each meal replacement shake provided 160 calories, with 14 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fat.

Improvement in depression in the dieting groups

It is also interesting to note that symptoms of depression decreased more in the two dieting groups than the non-dieting group.

Purpose of study: To analyze the effects of diet on binge eating

The purpose of the study was to study whether or not dieting causes people to binge.

No difference in binge episodes during the study

During the five month study there were no differences between the groups in the number of episodes of binge eating.

Two months after the dieting ended, meal replacement group had more episodes of binge eating However, after seven months—two months after they had stopped dieting—there were more episodes of bingeing in women who had been in the meal replacement group than women in the other two groups, but none of the women meet the criteria for binge-eating disorder. Four out of 41 women (10 percent) in the meal replacement group had one episode of binge eating during the prior month, and a fifth woman had two episodes.

No differences in bingeing after 10 months or 15 months

There was no difference in episodes of binge eating after ten months, and after a year-and-three-months.

One of 41 women (2 percent) in the meal replacement group had four episodes of binge eating during the prior month. This was the same woman who had two episodes after seven months.

Conclusion: Dieting does not cause binge eating disorder in obese women trying to lose weight The authors of the study admit that research suggests that dieting might lead to eating disorders when used by people of normal weight or in those with bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa, or when used aggressively by adolescent girls and young women. However, dieting does not appear to increase the risk of eating disorders when used by obese women trying to lose weight.

Subjects: 123 obese women

The study involved 123 obese women who on average were 44-years-old, weighed 214 pounds, and had a body mass index (BMI) of 35.9.

All women attended weekly group sessions for the first five months, and biweekly sessions for five months after that.

REFERENCE(S)

Wadden T, Foster G, Sarwer D, Anderson D, Gladis M, Sanderson R, Letchak R, Berkowitz R, Phelan S. Dieting and the development of eating disorders in obese women: results of a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Sep, 80(3):560-68.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

T. Wadden
Department of Psychiatry
Weight and Eating Disorders Program
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Binge Eating

• Meal Replacement Shakes

• Women, studies about