Portion-Controlled vs Self-Selected Diet: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?
Prepackaged, portion-controlled meals can help individuals lose more weight and body fat than a self-selected diet, according to a new study.
Obesity has grown into an epidemic in the United States, and increased portion size in the Western diet is generally believed to be a contributor. For this reason, researchers questioned whether a prepackaged, portion-controlled diet as part of a behavioral counseling intervention could help individuals lose more weight than a self-selected diet.
For their study, the researchers observed 180 participants, aged 25 to 65 years, who had body mass index (BMI) measurements of 27 to 40 kg/m2 at baseline.
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Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: group 1 ate 2 prepackaged meals every day, group 2 ate 2 high-protein, prepackaged meals every day (more than 25% energy), and group 3 selected their own meals.
In addition, all participants met with a dietitian for a 1- or 2-hour personalized session.
After a 3-month follow-up, the researchers found that participants in the regular entrée group had a 8.6% weight loss, those in the higher-protein entrée group had a 7.8% weight loss, and those in the control group had a 6.0% weight loss.
Participants in the regular entrée group also lost more body fat than those in the control group (5.7 kg vs 4.4 kg, respectively).
“A meal plan incorporating portion-controlled prepackaged entrées promotes greater weight and fat loss than a standard self-selected diet, with comparable meal satisfaction,” the researchers concluded. “Initial weight loss predicts long-term weight loss so these results are relevant to likelihood of longer term success.”
—Amanda Balbi
Reference:
Rock CL, Flatt SW, Pakiz B, Barkai HS, Heath DD, Krumhar KC. Randomized clinical trial of portion-controlled prepackaged foods to promote weight loss [published online May 25, 2016]. Obesity. doi:10.1002/oby.21481.