In a study, it was found that participants in a self-directed dietary education program who were most successful in losing weight over a 25-month period consumed higher amounts of protein and fiber. The study highlighted the importance of personalization and flexibility in creating plans that dieters can stick to long-term.

Sure, here’s the revised text:”After one year, successful dieters (41% of participants) had lost 12.9% of their body weight. In comparison, the remaining participants in the study had only lost slightly more than 2% of their starting weight, according to a paper published in Obesity Science and Practice.”

The dieters were participants in the Individualized Diet Improvement Program. This program uses data visualization tools and intensive dietary education sessions to increase dieters’ knowledge of key nutrients, enabling them to create a personalized, safe, and effective weight-loss plan. Manabu T. Nakamura, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, led the research.

“Flexibility and personalization are crucial in developing programs that enhance the success of individuals in losing weight and maintaining it,” stated Nakamura. “In order to sustain a healthy weight, it is essential to achieve long-term dietary changes that are tailored to each individual. The iDip approach enables participants to explore different dietary approaches, and the experience and skills they acquire while losing weight form the basis for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

The iDip program focuses on increasing protein and fibre intake while consuming 1,500 or fewer daily calories.

Based on the dietary guidelines issued by the Institute of Medicine, the iDip team has developed a unique two-dimensional quantitative data visualization tool. This tool plots the protein and fibre densities of foods per calorie and provides a target range for each meal. The dieters began by selecting the foods they usually eat and then created a personalized plan to increase their daily protein intake to about 80 grams and their fiber intake to about 20 grams.

In tracking participants’ eating habits and their weights with Wi-Fi-enabled scales, the team discovered strong inverse correlations between the percentages of fiber and protein consumed and dieters’ weight loss.

“The research strongly suggests that to optimize the safety and effectiveness of weight loss diets, it is necessary to increase protein and fiber intake while simultaneously reducing calories,” said Mindy H. Lee, the first author of the study and a former graduate student at the University of Illinois. Lee is also a registered dietitian-nutritionist for the iDip program.

Nakamura emphasized the importance of preserving lean mass while losing weight, particularly when utilizing weight-loss medications.

“Nakamura noted that there has been a recent increase in the popularity of injectable weight loss medications. Nevertheless, it is important to be cautious when using these medications, especially when food intake is severely limited. Doing so may lead to serious side effects such as muscle and bone loss, unless protein intake is increased during the weight loss process.”

A total of 22 people enrolled in the program and successfully completed it, including nine men and 13 women. Most of the participants were between the ages of 30 and 64. The participants reported having made two or more prior attempts to lose weight. They also had a variety of health conditions – 54% had high cholesterol, 50% had skeletal problems, and 36% had hypertension and/or sleep apnea. Additionally, the participants reported diagnoses of diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, and depression, according to the study.

Out of the seven dieters who mentioned they had been diagnosed with depression, they lost about 2.4% of their initial weight, which was significantly less compared to those without depression. The latter group lost around 8.39% of their starting weight. The researchers also discovered that weight loss did not show significant differences among participants with other health conditions, or between different age groups or genders.

Results from body composition analysis revealed that individuals who were on a diet were able to preserve their lean body mass while shedding an average of 7.1 kilograms of fat mass and minimal muscle mass over a six-month period. Moreover, for those who lost more than 5% of their initial weight, 78% of the weight lost was fat, according to the research findings.

During the program, the participants reduced their fat mass from an average of 42.6 kilograms to 35.7 kilograms after 15 months. Additionally, the dieters shrank their waist size by approximately 7 centimeters after six months and by a total of 9 centimeters at the 15-month mark, according to the team’s findings.

In analyzing the protein and fiber intake of dieters, the team discovered a significant link between protein and fiber consumption and weight loss after three and twelve months.

“The strong correlation suggests that participants who were able to establish lasting changes in their diet within the first three months continued to lose weight in the following months. On the other hand, those who struggled to adopt sustainable dietary patterns early on rarely managed to change their diet in the later months,” stated Nakamura.

The team hypothesized that this correlation might also have been linked to the early weight loss success of some dieters, which could have boosted their motivation and adherence to the program.