The Mediterranean diet may get all the attention as the preferred choice for flexible dieters looking to lose weight.
But a new diet promises to help you lose weight by focusing on just two nutrients: fiber and protein.
Known as iDip, or by its less flashy name, the Individualized Diet Improvement Program, helped nearly half of participants lost 13 percent of their body weight in a new study, or up to 26 pounds.
Better yet, they maintained that weight loss for a year after the trial.
The Individualized Diet Improvement Program (iDip), created by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, emphasized that its users
Simply cutting calories won’t work, as it will leave you deprived of key nutrients and more likely to overeat and regain weight, the study authors said.
The amount of protein and fiber each person ate depended on their body weight and goals, but in general, they ate more fresh vegetables, oatmeal and lean meats like fish and turkey.
Protein is the macronutrient that keeps you fuller for longer, even more than fats and carbs. The longer you feel full after a meal, the less you’ll typically eat overall.
Fiber is a key nutrient for adding bulk to your diet without adding excess calories. It is found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, which also provide the body with essential vitamins for health. It can help you feel fuller for longer, similar to protein.
“We don’t exclude food groups like low-carb or low-fat plans do. The main goal is to empower dieters to make informed choices so they can create their own sustainable weight management program,” said Mindy H Lee, a registered dietitian at the University of Illinois saying.
The first iDip test, which took place in 2017, helped half of participants achieve and maintain their weight loss goals.
The second iDip essay, which has just been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Obesity: science and practiceincluded 22 overweight people and asked them to attend 19 different workshops, do homework, take weekly body measurements and attend individual counseling over a period of one year.
The researchers kept in touch with the participants for a year after the initial experiments to see if they maintained their weight loss.
They were advised to eat high-fiber, low-calorie foods such as oatmeal, apples, beets and broccoli, and low-calorie, high-protein foods such as turkey, chicken, fish and beans.
They did this by giving participants something they called a protein-fiber chart, a tool that allowed them to choose foods that would meet their fiber and protein goals.
That’s because they say focusing only on reducing calorie intake without increasing protein and fiber would not create sustainable change, the lead author said. Manabu Nakamuranutrition professor, he said.
By the end of the trial, 41 percent had achieved significant weight loss, losing on average 12.9 percent of their initial body mass.
For example, someone who weighed 200 pounds was able to lose 26 pounds and maintain that weight for the year following the initial experiment.
However, the program was not a miracle for everyone. The rest of the group, made up of about 13 people, lost an average of only 2 percent of weight.
An example of the tool researchers gave participants to track the protein and fiber density in their foods.
Those who saw results within the first three months were more likely to have sustained weight loss at the end of the trial.
The range of weight loss success showed that researchers still need to make some adjustments to make it applicable to everyone, the study said.
Additionally, their study was relatively small and they need to replicate it with more people to determine if it will work on a larger scale.
iDip shares similarities with other dietary trends, such as the Mediterranean diet, which has its users eat more fresh foods and lean meat, but does not ban any particular type of food.
However, it combines these flexible aspects with a rigorous weighing and education system, so that its users can still get a tangible idea of where they are with regards to weight loss.
“The problem with currently available commercial weight loss programs and products is that the magnitude of weight loss for dieters is not large,” said Professor Nakamura.
“The biggest problem is that people can’t maintain it.”
He added‘Flexibility and customization are key to creating programs that optimize dieters’ success in losing and maintaining weight.’
