Effects of a structured meal replacement plan on weight loss and maintenance: a cross‐sectional analysis of 24‐week data of a mobile app‐assisted diet program

Abstract

BackgroundStudies have shown that a large initial weight loss combined with tracking tools for monitoring weight loss progress are predicative factors for a successful weight loss and maintenance program. The convenience of a portion‐controlled structured meal plan further contributes to the compliance of weight loss programs. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of a longer‐term, two‐phase, structured meal replacement, mobile app‐assisted weight loss program.MethodsParticipants were on a customizable two‐replacement‐one‐self‐prepared structured meal plan for 12 weeks (weight loss phase) followed by a one‐replacement‐two‐self‐prepared meal plan for an additional 12 weeks (weight maintenance phase). A total of 173 overweight/obese adults (138 females and 35 males) completed the 24‐week program with the following baseline demographics: age = 47.0 y, body weight = 206.1 lb, BMI = 33.2 kg/m2. Participants were required to sign up for a mobile application that tracks self‐reported data. Weekly data were analyzed on individuals reporting their body weight. Data were normalized by baseline transformation and comparisons at different time points were assessed by ANOVA. Two‐tailed t‐test was used for baseline comparison at specific time points. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.ResultsParticipants lost an average of 15.2 lb or 7.4% of their initial body weight (t‐test, P<0.0001) and their BMI was significantly reduced from 33.2 to 30.8 kg/m2 (t‐test, P<0.0001) during the weight loss period (after 12 weeks). A significant initial weight loss of 4.75 lb (t‐test, P<0.001) was observed after two weeks. No significant change in body weight (ANOVA, P=0.9997) was observed during weight maintenance period (week‐12 through week‐24). The average body weight during the 12‐week maintenance phase was 192 lb and the difference in body weight between week‐12 and week‐24 was not statistically significant (t‐test, P=0.62). No significant adverse events were reported.ConclusionsThe findings indicated that this longer‐term two‐phase structured meal replacement program, combined with a convenient tracking tool and significant initial weight loss, was well‐tolerated and was effective in promoting weight loss after 12 weeks and supporting successful subsequent weight loss maintenance for an additional 12 weeks.