Demystifying Weight Loss Diets

Rankins, Jenice; Williams, Michelle; Montgomery, Dykibra J.; Wilton, David B.

doi:10.1080/03670240600985498

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…per three months, five days, twenty-eight days, caloric level i.e. 1200 kcal compared to 1800 kcal, cost per kilogram of weight lost, cost per meal, and cost per week based on the quantity of sessions with a health professional required to achieve the desired weight loss [17,71,73,74]. It was therefore difficult in some circumstances to compare the results of previous research to the current research.…”

Section: Limitations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Developing and implementing a new methodology to test the affordability of currently popular weight loss diet meal plans and healthy eating principles

et al. 2022

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Background Weight loss diets continue to rise in popularity; however, the associated costs are seldom reported. Certain weight loss diets may be unaffordable and differ from their traditional nutrition composition to include non-conventional premium products. In contrast, healthy eating principles such as the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) and the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) place an emphasis on fresh produce and staple foods but are sometimes thought to be unaffordable. A new methodology was piloted to assess the cost of weight loss diets using seven meal plans. Methods Seven meal plans were analysed to quantify the absolute grams required of all ingredients across seven days and multiplied by the cost of the ingredient per gram to determine the total cost of each ingredient based on unit size and price. The weekly grocery shopping cost was determined through summation of all ingredients and their entire unit size to compare weekly costs. Results Weekly meal plans (absolute grams) cost between $93-193AUD. The AGHE meal plan was the least expensive and 8 Weeks to Wow was the most expensive. Weekly grocery shopping of entire units cost between $345-$625AUD, over $100AUD greater than the spending of an average Australian ($237AUD/week). Conclusions The financial feasibility for long-term sustainment of weight loss diets may be questionable for groups including low-income earners and low socioeconomic status. Further, when dietary patterns are adapted for weight loss, or followed by consumers, deviations from foundational principles tend to occur which may influence overall cost.

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Section: Limitations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Developing and implementing a new methodology to test the affordability of currently popular weight loss diet meal plans and healthy eating principles

et al. 2022

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“…To the knowledge of the authors, diet quality assessments have rarely been applied to weight loss or popular diets to assess their nutrition profile. Rankins et al, (2006) [15] evaluated various diets for nutritional adequacy in terms of macronutrient distribution (AMDR), essential fatty acids, micronutrients, and energy. This previous research suggested the plausibility of integrating and combining markers of diet quality and provided room for improvement to address supplementary information including gender differences.…”

Section: Nutritional Adequacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to Rankins et al, (2006) [15], scoring the behaviour change category was problematic due to missing or impartial information. As a result, diets received a lower score contribution, i.e., 5 points per positive sub-category.…”

Section: Behaviour Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has calculated the cost of popular diets and weight loss diets [15,[30][31][32][33]. However, diets have infrequently been allocated a score, or compared to other diets to evaluate cost-effectiveness.…”

Section: Costmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, there is currently no index or tool to compare weight loss diets. Validated dietary assessment tools such as the Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), Diet Quality Index (DQI), and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) [13][14][15][16] provide insight of dietary quality, but could be built upon to provide further detail. For example, the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI) includes components such as water intake and physical activity which may not be accessible in all meal plan and weight loss resources [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing and Piloting a Novel Ranking System to Assess Popular Dietary Patterns and Healthy Eating Principles

et al. 2022

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A multitude of weight loss diets exist. However, no one diet has been proven to be superior, despite their claims. Resultingly, this creates confusion amongst consumers and conflicting nutrition messages. The aim of the ranking system was to evaluate a range of dietary pattern’s nutrition profile and financial costs, as well as their potential long-term sustainability and associated adverse effects. Nutrition profile is typically the focal point of weight loss diets with less attention focused towards other factors that may affect their suitability. Five popular diets (Keto, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting, Optifast, and 8 Weeks to Wow) and two energy restricted healthy eating principles (Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Mediterranean Diet) were compared for diet quality, cost, adverse effects, and support for behaviour change. In general, healthy eating principles scored more favourably compared to popular weight loss diets in all categories. Lower carbohydrate diets tended to score lower for diet quality due to restricting multiple food groups, had more associated adverse effects and did not encourage behaviour change compared to the other weight loss diets. Optifast was the only weight loss diet to receive a negative score for cost. There should be considerations when undertaking a change to dietary patterns beyond nutrition profile. Diets indeed vary in terms of diet quality, and in addition can be costly, incur adverse effects, and disregard behaviour change which is important for sustainable weight loss and maintenance. This ranking system could create a reference point for future comparisons of diets.

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A comparison of dietary quality and nutritional adequacy of popular energy-restricted diets against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Mediterranean Diet

et al. 2021

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There is limited information regarding the nutrition profile and diet quality of meal plans from currently popular weight loss diets in Australia. This includes the energy content (kilojoules), the macronutrient distribution, and the micronutrient composition. Further, these diets have not been compared with current government guidelines and healthy eating principles for nutritional adequacy. Popular diets were identified through grey literature, trending searches and relative popularity in Australia. Meal plans for each diet were analysed using Foodworks Dietary Software to determine food group intake, micronutrient, and macronutrient distribution. Results indicated that all popular diets assessed deviated from government recommended healthy eating principles such as the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Mediterranean Diet. In most cases both popular diets, and the healthy eating principles had low intakes of multiple food groups, low intakes of essential micronutrients, and a distorted macronutrient distribution. Popular diets may not provide adequate nutrition to meet needs, particularly in the long-term and potentially resulting in micronutrient deficiency. When energy restricting for weight loss, meal plans should be highly individualized in conjunction with a qualified nutrition professional to ensure adequate dietary intake.

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Demystifying Weight Loss Diets

Cited by 3 publications

References 16 publications

Developing and implementing a new methodology to test the affordability of currently popular weight loss diet meal plans and healthy eating principles

Developing and implementing a new methodology to test the affordability of currently popular weight loss diet meal plans and healthy eating principles

Developing and Piloting a Novel Ranking System to Assess Popular Dietary Patterns and Healthy Eating Principles

A comparison of dietary quality and nutritional adequacy of popular energy-restricted diets against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Mediterranean Diet

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