Further Studies in the Dietary Correction of Obesity

Time to Correctly Predict the Amount of Weight Loss with Dieting

“…Wishnofsky understood the critical importance of this distinction as with fasting there are disproportionally large losses of body carbohydrate (glycogen) and protein with associated bound water. Turning to the 1930 classic 59-day very low calorie diet studies of Strang and colleagues 6 , Wishnofsky used the estimated daily energy and weight balance (−2100 kcal/d and −0.6 lb/d) to derive the energy content of weight change as 3500 kcal/lb. This result was "in striking agreement with the value of 3700 kcal obtained" from computations based on Bozenrad's adipose tissue samples 5 .…”

“…Wishnofsky’s views of weight change dynamics were based on the limited understanding of fundamental metabolic processes at the time and his simple formulation was framed with impressions gained from short term dieting studies completed in small samples of obese women 6 .…”

A Theoretical Analysis Examining the Construct of a Pound of Fat Equaling 3,500 Kilocalories

“…They concluded that if sound metabolic principles were followed, nutritional interventions as low as 7 kilocalories per kilogram could be used. Strang, Evans, and McClugage (1930) further studied the effects of very low kilocalorie diets in obese individuals. The researchers placed individuals on diets containing mostly protein, with the other nutrients composed of carbohydrate and fat, totaling 360 kilocalories a day (Strang et al, 1930).…”

“…Strang, Evans, and McClugage (1930) further studied the effects of very low kilocalorie diets in obese individuals. The researchers placed individuals on diets containing mostly protein, with the other nutrients composed of carbohydrate and fat, totaling 360 kilocalories a day (Strang et al, 1930). They determined that the obese individuals had a caloric deficit of 2,140 kilocalories per day, which resulted in an average weight loss of 0.6 pounds per day (Strang et al, 1930).…”

“…The researchers placed individuals on diets containing mostly protein, with the other nutrients composed of carbohydrate and fat, totaling 360 kilocalories a day (Strang et al, 1930). They determined that the obese individuals had a caloric deficit of 2,140 kilocalories per day, which resulted in an average weight loss of 0.6 pounds per day (Strang et al, 1930). When equated to a pound, this figure became 3,566.67 kilocalories per pound of body weight lost.…”