The radical 800 calorie diet really does work

DRAMATIC weight loss through strict low-calorie diets can be more effective at keeping weight off than other types of weight control, a study found.

Researchers discovered those who ate no more than 810 calories a day through soups, shakes and bars had lost more than three times as much as other dieters a year later.

Dieters lost an average of 1st 9lb (10.7kg), just over a stone more than other dieters who had followed an eating plan recommended by their GP. They also showed greater reductions in their risk of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The findings appear to contradict previous suggestions that people who lose weight quickly are prone to piling it back on.

The Oxford University study comes after the NHS unveiled radical plans to use ‘soup and shake’ diets to treat diabetes, as reported in the Mail earlier this month. The latest trial involved 278 adults in Oxfordshire with a BMI of more than 30, making them clinically obese.

Participants were either offered a referral to a low-energy total diet replacement programme for 24 weeks or enrolled into their GP practice’s weight management programme, which included advice and support from a nurse.

Those on the diet replacement programme were asked to reduce their intake to 810 calories a day by switching to specially formulated soups, shakes and bars in addition to milk, water and fibre supplements.

Diet replacement products were offered for eight weeks, followed by a re-introduction of conventional food over a further four weeks. From 12 to 24 weeks, dieters were encouraged to continue to use one product a day to replace a usual meal.

They were also invited to attend regular meetings with a trained counsellor to develop diet techniques.

Almost half – 45 per cent – of participants on the low energy programme achieved a weight loss of 10 per cent or more. Only 15 per cent of those in the GP practice programme achieved similar results.

Paul Aveyard, professor of Behavioural Medicine at Oxford University, said a total diet replacement programme was ‘an effective intervention which GPs can confidently recommend’.

Dr Barbara McGowan, of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, said the programme ‘has the potential to be scaled up across the NHS if found to be cost-effective’.