Comparison of Commercially-Available Portion Controlled Weight Loss Programs with a Self-Directed Diet: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The aim of this randomized, four-arm parallel study was to examine changes in body weight and related outcomes over a 16-week period in response to three different commercially-available structured weight loss programs, each compared to a self-directed diet. Subjects included predominantly white (77.0%) overweight/obese men (n = 38) and women (n = 123), with a mean age of 50.2 y, body weight of 93.4 kg, and body mass index (BMI) of 33.5 kg/m2. The 161 subjects were randomly assigned (stratified by BMI and age) to a self-directed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, or one of three different Nutrisystem programs providing pre-packaged portion controlled foods and shakes: 1) My Way; 2) Turbo 10; or 3) a Nutrisystem program modeled after the DASH diet (NS-DASH). Daily energy intake targets were 1200 kcal/d for women and 1500 kcal/d for men, except for the first week of Turbo 10, during which subjects targeted 1000 kcal/d. Key outcomes included changes in body weight, body composition via dual...