title: Controlled clinical trial of two weight reducing diets in a NHS hospital dietetic outpatient clinic - a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Outpatient dietary weight reduction for obesity is unsatisfactory. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of an energy prescription diet with usual care (a healthy eating diet) in adult overweight patients referred to a NHS hospital dietetic outpatient clinic, in terms of weight change over 12 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled clinical trial (systematic allocation).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 53 patients who attended their first appointment, 27 completed the trial. Mean weight loss (kg) after 12 weeks was 4.2 (sd 3.8) on the energy prescription diet (n = 16) and 6.0 (sd 2.8) on the healthy eating diet (n = 11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients on a weight reducing diet based on energy prescription or healthy eating lost, on average, clinically significant amounts of body weight by 12 weeks. Mean weight loss was greater by about 50% in the healthy eating group and supports the development of a larger trial to estimate true effect [corrected].
authors.affiliation: Dietetic Department, Guisborough General Hospital, UK. fiona.taylor@tney.northy.nhs.uk
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Irons
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Summerbell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D004046:Dietetics; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015431:Weight Loss