Research

Energy balance

Severely Energy-Restricted Diets (SERDs) utilizing meal replacements achieve approximately 10% body mass loss in people with class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) when followed for 6 weeks or longer.

For individuals with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40), a medically supervised Severely Energy-Restricted Diet using meal replacements can yield approximately 10% body weight loss if maintained for at least 6 weeks. Success requires strict adherence to the prescribed caloric intake (500-1200 kcal/day depending on the specific protocol), adequate protein supplementation, and engagement with supportive counseling to manage behavioral challenges.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Meal replacement Severely Energy-Restricted Diets (SERDs) produce ~10% loss of body mass when followed for 6 weeks or longer in people with class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2).
Gabrielle Maston et al. · PLoS ONE · 2021

Why this rating

Based on clinical trials and validated medical records of a specific cohort, though qualitative in adherence factors.

Source

Dietary adherence and program attrition during a severely energy-restricted diet among people with complex class III obesity: A qualitative exploration

Gabrielle Maston et al. · PLoS ONE · 2021

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0253127

cohort · n=20Cited 14×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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