Research

Energy balance

Decreasing dietary energy density (specifically solid food) predicts significant weight loss in obese adults over 18 months, primarily by reducing total energy intake without altering food volume.

To lose weight, focus on lowering the energy density of your solid foods rather than just eating smaller portions. This means choosing foods with more water and fiber relative to calories. You can keep your plate looking full and satisfying while significantly reducing your calorie intake, which leads to weight loss.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Decreased energy density predicted weight loss in this 18 month weight loss study... Decreased energy density in the context of constant volume of food consumption would necessarily involve less energy intake, just as we observed in the LIFE Study.
Andrew Flood et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2009

Why this rating

Randomized clinical trial with 18-month follow-up, though observational analysis of the trial data.

Source

Energy density and weight change in a long-term weight-loss trial

Andrew Flood et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2009

DOI 10.1186/1479-5868-6-57

rct · n=213Cited 27×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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