The Effects of a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet Intervention on Weight Control in Overweight/Obese Patients in China

The experimental group was given individual instructions on how to follow the VLCD (very low carbohydrate diet). Energy intake was restricted to less than 800kcal/day (3349kJ/d) (carbohydrate intake \< 20g/d). All daily meals were replaced as follows: a cup of soybean milk (200 mL) and a boiled egg at breakfast; a diet nutrition bar(Nutriease Health Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China), nonstarchy vegetables (\<200 kcal), and 50 g protein from meat at lunch and dinner. Supplementation of multivitamins and minerals was provided per day.

The control group was given an energy-restricted diet (ER diet). Energy-restricted diet was designed in the traditional Chinese style with an initial target for a total energy intake of 1200 kcal/d (5021 kJ/d).