Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of weight control by use of commercial formula diet and nutrition education on 36 obese women over a period of 6 months. During the study it motivated ways for women to control their weight and improve their health, thus analyzing variables that influence weight control. To help weight control, for the first 3 weeks, along with 1 regular mea, 2-3 liquid formula diets of 135㎉ per pack a day were provided within the 1,200-800㎉ range. For 6 months since then, all 3 meals were taken regularly and it was recommended that energy which is 500㎉ less than energy requirement be taken. To evaluate the effect of weight change by the weight control program, anthropometric measurements, biochemicl parameter, and food behavior are measured. The mean body mass index(BMI) was 30.1$\pm$3.8(25.0-43.6) and it was in the upper 5 percentile of the mean BMI of Korean women. The percent of body fat was significantly reduced from 29.1$\pm$2.4 to 26.4$\pm$2.3, showing that the weight control program induced not only a change in weight but also a change in body composition. The body circumference such as waist and hip circumference and skinfold thickness measurements of biceps, triceps, subscapular and surprailiac were reduced significantly, but the mean waist-to-hip ratio didn't change. Singnificantly improved food behavior score measured by the questionnaire indicated that the weight-contorl program induced the change of the food behavior, as well. Weight loss also induced biochemical parameters of the subject, thus total cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, and triglycerol which were in the high range of the normal values were reduced to 20.2%(p<0.01), 22.2%(p<0.01), 25.8%(p<0.01), repectively. HDL-cholesterol didn't change significantly, but the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol increased(p<0.01).