A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Doses of Portion-Controlled Foods Within a Primary Care Weight Loss Program

The study has two goals. First, it will assess the efficacy of a weight loss program, using a combination of counseling by peer weight coaches and portion-controlled foods. Second, the study will test the effect of varying the "dose" of portion-controlled foods provided to patients by randomly assigning individuals to receive half or all of the food required to follow a meal replacement regimen. The primary endpoint of the study will be weight change. Secondary endpoints will include adherence to the recommended eating plan, health-related quality of life, as well as changes in waist circumference and blood pressure. The provision of "half-dose" portion-controlled foods (1 meal per day) is hypothesized to be non-inferior to provision of "full-dose" (2 meals per day). The goal of non-inferiority is important because it can demonstrate that health care payers wishing to support weight loss programs can achieve equivalent results at a lower cost. All patients have the choice regarding their use of portion-controlled foods in the study, and no patients will be asked to leave the study because of non-adherence.