One hundred twenty-two healthy, nonsmoking women 20% to 40% above idea
l weight were randomly assigned to a low-fat or low-calorie diet inter
vention. At 12 months, 39 remained in the low-fat group and 36 in the
low-calorie group. The low-fat group reported a significantly greater
decrease in intake of calories from fat and increase in calories from
carbohydrates compared with the low calorie group. Weight loss, calori
e intake, physical activity, and rating on palatability, satiety, and
quality of life were not significantly different for the two groups.