Early changes in appetite and energy expenditure are not associated to body weight and fat losses in pre-menopausal women living with overweight/obesity.

ABSTRACT Background The aim of the study was to investigate whether early changes (1-week) in energy balance-related measures would predict changes in body weight (BW) and fat losses in women living with overweight/obesity. Methods BW, body composition (DXA), resting energy expenditure (REE)(indirect calorimetry), olfactory performance (Sniffin’ Sticks), appetite and palatability (visual analogue scale) were measured at baseline, after a 1-week of caloric restriction as well as post-intervention (at 10 and 20 weeks) in a group of 30 women living with overweight/obesity. Results A significant decrease in REE (p = 0.033) was noted after 1 week. Fasting desire to eat (p = 0.004), hunger (p = 0.001) and prospective food consumption (p = 0.001) all increased after 1 week. Similarly, significant increases in AUC SQ for desire to eat (p = 0.01), hunger (p = 0.005) and prospective food consumption (p = 0.001) were noted after 1 week. However, these early changes were not associated to final BW or FM losses at the end of the weight loss intervention. Conclusion Despite significant changes in REE and appetite soon after the onset of a BW loss intervention, these early changes do not seem to predict final BW or FM losses at the end of the program in women living with overweight/obesity.