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

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.