Looking to create a foundation for individualized weight loss plans, researchers at the University of Illinois found two basic macronutrients are essential for achieving success. Increasing protein and fiber intake helped a large portion of dieters in a study lose almost 13 percent of their body weight in the span of a year.

The study also showed the ability of participants to add personalization and flexibility to their plan was helpful in allowing them to stick to it over time.

A total of 22 people took part in what was called the Individualized Diet Improvement Program (iDip). It incorporated visualization tools to show them what they were eating and intensive dietary education sessions to increase their knowledge of key nutrients. This allowed them to create and personalize their own safe and effective weight loss plan.

The participants were between the ages of 30-64 and they reported they had made two or more prior attempts to lose weight. They all had various comorbidities such as high cholesterol, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease and diabetes.

"Flexibility and personalization are key in creating programs that optimize dieters' success at losing weight and keeping it off," researcher Manabu T. Nakamura said. "Sustainable dietary change, which varies from person to person, must be achieved to maintain a healthy weight. The iDip approach allows participants to experiment with various dietary iterations, and the knowledge and skills they develop while losing weight serve as the foundation for sustainable maintenance."

Using the dietary guidelines from the Institutes of Medicine, the iDip team promoted a plan that increased protein and fiber intake and suggested calories be limited to 1,500 or less. Starring with the foods they were already accustomed to eating, researchers encouraged them to create an individualized plan to increase their protein intake to about 80 grams per day and increase their fiber intake to about 20 grams per day.

The research showed there was a strong correlation between protein and fiber intake and weight loss. A total of 41 percent of the participants lost 12.9 percent of their body weight, while the remainder who did not stick with the plan lost about 2 percent of their starting weight.

"The research strongly suggests that increasing protein and fiber intake while simultaneously reducing calories is required to optimize the safety and efficacy of weight loss diets," said study author Mindy H. Lee.

Nakamura emphasized the need to increase protein intake, especially as more people begin taking weight loss medication.

"Recently, the popularity of injectable weight loss medications has been increasing," Nakamura said. "However, using these medications when food intake is strongly limited will cause serious side effects of muscle and bone loss unless protein intake is increased during weight loss."

Click here to read more in the journal Obesity Science & Practice.