Body weight management system

• US 20020156351A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mars Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Sagel, Paul Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 6,635,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/30 Dietetic or nutritional methods, e.g. for losing weight A23L33/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/921 Diet management

Abstract

The invention relates to body weight management systems for subjects including humans and domestic animals. Such systems utilizes devices and compositions to shift the energy balance of the user in the direction wherein the calories burned due to the user'"'"'s activity is greater than the calories consumed by that user. These devices include a diet-tracking system, devices for estimating energy expenditure of the subject and a satiety agent. Such systems have a variety of uses including, but not limited to body weight maintenance, reduction or gain; reduction of body fat and, or gain in muscle mass and improvement of a subject'"'"'s fitness.

Claims

1. A body weight management system comprising:

a. a diet-tracking system for estimating the individual'"'"'s caloric intake over a set period of time;

b. an energy expenditure measuring device;

c. a composition comprising satiety agents selected from the group consisting of long chain fatty acids, their non-glyceryl esters, hydrolyzable in the presence of gastro-intestinal enzymes, and mixtures thereof, wherein said satiety agent releases in the stomach; and

d. a weight manager providing information, feedback and combinations thereof to said subject.

2. The diet-tracking system of claim 1 selected from the group consisting of manual tracking systems, software tracking programs loaded onto a computing systems and combinations thereof.

3. The body weight management system according to claim 1 wherein said the energy expenditure measuring device is selected from the group consisting of a calorimeter, physical activity monitor and combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said calorimeter device is an indirect calorimeter wherein said device employs a method of measuring the resting metabolic rate of said subject through analysis of exhaled respiratory gases of said subject.

5. The body weight management system according to claim 4 wherein said calorimeter device comprises a carbon dioxide scrubbing system for measuring the level of carbon dioxide in the respiratory gases being measured by said device.

6. The body weight management system according to claim 3 wherein the physical activity monitor is a pedometer.

7. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said long chain fatty acids and their non-glycerol-esters contain a carbon chain length from about 12 to about 24 with from 0 to about 6 carbon-carbon atom double bonds.

8. The composition according to claim 7 wherein the fatty acids are selected from group consisting of lauric acid, lauroleic acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, dihydroxystearic acid, oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, elaidic acid, linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, dihomogamma-linolenic acid, eleostearic acid, licanic acid, arachidonic acid, arachidic acid, eicosenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, lignoceric acid, and mixtures thereof.

9. The composition according to claim 8 wherein said long chain fatty acids and their non-glyceryl esters contain a carbon chain length from about 16 to about 18 with from 0 to about 3 carbon-carbon atom double bonds.

10. The composition according to claim 9 wherein said fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of oleic acid, linoleic acid and mixtures thereof.

11. The weight manager according to claim 1 wherein said weight manager comprises a weight analysis system for the energy balance by comparing energy intake and energy expenditure wherein said analysis is the basis for determining whether the subject is within the energy balance range to meet their pre-established body weight management goals.

12. The weight manager according to claim 11 wherein a computer compares energy intake and energy expenditure to produce data for feedback to the subject regarding energy intake and, or energy expenditure to meet their pre-established body weight management goals.

13. The body weight management system of claim 12 wherein said data feedback is transferred from said weight manager'"'"'s computer to subject through a network provider to the subject'"'"'s computing device.

14. The body weight management system of claim 13 wherein the data is conveyed to the subject through a communication route that is selected from the group consisting of portable media (define), hard wire, wireless transmission and combinations thereof.

16. A method for body weight management of a subject with the use of the body weight management system of claim 1 wherein the steps taken by the subject comprise:

a. subscribing to said body weight management system through a weight management system provider;

b. establishing a subject authenticating code with said weight management system provider;

c. creating a journal for the subject to record the energy balance data of the subject;

d. recording in said journal the energy intake data associated with foods consumed employing the diet-tracking system tool provided by the weight management system provider;

e. recording in said journal the energy expenditure data associated with physical activities as determined from the energy expenditure devices provided by said weight management system provider; and

f. transferring said energy balance data to a weight manager for processing the data to develop feedback to said subject for modifying their consumption and, or exercise habits to meet the body weight management goals.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the subject utilizes a computing device that the diet-tracking tool is software wherein the subject loads said software onto a computing device, creating a subject data profile using said software and recording all energy balance data into a database created in the computing device.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the subject transfers the data from the computing device to the weight manager directly by use of electronic transfer by electronic mail, network service provider and combinations thereof.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the energy balance data is recorded and transferred automatically from a hand-held programmable device to the weight manager by wireless transmission.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the weight manager provides feedback to the subject directly through a network provider to the subject'"'"'s computing device, hand held programmable device and combinations thereof.

15. A body weight management system for body weight management of a subject wherein said system comprises:

a. a weight management system provider to manage the entire body weight management system and all its users;

b. a network provider capable of being in communication with subject and said service provider;

c. a computing device in communication with said network and capable of accepting data directly from said subject directly or from a peripheral devices;

d. a diet-tracking software program that is loaded onto said computing device;

e. a device measuring the energy expenditure of said subject;

f. a satiety product to curb the appetite of said subject;

g. a weight manager to analyze data to determine energy balance of said subject; and

h. a system for providing feedback to said subject regarding achievement of their body weight goals.