Lead author Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz of the Hospital de Clinicas, Caracas, Venzezuela, and researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., compared a new "big breakfast" diet with a strict low-carbohydrate diet in 94 obese, physically inactive women.

At four months, the women on the strict low-carbohydrate diet dropped an average of about 28 pounds, while those on the big breakfast diet lost nearly 23 pounds on average. However, at eight months, the low-carbohydrate dieters regained an average of 18 pounds, while the big breakfast group continued to lose weight, shedding another 16.5 pounds.

The 46 women on the very-low-carbohydrate diet were allowed 1,085 calories a day, or 17 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of protein and 78 grams of fat a day. The smallest meal was breakfast at 290 calories.

The 48 women on the big breakfast diet ate 1,240 calories a day -- 46 grams of fat, 97 grams of carbohydrates and 93 grams of protein. Dieters ate a 610-calorie big breakfast, consisting of 58 grams of carbohydrates, 47 grams of protein and 22 fat grams, with lunch at 395 calories and dinner at 235 calories.

The findings were presented at The Endocrine Society's meeting in San Francisco.