other medical problems, mainly orthopaedic disorders.
Patients were referred to the institution by their
GP. We were invited to the daily meeting at the start
of one class, announcing the purpose and design of
the study, while emphasizing that the study dealt
with experiences ahead of their actual admission, not
an evaluation of their programme. The study was
approved by the regional committee for medical
research ethics. Participation was voluntary, with
signed informed consent. We established a purposive
sample of 13 participants, aged 30 – 55 years, representing
diversity in terms of gender, age, and occupational
background (Table I).
Most participants had a lifelong history of considerable
overweight. Seven had additional weightrelated
conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or
sleep disorders, none of them had manifest cardiovascular
disease.