During weeks 1 to 20, participants were instructed in traditional
behavioral methods of weight control, such as selfmonitoring,
stimulus control, slowed eating, shaping, and reasonable
goal setting. During weeks 21 to 104, there was a focus
on skills to maintain weight loss, such as continuing to record
food intake regularly, measuring and recording body weight regularly,
consuming a low-carbohydrate or a high-carbohydrate
diet, identifying high-risk situations, differentiating lapse from
relapse, responding effectively to overeating episodes, and learning
to reverse small weight gains as they occur. Group sessions
varied between the 2 treatment conditions only in the type of
diet plan that was prescribed. Sample group leader protocols
(week 2) for each treatment condition are included under “week
2” of the section “Low Carbohydrate.”