This condition will be instructed to make food consumption decisions based solely upon the ED of a food. The goal of the ED condition will be to consume at least 10 foods ≤ 1.0 kcal/g (i.e., fruits and vegetables, broth based soups, non-fat yogurts, some legumes, egg substitutes, some white fish, etc.) per day.

This condition will be identical to the INCREASE condition, except it will also have a goal regarding the number of high-ED foods to consume and substituting low-ED foods for high-ED foods. Thus, this condition will have ED goals to consume at least 10 foods ≤ 1.0 kcal/g (i.e., fruits and vegetables, broth based soups, non-fat yogurts, some legumes, egg substitutes, some white fish, etc.) and no more than 2 foods ≥ 3.0 kcal/g (i.e., crackers, chips, cookies, hard cheeses, hot dogs, salad dressings, etc.) per day. Foods with an ED >1.0 kcal/g but < 3.0 kcal/g will be unlimited; however, lower ED foods will be strongly encouraged. Furthermore, additions to beverages (i.e., sugar, cream) will count toward the > 3.0 kcal/g goal if the additions meet that ED criteria.

12-week standard lifestyle intervention for obesity, which consists of weekly meetings. Each meeting will last 60 minutes, with participants attending group meetings specific for their condition. In all meetings, participants will be weighed, homework assignments will be verbally reviewed, and a behavioral lesson will be presented. Basic behavioral lessons, will be similar to those that have been successfully used in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Look AHEAD. Topics to be covered in the meetings will focus on the dietary prescriptions and dietary information for each condition, the physical activity goal, energy balance, and behavioral strategies. Each session will conclude with reminding participants of their dietary and physical activity goals, and having participants self-monitor these behaviors every day and implement the behavioral strategies discussed in the session.

Changes in overall dietary intake and changes per eating bout will be assessed by 3 day (2 weekdays and 1 weekend) food records. To determine dietary variables, each food record will be entered into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) software developed by the Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Changes in self-reported physical activity will be determined by the Paffenbarger Activity Questionnaire (PAQ).16 This questionnaire yields estimates of the total energy expended in PA per week based on flights of stairs climbed per day, city blocks walked per day, and hours of structured activity acquired within a typical week. The PAQ has been shown to be significantly correlated with an objective measure of PA.

(EMA) refers to a collection of methods often used in behavioral medicine research by which a research participant repeatedly reports on symptoms, affect, behavior, and cognitions close in time to experience and in the participants' natural environment. EMA protocol will be conducted over 7 continuous days using both semi-random and event-contingent sampling. Semi-random responses will be collected at varied times within three windows (morning, afternoon, and evening), with three assessments occurring per day triggered by an alarm prompt that signals a 30-minute window for response. Event-based sampling will be used to assess eating bouts. Semi-random sampling will assess consumption cues (i.e. feelings of temptation, fullness, desire to eat, energy level and control over eating), along with feelings of hunger, satiation, and deprivation using a series of 11 questions.

Change in weight will be assessed by an electronic scale, using standard procedures.

The Food Acceptability Questionnaires will assess acceptability and satisfaction of diet at 12 weeks. Participants will be asked about ease of following the diet, ease of determining foods to consume to meet dietary goals, and ease of reading food labels to select foods to consume to meet dietary goals (which is all one questionnaire).

Participation will be recorded.