Upon entry in the program, participants, mostly women, receive a recipe book and are told about the importance of eating at least 3 meals a day and choosing from a vari- ety of foods in the four major food groups (grain prod- ucts, fruits/vegetables, milk/milk products, meat/meat alternate). Recipes are based on inexpensive, readily available whole grains products, vegetables and fruits, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and legumes. Partici- pants decide themselves how much weight they want to lose. Using a variety of nutritious, well balanced, family- friendly meals, women and teenagers, in the weight loss phase, are taught to eat approximately 1400 kcal a day and men, around 1800 kcal. During that.
