Promoting Healthy Weight With 'Stability Skills First'

This randomized trial will test whether learning a novel set of 'stability skills' before losing weight improves long-term weight management (i.e., during a subsequent follow-up period once classes and staff contact have ended). Overweight/obese participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions (Maintenance First or Weight Loss First). In the Maintenance First condition, participants will learn stability skills during a novel 8-week maintenance program before participating in a standard 20-week behavioral weight-loss program. In the Weight Loss First condition (usual care/active comparator condition), participants will participate in a standard 20-week behavioral weight-loss program followed by a standard 8-week problem-solving skills maintenance program. Participants in both conditions will participate in identical standard 20-week behavioral weight-loss programs and be offered the same number of 90-minute weekly classes over the 6-month intervention period, (thus matching for time and attention from study-led health educators). Participants will be assessed at baseline and 6 months during the 6-month intervention period and at 12 and 18 months during the subsequent 12-month follow-up period (i.e., after classes and staff contact have ended). There will be no intervention staff contact during the 12-month follow-up, only 6, 12 and 18-month assessments. The primary aim will test whether participants in the Maintenance First condition gain less weight during the 12-month follow-up period (i.e., 6-18 months) than those in the Weight Loss First (active comparator) condition. Secondary questions of interest include examining psychometrics of lifestyle behavior questions (e.g., physical activity).