Table 2. WORD Group Sessions; Associated Learning and Behavioral Objectives; and Spiritual Messages.

Session Number	Session Title	Learning and Behavioral Objectives	Spiritual Messages
1	Welcome to The WORD	To provide an overview of The WORD Intervention, including the program goals and basic information about weight loss. A focus on the role of faith in making healthy changes is emphasized.	Being physically healthy is also a part of keeping the body pure, of being a temple for God's Spirit. Taking care of your physical body by being healthy is a spiritual act of worship.
2	Energy In, Energy Out: Calories	To learn how calories are related to eating and physical activity; and learn how calories are related to a healthy weight	Emphasize helpful, lawful and spiritual things with God. Your body is bought with a price, paid for by Jesus. Therefore glorify God in all that you do including what you eat.
3	Zap the Fat	To learn how to keep track of fat grams, and its usefulness in weight loss. To receive personal fat gram goal, and to practice calculating the fat grams of example foods.	From the beginning God did not want man to eat too much fat or blood. God originally wanted man to eat plants, like fruits and vegetables.
4	Active in God	To provide the WORD activity goal. Discuss the importance of physical activity and how to increase current levels of physical activity. Make an initial activity plan for the next week including 60 minutes of physical activity.	How to deepen one's relationship with God through physical activity.
5	Eat Less Calories	To learn how to weigh and measure foods, and how to record them using the WORD track books. Learn three ways to eat less fat and fewer calories.	How to use our bodies to glorify God with spiritual praise.
6	Healthy Eating	To learn the importance of eating vegetables and fruits, and about how much and what type of vegetables and fruits to eat daily. To learn importance of eating enough fiber and what types of food are high in fiber.	We can glorify God by taking care of our bodies, by eating healthy.
7	Walk with Him	To discuss barriers to physical activity, and learn different ways to find time to be active. To discuss lifestyle activity.	We are called to live in a way that is consistent with how God tell us to treat this body. His word will build spiritual growth, as one grows and learns, a change of lifestyle will take shape.
8	Find the Qs: Cues to Healthy Behavior	To learn about cues for physical activity, eating, and spirituality. How to find cues for physical activity, eating, and spirituality in one's home and day-to-day life. To learn to use cues to promote healthy behaviors.	Our body is God's temple. God wants us to be in good health Physically and Spiritually.
9	Break the Chains: Problem Solving	To learn the five steps of problem solving. To practice the steps using a problem the group member is experiencing now with meeting the program goals.	To know that it is wise to seek God's help to break chains and problem solve by trusting in the Lord and acknowledging Him in all we do.
10	Eating Out	To learn the four keys of eating healthy when eating out. To provide examples and practice the four keys in real-life settings.	To learn that strength to eat healthy comes from Christ
11	Replacing Lies with Truth	To learn about lying thoughts and how to replace them with truthful thoughts. To practice replacing lying thoughts with truthful thoughts.	Believers must put off remaining sinful deeds and instead be continually renewed into the Christ likeness to which they are called. This also means to stop lying to oneself about health or healthy lifestyle.
12	Stopping Slips	To learn about slips and how to get back up after a slip. To learn how to stop slips from happening and make an action plan to correct them.	As Christians, we will fall. We will slip, but God calls us to rise back up again and to try. The difference between the righteous and the wicked are not that the righteous never fall, but that they get back up again.
13	Be HOLY: Remaining Active in God	To discuss how to keep the physical activity plan fun and interesting. To learn about aerobic fitness. To learn how to be HOLY in terms of remaining active in God (how hard are you working when active, how often are you active, how long are you active, saying yes to aerobic activities).	Taking care of your body can be hard work; therefore one must be active Spiritually and Physically. Good physical works cannot produce salvation; however all of our works should be evidences of God-empowerment.
14	Find the Social Qs!	To learn about social cues for physical activity, eating, and spirituality. To find social cues for physical activity, eating, and spirituality in their homes and day-to-day lives. To learn to use social cues to promote healthy behaviors.	We can glorify God by eating healthy and by being healthy. If we don't spend time with God, spiritually we will be dry too. It is important to sow good things into our lives so we can have good fruit later on.
15	Managing Stress	To learn how to prevent and cope with stress so that it does not impact healthy eating and physical activity. To create action plans to manage stress.	When in fear, anxiousness, or dissatisfaction, we must always seek and turn to the peace of God, for Peace. God has the power to transform our minds concerning our health and we must trust in him.
16	Persevering: Maintaining Healthy Changes	To review the changes made while being a part of the WORD program. To learn tips to maintain healthy changes.	If you know that it is right and good to be healthy, but do not do it, it is sin. God wants wholeness for You. He wants the best for You. The best means being healthy.
Maintenance Sessions
17	Being a New Creation	To learn how to be a new creation in Christ during this changing time. To review how to set weekly goals remembering CHRIST.	God's plan is fully furnished with His power and ability, His grace and wisdom, His blessing and provision.
18	Setting Goals of FAITH	To learn how to set goals of FAITH with God's help. To review the principles for setting helpful goals and then set a specific behavioral goal related to diet or physical activity that they will try to achieve during the next month.	Whatever you do, don't lean on your own understanding-acknowledge God, pray to Him, be willing to listen to Him and He will direct your paths.
19	Yield Not to Temptation at Holidays and Special Events	To learn how to resist temptations to overeat during holidays and special occasions through prayer. To learn how to Plan ahead, Pray ahead and Practice ahead.	Through reflection and prayer God can help us with the challenges of eating healthy and being active during holidays and vacations.
20	Mindful Eating	To identify the ways the body tells us when food is needed. To recognize the difference between hunger, appetite and satiety. To identify ways on how to be more aware of food cues.	The spirit indeed is willing and the flesh is weak; the spirit always wants us to do what is right; the flesh goes beyond the limits of the spirit.
21	You Are How You Eat	To learn about the different types of eaters. To review things that get in the way of healthy eating and being active. To connect negative thoughts to emotions that trigger eating too much and lack of physical movement.	The scripture says examine yourself first, and then partake in your everyday eating. We need to examine ourselves and see what we are eating, see what we are drinking and be careful of what we eat and drink. We need to do some self-examination.
22	Train up Your Muscles	To review the long-term WORD Activity goal. To understand the health benefits of aerobic exercise and strength training. To know how to start a simple strength training program.	Stresses that we need to be in charge of our vessels use strength exercises by the grace of God to build up our muscles and our strength.
23	Social Support for Physical Activity	To explore the importance of social support in each participant's weight loss journey as well as the role social support will play in continued weight maintenance. To identify sources of social support for exercise. To learn to identify and ask for the types of support that would be most helpful.	We are not alone. We have the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Prayer is a powerful way to support on another. Pray that your fellow group members meet their physical activity goals, have the motivation to exercise when they don't feel up to it, and pray that they lean on the strength of God when they physically tired and worn.
24	Supermarket Smarts	To learn to identify strategies to make healthy choices at the supermarket. To practice the steps in planning one week of meals. To learn how to begin the grocery list from the meal plan	If we sow bad choices and fall into temptations at the grocery store, our lives will have a greater chance of being full of disease. If we don't spend time with God, spiritually we will be dry too. It is important to sow good things into our lives so we can have good fruit later on.
25	Trusting in God to Make Reduced Energy Density Eating Work for You	To solidify by review, what makes up the Caloric Density of food. To learn how to use food labels to determine caloric density. To identify ways to boost foods with a low caloric density.	Consider what you eat, no matter who you are with and take the time to consider not only what you are eating and but how much you are eating. God will help you regulate your mind to know when you've eaten enough.
26	Count Up the Cost	To discuss the importance of accuracy in keeping track and evaluate ways to increase accuracy. To review the foods guide pyramid and ways to maintain a balanced diet while choosing foods low in caloric density.	We stay on track by looking forward to a more meaningful life in health because of our hope in Christ Jesus
27	Healthy Eating for Life	To learn the importance of eating less fat. To learn about which fats to decrease in your diet and which fats to include in your healthy diet. To review quick tips for how to include fat in a healthy diet.	Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. It is important to remember that our bodies are temples where God lives and we must care for it like God cares for us.
28	Becoming a Weight Maintenance Pro	To learn the strategies of successful weight maintenance as identified through the National Weight Control Registry. To identify how similar their behaviors are to those of Registry members and incorporate weight maintenance strategies used by Registry members into their own maintenance plans.	We must remember that when trying to achieve a healthy weight and become physically active the “race” is not given to the swift or the strongest but to those who endure and lean on the Lord.