The dieters' hall of fame

Looking for ways to help people lose weight and keep it off, researchers atthe University of Pittsburgh Medical School asked the experts: formerly obese people who had lost a substantial amount of weight (at least 30 pounds) and kept it off for a long time (an average of five and a half years). A survey of 784 members of the National Weight Control Registry, as the project is called, showed that most had a shared experience: 77 percent of them reported a notable "triggering event" that motivated them to lose weight. For some, the trigger was seeing themselves in a photograph or reflected in a mirror; for others, it was an approaching reunion or anniversary. Women were more likely to mention an emotional event related to their weight, while men more often cited a medical incident such as the development of sleep apnea or lower back pain. Lead investigator Mary Klem, Ph.D., notes that a trigger doesn't have to precede weight loss, but adds that such events motivated some to do what had seemed impossible before.