Whenever Carlton Mabe's confidence begins to waver, whenever he starts to worry that perhaps he's not losing as much weight as he thinks, he reaches for the belt.

He still wears the same belt he wore two years ago, except now the belt wraps around him one and a half times. It tucks inside the rear loops on his pants. He's poked more than a dozen holes through it, just so he can keep wearing it as a reminder of how far he has come and as a reason to keep going.

Since June 2006, Mabe, 52, has dropped the equivalent of an overweight man -- 246 pounds. He's lost 21 inches from his waist. The Vinton man won't reveal how much he weighed at his heaviest until he reaches his goal of losing 270 pounds. He has no doubt that he will get there, because he never looks past the day he's living in. There was a time not too long ago when he thought he might not have too many days left.

"I was 51 years old and I was going to die," said Mabe, an instructor at Virginia Western Community College.

He suffered from enough health problems to fill a medical dictionary. He had congestive heart failure. He was hooked up to an oxygen tank 18 hours a day. Even though he won't say how much he weighed at the time, let's just say that a weight-guesser at a county fair would have pegged him close to 500 pounds two years ago.

"One day, I had a talk with the Lord and I said, 'If you've got a plan for me I need to know, because I've tried all I know to do.' "

The plan was simple: Change everything.

He changed the way he ate, he changed his attitude toward exercise and he changed his image of himself. He credits his weight-loss to prayer, exercise, portion control at meals and general lifestyle changes.

After first experiencing heart trouble 15 years ago, he had an easy excuse to live a sedentary lifestyle. Today, he walks more than three miles daily. He had loved riding motorcycles, but had not been physically able to lift his leg over the seat in 15 years. Today, he has a new Honda 750 Nighthawk that he rides to work.

After investigating as many as 20 weight-loss programs on the Internet, he designed his own.

He sticks to a strict diet. He eats a lot of protein, especially fish, but doesn't skimp on fruits and vegetables. Breakfast begins with Special K cereal (the only kind he eats, although he opts for a variety of flavors), a half-piece of fruit and a cup of coffee. Lunch consists of lean turkey, ham or tuna, fresh veggies, crackers and a Yoplait yogurt. Dinner is similar to lunch, only with an extra serving of vegetables and fruit. He doesn't eat after 6 p.m. and he watches the portion size.

"If it's bigger than my fist, it doesn't go on my plate," he said.

He has received a fair-sized helping of attention for his success. He was one of three state employees recognized by Gov. Tim Kaine for participating in a state-sponsored weight management program called "Plan It My Weigh."

Better yet, he has served as an inspiration to his wife, Melody, who has lost 65 pounds. His 19-year-old daughter Samantha has also lost some weight, proving that the family that loses together, wins together.

The evidence is tangible. He's gone from a size 8X shirt to 3X and is about to drop to 2X. He's not stopping there.

"Every day I pray, 'Just give me one day, just the strength for one day,' " he said. "If I stumble that day, it's not the worst thing in the world. But very few times in the last 22 months have I even been tempted to stumble."

* * * * *

Jennifer Smith wasn't thinking of herself when she decided eight years ago that she needed to lose weight. She wasn't thinking about how tired she felt, or that she felt older than her age of 25, or that her self-image was negative.

Well, OK, she did think all of that, but those weren't the real reasons why she got serious about shedding significant pounds. She was thinking of her daughter.

"After my first daughter was born, all I could think about was that she would follow in my heavy footsteps," Smith wrote in an e-mail. "I needed to make a change for myself and for her."

Smith made that change. Eight years ago, the 5-foot-10-inch Smith weighed nearly 300 pounds. Today, the Christiansburg mother of three and Weight Watchers devotee consistently weighs in the 170s. Smith, 33, gained a lot of weight during each of her pregnancies, but lost it all every time.

In fact, she became such a true believer in Weight Watchers, she went to work for the program as a meeting leader six evenings a week.

"Weight Watchers is all about changing habits through time," Smith said. "It's a lifestyle change, not a diet."

The program relies upon its "four pillars" -- lifestyle behavior, food choices, supportive environment and exercise.

Smith and her husband, Tim, lead an active life. They take their children -- daughters Lelia, 8, and Georgia, 6, and son Sullivan, 3 -- out to sporting events, for hikes and walks, and to the Christiansburg Recreation Center. The key is just getting outside, away from the television.

On a recent family outing to a Salem Avalanche baseball game, Smith packed a bagful of healthful snacks for the kids -- fresh fruit, nuts, hummus sandwiches, veggies -- before allowing them to indulge in Dippin' Dots as a treat.

"Every day we hear about the problem of childhood obesity," she said. "If I'm going to have a healthy family, I have to lead by example."

It's working. At one point during a telephone interview, Smith was distracted by her 3-year-old. He wanted mom to make him a salad.

* * * * *

Blame it on Paula Abdul.

Erin Lunsford, 17, spent a lot of free time watching television, especially "American Idol." As a result, she wasn't exactly what you'd call an active teenager. She studied, of course (which you would expect of a senior who's on track to be valedictorian at Lord Botetourt High School), but she ate bad stuff and watched TV.

A year ago, she weighed close to 200 pounds -- more than her dad -- and her cholesterol was higher than her mom's.

If that wasn't enough to persuade her to change her lifestyle, the final piece of inspiration came one day on a school bus when a friend blurted out: "I have no sympathy for fat people. They can help it. They just don't do anything about it."

"I was insulted by that," Erin said. "I was determined to change."

Her stepmother, Kimberly, is a dietitian who works as a health educator for The Nutrition Resource in Roanoke. Erin enrolled in the Health Management Resource program, which focuses on healthful eating and living. She has lost nearly 43 pounds since last summer.

Teenage girls are often inundated with contradictory information when it comes to their weight. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On the other hand, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that as many as 3 percent of women will develop eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

Numbers like that can be confusing to teenage girls with poor self-images. Balance and support are important, and Erin has both.

Having someone in the house who is a dietitian is certainly an advantage. Erin said she has lost weight gradually and consistently. She eats a healthful diet and participates in a slew of activities. A talented guitar and piano player, Erin plays regular gigs with mom, Cheryl Lunsford. She's even warmed up to camping trips with her father, Jeff, and stepmom.

"I exercise and enjoy it," she said. "My family likes hiking and camping. I always complained. Now, I hike every other weekend and it's my favorite thing to do. I love it."

She wrote an essay about her weight problems as part of her college application to the University of Virginia. She described feelings of guilt, frustration and pain:

"The first three years of high school were unhappy for me in many ways, because I felt so guilty for blatantly neglecting the problem I had with my weight. No other thing in my life hurt me as much as fully believing that I would never change, and that I might be ok with not changing. I never suffered from a lack of friends, or a need for attention, just fear of change."

She got accepted to UVa and will begin pre-med studies in the fall.

Today, she says she feels "more secure. I was pretty self-confident, just not about my body image."

As for her couch potato, TV-addicted days, "I haven't watched the new season of 'American Idol' once."

* * * * *

Frances Wright

Hometown: Galax

Pounds lost: 27

How you did it: Support group

Tip: "More vegetables, whole wheat, more grains and eight glasses of water per day."

How long you've kept it off: Three years

In the fall of 2005, Frances Wright was inspired by a friend who had lost more than 100 pounds with the help of a support group. At 5 feet 3 inches tall and 165 pounds, Wright decided that it was time for her to lose weight. She had difficulty climbing steps.

Through the group, she learned about a calorie counter and being more aware of the food she eats. Her average weight loss was 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Now, she walks 3 1/2 miles daily and work out with weights three to five times per week. Steps are no problem anymore.

"My goal has been to set an example for my grandchildren," she writes, "teaching them how important it is to eat right and exercise!"

* * * * *

Tracie Creasy

Age: 28

Hometown: Vinton

Pounds lost: 115

How you did it: Working out and portion control

Tip: "Stay consistent. Even when you absolutely do not feel like working out, just do a little something for as long as you can because doing something is always better than nothing."

How long you've kept it off: Still 18 pounds away from goal, but another 10 pounds would put her into the healthy range on the body mass index scale

Tracie Creasy has been losing weight since November 2006 by working out at the gym an average of five days a week and practicing portion control. She's also worked with a sports nutritionist, Rita Perini. "She has been such a support for me," Creasy writes.

Creasy said she started out doing small things such as walking and water aerobics and gradually increased the intensity of her workouts and weight training. She ran her first 5K in September, the Marine Mud Run. Her starting weight was 293 pounds and she currently weighs 178. She was just recently able to wear her size 10 pants that she has been wanting to get into. "They fit, too!"

* * * * *

From Penny Decker of Christiansburg:

Though Decker didn't specify her weight loss success, she recommends getting a friend to do it with you. "It's like doing a competition together," she writes, "always set a goal of how much you want to lose, plan to be a winner."

Then Decker goes on to list 12 tips she's picked up during her journey. Some of them include:

-"Fix your meat the way you like it, broiled, baked or fried, peel off skin on chicken."

-"Avoid starchy foods, corn, carrots, peas. Can have a potato (baked or boiled) in place of eating meat at one meal."

-"Drink lots of water."

* * * * *

Franklin Barton

Age: 75

Hometown: Wytheville

Pounds lost: 200

How you did it: Stomach stapling, diet and exercise

Tip: "I try to stay away from fats and sweets."

How long you've kept it off: Since 1992

Franklin Barton once weighed 400 pounds. He retired in April 1988 and began an exercise program that maintained his weight at 300 pounds. But he had many health problems, including hypertension and sleep apnea, and couldn't lay flat to sleep because of the acid reflux. "I was in such poor condition," he writes, "I had to rest to get back into the house after picking up the morning paper, and I used the grocery cart as a walker when in the grocery store." After he quit smoking, his weight kept rising.

Through persistence, he persuaded his doctors to recommend him for stomach stapling, a procedure he had done in 1992 in Richmond. Today, he goes to the Wytheville Recreation Center, tries to walk regularly and works out with weight machines. He said he is now in the best condition he has been in the past 25 to 30 years.

* * * * *

Loretta Yopp

Age: 36

Hometown: Callaway

Pounds lost: 40 and counting

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: "I challenge you to find that new you, the one that is hiding inside you."

How long you've kept it off: Still going

Loretta Yopp joined Weight Watchers in January and lost 40 pounds in 15 weeks. She has about 36 more pounds to go.

She decided to join the day after Christmas, when she fell and broke her arm. It made movement difficult, and her husband had to help her get up, even out of the tub. She weighed 236 pounds. "I knew then it was time to do something."

Yopp used to hate cooking and frequently used the microwave and deep fryer. "It was hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, fish sticks. ... That was supper at our house because it was so easy." But through the program, she's learned how to eat healthier and cook healthier. "You can eat the foods I listed above; but eat them in moderation and not every day." She's gone from a size 20 to size 16 jeans and wearing 2X shirts to size 14/16.

"The one person I have to give higher praise to is my Lord, without the Lord I could have never had the success I have had so far."

* * * * *

Lisa Reed

Age: 44

Hometown: Roanoke

Pounds lost: 50

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: "You must be mentally ready to make the change. Lots of fiber, lots of water, relearning how to eat healthfully, portion control and great family support."

How long you've kept it off: Two years

In December 2005, Lisa Reed was 41, working full time, married, a mother of a two children ages 2 and 3 and "fat." "I did not enjoy roughhousing or hiking with my kids because it was too much work."

A week before her 42nd birthday, she joined Weight Watchers. By August 2006, she had lost 50 pounds, five dress sizes and has maintained that weight loss ever since.

To keep it off, she weighs herself every day. She takes yoga classes and walks with friends at work. She keeps an old picture of herself and an old pair of shorts as reminders of how much she doesn't want to go back.

"Now I enjoy hiking with the kids. I showed them mom could do a cartwheel, and I was able to get up on water skis for the first time in more years than I care to remember," she writes. "I feel better. I am happier. I am never going back."

* * * * *

Meghan Farrington

Age: 31

Hometown: Roanoke

Pounds lost: 45 pounds in 2001; and 65 pounds recently

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: "I love that I don't have to remove anything from my diet, just balance the good with the occasional treat."

How long you've kept it off: Four and a half years the first time; one year the second time

Meghan Farrington said though she was always "a little on the chunky side," her weight "really spiraled out of control" at college, when the Freshman 15 turned into 50. Inspired by her approaching wedding date, she joined Weight Watchers in 2001 and maintained her goal of losing 45 pounds for three years. When she became pregnant, the weight came back. After her son was born, she "got back on track" and went on to lose 65 pounds. She now works for Weight Watchers.

"I ... feel empowered knowing that not only can I maintain a healthy weight while still living life, but that ultimately I'm passing on this healthy lifestyle to my family."

* * * * *

Lesia Linkous

Age: 35

Hometown: Riner

Pounds lost: 68 pounds

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: "Make small changes to your diet to eat more wisely; find a support group; find an activity you like to do; and plan to be successful."

How long you've kept it off: Five years

Lesia Linkous joined Weight Watchers in May 2001. At her highest weight of 180, she had no energy, was taking blood pressure medicine and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

She had no expectations when she joined Weight Watchers, but quickly learned that setting minigoals throughout was a valuable tool. When she reached her goal -- her maintenance now is between 109 to 115 pounds -- in 2002, she got back into extracurricular activities.

She joined a clogging class and now dances with a semipro team. "My interaction with all people has improved because I feel like people now see the real me."

* * * * *

Teresa Calhoun

Age: 53

Hometown: Roanoke

Pounds lost: 100

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: "I could control my weight loss and eating habits."

How long you've kept it off: Two years

Teresa Calhoun was about to turn 50 and learned that she was at risk for developing diabetes because she was overweight. She wore a size 22 dress and weighed 276 pounds.

So she signed up for her first Weight Watchers meeting in February 2004. The first week, she lost 4 pounds. By the third week, she had lost 10.

"I didn't lose weight every week, but when I gained weight or hit a plateau, I almost always heard something in the meeting that encouraged me to keep trying," she writes.

Six months later, in August, she had lost 51 pounds. But then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Still, she stuck to the program. "Weight Watchers gave me something to focus on during my cancer treatments. I couldn't control the cancer, but I could control my weight loss," she writes.

On Dec. 27, 2005, she achieved her goal and had lost 100 pounds. She's now wears a size 14 dress. "I can walk two miles on the treadmill without pain or exhaustion." And she began working for Weight Watchers in 2006. "I always tell members, 'If I can do it -- you can do it!' "

* * * * *

Melissa Hall

Age: 35

Hometown: Roanoke

Pounds lost: 90

How you did it: Diet and nutrition

Tip: "My motivation is a picture that I taped on a full-length mirror in my bedroom and every morning, I look at it and say 'I will never go back, I can do this, never give up!' "

How long you've kept it off: Almost 10 months

Hall said she's been overweight all her life. Ten months ago, she decided to lose the weight. Her old habits included eating twice a day and drinking two 32-oz. McDonald's sweet teas a day and no exercise.

Now, she's eating six times a day, doesn't eat past 6 p.m., has cut out red meat and caffeine in favor of more fruits and veggies, walking four miles every morning and going to Salem YMCA six days a week. There, she met aerobics instructor Jill Green, without whom, Hall says, she could not have done this. Hall went from a size 18/20 to a size 4/6.

"I feel better now than I have ever felt in my life!"

* * * * *

Lois Collins

Age: 78

Hometown: Roanoke

Pounds lost: 25

How you did it: TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)

Tip: "Our theme is eating healthy, portion control, exercise and feeling good about yourself."

How long you've kept it off: 14 years and counting

Collins met her goal of losing 25 pounds; she now weighs 138 pounds and went from size 16 to a size 12. She joined TOPS, a weight loss support group, in 1993 when she realized she needed help. She reached her goal, which was set by her doctor, in nine months and said she "could not have done this without the support of my TOPS friends."

* * * * *

Dottie Woods

Age: 57

Hometown: Blacksburg

Pounds lost: 20

How you did it: Low-carb diet

Tip: "Convince yourself that now is the right time for weight loss and to allow patience and persistence to guide you on this journey to better health."

How long you've kept it off: One year

Dottie Woods was motivated by her health and her son's upcoming wedding in 2007.

Her internist recommended she lose weight because of her high blood pressure, which was caused by too much water retention. She already had hypothyroidism and didn't want to take any more medication.

She tried calorie counting, fat intake restrictions and exercise without much success. Then, with the thought of purchasing an expensive dress for the wedding, she figured the time had come to try something different.

She turned to a low-carbohydrate diet. "As an Italian, this sounded like a death sentence," she writes. "At this time I was 55 and knew I had to be serious."

She began to read just about every label, looking at the carb, sugar and fiber counts. She cleared out the food pantry. Now, she's keeping up the low-carb diet but allowing herself some pasta from time to time. "My motivation to continue is enjoying better health, being off the additional meds and my daughter's 2009 wedding," she writes. "I just wish I could wear the same dress, it fits great!!!"

* * * * *

Pam Sink

Age: 40

Hometown: Blue Ridge

Pounds lost: 85

How you did it: Weight Watchers

Tip: Keep vegetables on hand to snack on, keep fat-free snacks and try to keep junk food out of the kitchen. It's all about planning meals and having the proper food on hand.

How long you've kept it off: Two years

After the birth of her two children, Pam Sink says she just let herself gain weight little by little. Then one day, at a doctor's visit, she realized she was "out of control at 215." "I was like, 'Wow, this is not me.' "

She joined Weight Watchers in May 2005 and met her goal in April 2006. She now weighs 130 pounds and continues to exercise three times a week on the treadmill and can run two miles now.

"I really enjoy shopping for clothes that I can pull from any rack in the store," she writes.