• Height: 5 feet 10 inches

• Personal life: Retired engineer and rheologist, a field of physics that studies the flow of matter. Aloisio has been married for 17 years to his wife, Suzanne.

Family (ENLARGE)

BEFORE: Aloisio at 250 pounds.

Family (ENLARGE)

AFTER: Aloisio at 150 pounds.

READ THEIR STORIES: Longtime losers share winning tips, favorite recipes  Sissy Lusk, 42, Canton: From 345 to 130 pounds  Shelby Katz, 41, Peachtree Corners: From 208 to 125 pounds  Dacia Gilkey, 30, College Park: From 256 to 150 pounds  John Payne, 41, Acworth: From 185 to 148 pounds  Keith McKenney, 47, Atlanta: From 275 to 198 pounds  Karen Smicik, 36, Atlanta: From 198 to 158 pounds  Charles Aloisio, 72, Atlanta: From 250 to 150 pounds  Bob Shelton, 64, Atlanta: From 260 to 210 pounds  Benjamin 'Robby' Sneed, 28, Dallas: From 230 to 160 pounds

• How long he's kept it off: 19 years. Started in 1987 and met his goal in 1988.

• How he does it: Aloisio is a vegan vegetarian, so he doesn't eat meat products or dairy and he avoids sweets. He exercises five times a week.

• Why he's a successful loser: "I think a key is realizing that food was my alcohol and I needed to change my relationship with food," he says. "Also important — wanting to be able to help others out of the bondage to food and excess weight."

• Secrets to continued success: "I advise people to find something to motivate them to become healthy and a normal size," he says. "Building communities at the YMCA, at church — I believe we are meant to be in relationship with others. It helps [me] to be open about my weight loss to help others and to encourage my honesty with respect to my weight."

Whenever there's even the thought of a challenge to maintain his weight, Aloisio thinks, "How can I be an example if I can't do it myself?" He says: "Excess food is not nearly as important as being a help to others. I don't think I varied more than a couple of pounds either side of 150 pounds. I really make an effort not to eat more than my body needs."

Marinated Vegetables
12 (1-cup) servings

Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes (or longer if allowed to marinate overnight)

Suzanne Aloisio makes this recipe with 2 (15-ounce) cans each of green beans and peas, but we decided to reduce the sodium further by making it with frozen vegetables instead. Either way, it makes a hearty and colorful salad that will last in the fridge for days.

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup frozen soybeans
1 (12-ounce) package mixed raw broccoli and cauliflower pieces
1 (1-pound) package frozen cut green beans
1 (1-pound) package frozen green peas
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 (2-ounce) package sliced almonds
1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimento
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a 1-gallon plastic container, combine the vinegar, oil and honey; stir until the honey is dissolved. When the water comes to a boil, add the soybeans and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and cauliflower and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the frozen green beans and cook for 1 minute. Drain all vegetables and rinse with cold water. Add the drained, cooled vegetables to the vinegar mixture. Add the frozen peas, onion, carrots, almonds, pimento and water chestnuts. Stir well to combine and let rest at least 10 minutes, until peas are thawed. Chill overnight if desired; salad is best when served at room temperature.

Per serving: 147 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 1 gram protein, 20 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 64 milligrams sodium.