From coast to coast, politicians of various backgrounds, ideologies and girths have won attention _ if not votes _ by waging public campaigns to shed some pounds.
In Arkansas, Gov. Mike Huckabee rose from small-state obscurity to national fame after losing more than 100 pounds and penning the self-help book "Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork." He is now a Republican presidential hopeful.
In California, outgoing Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is running for state insurance commissioner based on his own weight-loss program. He offers voters recipes for low-fat foods such as the "Berry Bustamante Smoothie" and his "Guiltless Turkey Fajitas."
And in Georgia, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue threw his beloved Snickers bar into a crowd at the state capitol to launch his Live Healthy Georgia campaign in 2003. Now sporting looser-fitting suits, Perdue told a reporter: "I'm a hunk."
Among the latest to join the weight-loss crusade is Virginia's Bill Bolling, the low-key Republican lieutenant governor who pledged to drop 30 pounds by the end of the year.
"It's been phenomenal," Bolling said. "I've been in government for 15 years. I've never done anything that has caught the public's attention like this has."
Whether a politician's diet can influence the public at large is difficult to measure. Medical groups said they knew of no studies linking political campaigns to state obesity rates.
But political observers and medical experts said such public relations efforts were most likely a helpful tool in improving public health. In an age of political cynicism, they said, the public shows greater respect for a politician who leads by example.
"Politicians, by the nature of what they do, are in the public limelight," said Dr. James Rohack, a cardiologist from Texas who lost 80 pounds to set a better example for his patients. "They're being looked at as potential role models. People say, 'If they can do it, I can do it too.' That's where the true leadership message really resonates."
Some politicians have taken more radical steps to lose weight. On Capitol Hill, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., opted for stomach-reduction surgery in 2002 after trying to carry 338 pounds on his 5-foot-4-inch frame. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., last year underwent a "duodenal switch" that removes part of the stomach.
Perhaps no one in political life has become better known for his health regimen than Huckabee, the popular two-term governor in Arkansas whose personal battle with the bulge was dramatic and _ many say _ inspirational.
In one famous incident, Huckabee, who peaked at about 300 pounds, once sat down for a cabinet meeting at the state capitol and demolished a 100-year-old chair. Diets came and went, to no avail.
"Between big holidays, birthdays and special events such as church feasts and political fish-fry rallies, I could always find reasons to wait one more week," Huckabee wrote of his weight-loss efforts in his book. "I even became good at celebrating holidays for other people. How many Baptists do you know who observe all the Jewish feasts?"
But in 2003, after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and warned his life was in jeopardy, the self-described "foodaholic" changed his diet and his lifestyle. Over the last two years, he has dropped more than 100 pounds and led a Healthy Arkansas campaign aimed at encouraging healthful eating habits.
Another Arkansan, former President Bill Clinton, joined forces with Huckabee last year to launch the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The national group's goal is to stop the increase in childhood obesity by 2010.
Clinton, derided for years as "Tubby" on David Letterman's "Late Show," has likewise slimmed down since leaving the White House and having heart surgery in 2004.
Obesity, experts say, is a growing national health problem that eats up an increasing percentage of health care dollars. There are now about 60 million obese Americans, including 9 million severely obese, according to the American Obesity Association.
"There is no question that we have a crisis of personal responsibility in America," said Doug Gray, executive director of the Virginia Association of Health Plans. "We need our political leaders to serve as examples."
No one may have more riding on that question than Huckabee, who is using the national attention from his weight-loss experience to explore a 2008 presidential bid.
"Certainly his national profile is expanded tremendously," said Ann Clemmer, who studies state politics at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
"Is he using his personal story to launch a national campaign? Absolutely. But we all use what we have. He was never an athlete and now he's running marathons. What person approaching middle age is not inspired by that?"
Similarly, in Virginia, Bolling makes no secret of his ambitions to become the state's governor, perhaps in 2009. "Would I like to be governor of Virginia someday? Sure I would," he said.
"I don't think it's been viewed that way," he said. "I've not heard the first negative reaction to the effort we've undertaken. The motivation on my part is we've got 60 percent of the population that is overweight or obese. It's got health impacts and fiscal impacts. And from a personal level, it's something I need to do."
The potential political payoff from weight loss may be judged first in California, where Bustamante is running a campaign this fall for insurance commissioner based largely on his health campaign. His campaign Web site, www.startwithcruz.com, shuns insurance talk to feature health tips, recipes and a personal journal detailing his progress at weight reduction.
"I want to become an example to others to lead healthier lives by losing weight myself," Bustamante said in a campaign statement for voters during his party primary. "Fighting the obesity epidemic will lower insurance costs."
"It's had practically no effect on anything," Pitney said. "Most Californians couldn't pick Cruz Bustamante out of a lineup, either the fat version or the thin version. "
As a Democrat running in a Democratic-leaning state, Pitney said, Bustamante could win his race against Republican technology millionaire Steve Poziner. But, Pitney said, "In Bustamante's case, subtracting weight does not add political luster."
Katherine Tallmadge, a dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, applauded the efforts of political leaders to encourage healthy living.
"I would think it could inspire people no matter what motivation the politician has," she said. "The question is, are they doing it healthfully? Are they using the advice of a registered dietician? People can get their information from all kinds of shady sources."
On his Web site, Bustamante offers a disclaimer that urges voters to consult a health care professional before starting any diet or exercise regimen.
Bolling, who weighed in at 278 pounds on Sept. 1, lost 13 pounds in his first three weeks on his program. "Instead of reaching for the ice cream, I'm reaching for the sugar-free Jello," he said.
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