Dannie Cunningham, 61, has dropped 56 pounds and cut his blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol down to normal range by working with a diabetes counselor. "To me, food was just food, like fuel for your car," he said, "except I have to say, I was a whole lot more careful about what I put in my car."

One in three adult West Virginians is now obese. Dannie Cunningham -- at 237 pounds in this 2009 photo -- is no longer among the one in three. "I lowered that statistic a little bit," he said.

Cunningham loves to hunt and walk in the hills above his home. "You can see I have a lot to live for, can't you?" he said.