It's a phenomenon the highly competitive Dean clan uses to healthy advantage - for in the Dean Family Weight-Loss Challenge, everyone who loses wins.

The Deans, scattered along the Wasatch Front and in California, use an interactive Web site as the framework for their race to drop 30 pounds. The site provides constant communication and immediate feedback in the spirited battle. Motivation is strong, because the winner will claim an exhibit-quality quilt pieced by Dean after a pattern by noted quilt designer Kaffe Fassett.

"When my children figured out the prize would be the quilt, I knew I had to be in the competition in order to keep it," Dean said. "We're all fighting to get it . . . but we all laugh about it."

Although the quilt is strong enticement, it's not the highest stake. Dean's husband died at age 53 during a heart bypass operation. And last year, her daughter Wendy Shurtliff died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 50. High blood pressure was suspected as a cause.

Concerned about their genetic history, and advancing into middle age, members of the Dean clan are fighting to improve their chances for long, active lives.

Kenna's son Lonnie Dean, who lives in Seal Beach, Calif., said he looks at the weight-loss competition between his family members as a way of offsetting the tragedy of Wendy's death with something positive.

"It does make you look more closely at health problems and try to do better so you'll live as long as you can," he said.

When Kenna Dean and several of her children got together in California in February, conversation turned to everyone's battles of the bulge. That's when Lonnie came up with the idea of competing for the quilt as incentive to lose pounds and gain healthy habits.

"In order for me to really try to lose weight, I have to have some kind of competition, or something I can feel excited about," Lonnie said. "Just to feel better should be enough, but it's not."

The idea of using a weight-loss Web site also came from Lonnie, who convinced his mother, four sisters and a brother-in-law to join up.

The free site the Deans use, Sparkpeople.com, enables groups to create password-protected forums where members can post daily weigh-in results and comments. It provides sensible meal plans and advice, and tracks calories and nutrients as users enter the foods they eat each day. And, it offers various tools for charting weight-loss progress, exercise and other health-related goals.

"It just makes it real easy to record your weight and see how everyone else is doing each day," Lonnie said. "That motivates you to keep ahead or catch up."

A few weeks ago, Dean family members in Utah gathered for a party to kick off their weight-loss challenge. But instead of doing the usual - sitting around visiting while munching high-calorie treats - the Deans started a new tradition.

The refreshment table at sister Tami Griffith's home held artful displays of salads, fresh fruit and vegetables. And the evening's activities kept everyone moving - trying out treadmill walking, exercise bands, pingpong, and various fitness machines.

From California, Lonnie sent greetings through the Web site before the party. Ever the competitor, he couldn't resist messing with the minds of his sisters/competitors.

"I said, 'Don't forget the sheet cake. And somebody bring the ice cream,' '' Lonnie confessed. ''They know it's all in play. You try to talk a little smack just to keep the level of energy up in the whole weight loss competition. But it's in the bag - the quilt is mine. They are determined, but not as determined or competitive as me. I hate to lose - I always have to win."

So far, Lonnie's strategies are working. He has lost 27 pounds during the eight weeks since the Dean Family Weight-Loss War commenced, putting him in the lead for the quilt. Brother-in-law John Jackman is a tough competitor, with a 23-pound loss. Kenna Dean and her daughters Melanie Dean, Michelle Jackman-Dean, Heidi Wilcox and Tami Griffith have each lost between 15 and 19 pounds. Another daughter, Jana McVey, just joined up, and is losing weight already.

The family's success is thrilling for Kenna Dean, but at the party, she and her daughter Heidi couldn't avoid musing about what might have been.

"Wendy would have loved this," Heidi said.

"She would win," Kenna said. "She was so competitive."

A report from the front lines

The Dean Family Weight-Loss Challenge began in late January. Here's how things are stacking up:

* Kenna Dean, 77. Starting weight 245; current weight 230: 15 pounds lost. "Just try to take this quilt away from me!" says Kenna Dean's personal Web page on the Sparkpeople site. Dean's goal is "to live to be 100."

*Tami Griffith, 49. Starting weight, 167; current weight, 152; 15 pounds lost. Griffith had lost more than 30 pounds before the competition began. Weight loss has already helped in her battle against fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. She appreciates being able to chat online with others who have similar health issues through the Sparkpeople Web site.

*Melanie Dean, 57. Starting weight 174; current weight, 155.5: 18.5 pounds lost. "Doing this with family is the best part," Dean said. "I hope it doesn't end when we lose our 30 pounds." Dean attributes her success to cutting out soft drinks, and replacing some meals with protein shakes.

*Michelle Dean-Jackman, 53. Starting weight, 198; current weight, 181.5: 16.5 pounds lost. Jackman said success came when she realized "you have to work out and watch what you eat - it has to be both." She keeps fresh vegetables in the refrigerator at all times.

*John Jackman, 62. Starting weight, 234; current weight, 211: 23 pounds lost. Jackman, Michelle Dean-Jackman's husband, hopes to get off medication for his Type II diabetes by losing at least 30 pounds. A former college track star, he wants his runner's body back. "I stopped running, but I didn't stop eating."

*Lonnie Dean, 54. Starting weight, 236; current weight, 209: 27 pounds lost. "People wondered how I could exercise so much and not lose weight," Dean said. But poor food choices were sabotaging Dean's active lifestyle. Now he substitutes grilled fish and vegetables for the meat and fries that were staples of his diet, and he's stopped downing ice cream and cookies before bedtime.

*Heidi Wilcox, 47. Starting weight, 182; current weight, 162.5: 19.5 pounds lost. Wilcox is determined to provide her brother Lonnie with tough competition. To do it, she exercises daily, replaces some meals with protein shakes and keeps portion sizes in check.

Here are several on-line weight-loss programs. Some charge monthly fees. Others, such as Sparkpeople.com, are supported by advertisements. Compare carefully to find the features that suit you best.

http://www.diet.com

http://www.ediets.com

http://wwwsouthbeachdiet.com

http://www.webmd.com

http://www.weightwatchers.com