Normally losing is not good. It is typically frowned upon. Americans, almost by nature, like to win, to gain not lose.

For a diverse group of local residents, however, their collective losses were impressive and helpful.

Nearly two-dozen participants graduated last week from the Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention Program.

The program, funded by a grant from the Humana Foundation in partnership with the City of Natchez, aimed at educating interested residents on how to avoid two of the biggest causes of death in our state — heart disease and diabetes.

Collectively, the group lost more than 300 pounds, but gained significant knowledge about their own health and, we are certain, one another as well.

Critics of such efforts may question the merits of a program that reaches a relatively small segment of the population, however, changing our understanding and beliefs can happen one person at a time.

We congratulate each participant and their family and friends. Making it through the one-year program was not easy, as evidenced by the high dropout rate.

But their accomplishments will have lasting effects on their lives and the lives of those who depend on them.

If each participant shares the knowledge they learned with at least one more person, who then in turn shares it with another, that’s how a real health movement begins.

That’s the kind of losing effort we all love.