Cal Snowden knows exactly how he got fat: No activity, and high calorie intake.

But the 67-year-olds tale has a back story, starting in the 10th grade, when he joined the Roosevelt High School football team. The native Washingtonian had a knack for the sport, and he kept on playing at Indiana University. His pre-med plans fell apart when he attempted to tackle organic chemistry. So instead of medical school, Snowden wound up going to the NFL.

At 225 pounds, the 6-foot-3 rookie was a smallish defensive end. I struggled to maintain even that, Snowden says, but his coaches insisted he get heavier. A beer-and-carb diet did the trick. By the time he retired in 1973 (after playing five seasons for St. Louis, Buffalo and San Diego), Snowden tipped the scales at more than 250 pounds.

These days, hes aiming for that same target only from the opposite direction. In April, he weighed 335 pounds and had borderline hypertension and prediabetes. In other words, he looked like a typical retired professional football player.

Studies have shown that NFL alumni have a much higher risk of obesity than the rest of the population. They start out bigger. And although they may enjoy exercising, lingering injuries and the shift to a sedentary daily life often prove to be a dangerous combination.

Just ask Archie Roberts, a former NFL quarterback and heart surgeon. When youre young and forceful and vital, its hard to believe that could ever change, he says. But, he put on weight over the years, and his blood pressure and cholesterol went up. Im supposed to know what that all means, notes Roberts, now 71, who ignored the mounting warning signs until the day he had a stroke.

The experience inspired him to found the Living Heart Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to the health of retired athletes. Its latest initiative is a program called HOPE (Heart, Obesity, Prevention, Education), funded with support from the NFL Players Association. It started with a research study at Temple University in Philadelphia two years ago and has since expanded to other sites.

One is the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Snowden was one of seven players who participated in a six-month intervention that wrapped up there last week. And its why, as of today, Snowden is at 300 pounds and dropping.

HOPE welcomes a customized approach, says GWs Melissa Napolitano, a clinical health psychologist and one of the investigators on the study. So her team adapted the schools existing diabetes prevention protocol, which involves food logs, weigh-ins and regular meetings to discuss strategies and offer support.

For the football players, researchers tacked on a 30-to-45-minute physical activity at the end of each chat. The exercises varied but emphasized hand-eye coordination and balance. One skill they learned? Juggling. The goal wasnt to work up a sweat so much as it was to form connections.

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Retired NFL players team up to lose weight