A 500 pound salad is serving as a reward and symbol of the collective pounds lost by a group of West Virginia dieters.

Twenty-seven people participated in the Tug River Health Association's weight management program - losing a collective 500 pounds over a five month period ending March 1.

Cheryl Mitchem, program coordinator, tells The Associated Press the salad, containing 110 heads of lettuce, 165 pounds of carrots and about 120 cucumbers, was prepared in a swimming pool and took about 2 1/2 hours.

Mitchem says the crowd gobbled it up in about four hours Thursday.

Of the weightloss, she says, "I think it is a phenomenal accomplishment."