Florida ? Contrary to popular belief, most Americans who lose weight do not gain most of it back within a short time – or at least, they didn’t admit it to federal health surveyors.

Almost 60 percent of 1,310 overweight people who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight had kept it off after a year, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released Monday.

“The fact that six in 10 could keep the weight off after they lost it is encouraging,” said Dr. Edward Weiss, a CDC epidemiologist who headed the study.

The success does not match some of the past studies on weight loss, which have shown a wide range of successes and failure.