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Faced with growing protests from doctors and following the recent early deaths of two of Brazil's former King Momos, Rio opted for a "politically correct carnival,'' officials at a ''weighing-in'' contest said on Saturday.

After 12 corpulent candidates stepped up to the scales to compete for the title of King Momo at next February's carnival, the city treated them to a feast of salad and diet sodas instead of the traditional all-you-can-eat pasta extravaganza.

"We don't want to encourage people to get fatter,'' said Luiz Moraes, the contest coordinator. "The idea of King Momo and of carnival is to be jovial, energetic and have samba in the blood -- so if they weigh a little less, that's OK.''

But officials had not eliminated the 240-pound (110-kg) minimum weight in festivities renowned for their excesses. One of the candidates who mustered only 235 pounds (108 kg) was eliminated. ''Don't they know King Momo can't live on just salad?'' complained Marcus Vinicius de Souza, a 405-pound competitor as he munched on a piece of honeydew melon. "The king is fat and happy -- and a big eater.''

Judges will crown the new King Momo next Friday. They will award the winner $3,800 and in February, Rio's mayor will hand him the keys of the city, kicking off five days of wild pre-Lenten parties and all-night parades.

Not everybody was complaining about the slimmer festivities on Saturday.

"You shouldn't feel like you have to risk your life to be King Momo,'' said Rio's four-year King Momo titleholder, 28-year-old architect Alex de Oliveira.

Last year, Oliveira put himself on a diet and shed about 120 pounds (55 kg) after undergoing stomach surgery to cut hunger pangs. But he still weighed in at a relatively hefty 330 pounds (150 kg) on Saturday.

King Momo is named after the Greek god of satire and laughter.

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