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SINGAPORE : A new reality television programme aims to get overweight Singaporeans off their couches, and into a regular exercise regime, and MediaCorp celebrities are getting in on the action too.
Titled “Lose To Win”, the four-episode programme in English and Mandarin will highlight a 12-week journey by participants to lose weight.
Commissioned by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB), it will feature contestants from HPB’s “Lose To Win” Challenge, to see who can lose the most weight in the healthiest way. “Lose To Win” debuts in October on MediaCorp's Channels 5 and 8.
Hosts Gurmit Singh (Channel 5), Pornsak, Yuan Shuai, and Lin Chui Fang (Channel 8) will follow participants through the “Lose To Win” Challenge, peeping into their lifestyle and eating habits, and witnessing their gruelling experiences.
During the press conference last week, Gurmit, who introduced himself with his own Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23, said that the contestants were very determined and motivated, and it is not only because of the cash prizes.
“They realised that this is more than a contest,” Gurmit said. “This is a life-changing opportunity to learn more than just losing fat.”
In this contest, the participants are put though a tough boot camp every weekend, and have to maintain a strict but healthy diet, in addition to understanding food and nutrition.
“In the past, [when we] want to lose weight, [we] don’t eat. The BMI will stand for ‘Bo Makan Index’,” Gurmit joked as he referred to anorexic diet habits.
“For those us that are eating too much, it can become ‘Biggest Makan Index’.
“But for them [the contestants] now, BMI actually should stand for ‘Better Makan Index’.”
But hosting the show is not just about interviewing contestants and cheering them on, these celebrities too have to sweat it out in the boot camp, and also maintain their own healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating wisely.
And who better to host the programme than Yuan Shuai, who learnt about dangerous weight loss the hard way.
In a bid to appear leaner on screen, Yuan Shuai went on a rigorous dieting plan for three weeks which required him to run daily and have just one meal a day. The excessive dieting and exercise eventually took a toll on his body, and he had to seek medical help earlier this year.
The actor told Channelnewsasia.com that after experiencing the after-effects of an unhealthy weight loss regime, he finally understood how important health is.
Yuan Shuai was moved after seeing the contestants’ dedication and determination to shed pounds through a combination of diet and exercise.
“Some contestants want to slim down, to be healthy, simply to see their children grow up… I was moved by those contestants, and it is then that I realised that in life, the most important, is simply to have good health, and happiness,” said the winner of Channel U’s talent search programme “U Are The One”.
“As for the concerns such as looks, it is okay, take your time. First of all, you have to take care of your body and your health.”
One of the contestants, Supardi Mohd Shariff, an employee at NParks, is motivated by the exact same reason.
“Before I got to know about this programme, I already have a mission [to slim down], because people would say that I’m fat… and also because of my health,” Supardi said.
As the challenge started during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Supardi had doubts whether he could overcome thirst and hunger, but eventually he pulled through by sheer willpower and with the guidance of his trainer.
He said the biggest challenge for him was to change his eating habits, which was the main cause for his obesity, in addition to the lack of exercise.
“I have to change not only myself, but my whole family,” Supardi said. “[But judging from] the way my wife cooks, and the way my family eats, it is not easy.”
“Lose to Win” debuts October 21 at 9pm, on Channel 5, and October 23 at 8.30pm, on Channel 8.
- CNA/il
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