They dared to be fit
MANILA, Philippines - The popularity of a reality TV show showing overweight participants dramatically losing an amazing number of pounds, and the rise in the number of restaurants that offer healthy food have increasingly made people aware of the importance of keeping fit and being mindful of what they eat and drink.
In line with this positive trend, Ministop, a leader in the convenience store industry, and Del Monte Fit ‘N Right recently invited men and women to a fitness challenge billed as “Dare 2 B Fit.” The dare was simple: Lose the most weight at the end of the competition and win P100,000!
Edmund Mabatan’s work requires him to be quick and alert all the time. But being on the heavy side, 31-year-old Edmund was always sluggish, making it difficult for him to accomplish some assigned duties. “I would always end up exhausted,” he said. Aside from that, he sometimes couldn’t fit into his uniform. “I couldn’t even tie my own shoelaces because my big stomach would get in the way.” He attributed his being overweight to excessive eating and lack of exercise.
Edmund and co-workers are regulars at the Ministop Chino Roces in Makati City, where they buy their mid-morning and afternoon snacks. He immediately joined when he heard of the “Dare 2B Fit” challenge. During the initial weigh-in, he tipped the scales at a whopping 220 lbs. Six weeks later, a transformed Edmund stepped out. He weighed only 167 lbs . — that’s 53 lbs. lost in such a short span of time. “I combined Fit ‘N Right with a balanced diet and exercise,” he said.
Another winner was 44-year-old Marilen “Baby” de Guia. She used to weigh 140 lbs. “I may lose one or two pounds. But I would always gain it back. It was frustrating,” she said. As a manager in a garment shop, she would always go up and down the factory’s stairs. “I was always exhausted to the point that going around the workplace always left me out of breath.”
Her children challenged her to join Dare 2B Fit and Baby went on to prove she could do it. Like Edmund, Baby cut down on her food intake, avoided meat, drank Fit ‘N Right, jogged for one-and-a-half hour every morning and did some dancing once in a while to sweat the weight out. Now at 110 lbs., Baby said goodbye to her past weight and hello to a slimmer figure, a smaller waistline, and a more cheerful disposition.
Edmund and Baby will make good use of the P100,000 cash prize they each received from Ministop and Del Monte Fit ‘N Right. “I will have my house fixed and perhaps get a second-hand motorcycle which I can use for work,” Edmund said.
Baby, on the other hand, will treat herself to some shopping (“I need new sets of clothes because I’m a lot thinner now!”) and save the rest of the money for her children’s education.
Aside from the financial reward, both are happy to be able to move around freely without getting exhausted and said that having healthier bodies will eventually lead to a better quality of life.
