Asia’s Biggest Loser: David Gurnani

He was overweight ever since he was a kid. As a result of excessive eating, over the years 25-year-old David Gurnani just grew bigger, to the point where he felt heavy and uneasy carrying the extra weight around. Moreover, being a sports lover, he was disappointed that his sporting ability was hindered by his massive weight.

Tired of being overweight, David joined The Biggest Loser Asia shortly after he became engaged - which was part of the reason why he has decided to lose the weight. He said during his audition, "I want to look compatible with my beautiful fiancée."

On Tuesday (09.03.2010), his hard work paid off when the lad from Indonesia was crowned the first ever winner of The Biggest Loser Asia at the final weigh-in, held at the FINAS studios in Ampang. With a total loss of 83kg, David has beat out the other finalists in the most taxing, strenuous and physically demanding competition ever crafted.

Tipping the scales at 157kg when he first entered the competition last November, King David - a nickname he earned for constantly topping the ranking board throughout the series - shed a total of 55kg in the penultimate episode of the contest, and another 28kg by the final round, to triumph against other competitors: 32-year-old Filipino Carlo Miguel, 20-year-old Martha Lai from Hong King, and our local boy, 30-year-old Aaron Mokhtar.

After being crowned the winner, David acknowledged that - with his fiancée waiting in the wings and a bright future to look forward to - his aim was to have good health and a long life.

"I never thought that I would say this, but it feels great to be a loser. Asia's Biggest Loser," said David "It's by the grace of God that I have won especially with strong competitors like Carlo and Aaron. I still am amazed by my transformation. I've been overweight all my life and have never felt healthier and stronger than I do now."

Following an amazing body weight loss percentage of 53%, King David walks away with the US$100,000 prize money, as well as a brand new Renault car.

At a press conference held after the final weigh-in, David revealed:

His secret to dropping a massive 83kg:

"I took another few months off work. Back at home, I trained about eight to 10 hours a day. I trained for a few hours straight, then I'd take a couple of hours off, and I'd go back for another round in the evening. I took care of my diet; I practically followed the diet regime I learned during the course of the show."

His advantage over his competitors:

"Carlo has a baby on the way, and the rest of the guys have a family to take care of therefore they have a hard time juggling between work, family and training. I think the advantage for me was that even though I have a fiancée, technically I'm still single so I can take time off work and focus on the training."

What motivated him in the competition:

"I am a very competitive person; I hate to lose. I'm gonna be honest with you, I hate to lose."

What he plans to do after The Bigger Loser Asia:

"I'm looking to gain back some weight that I have lost and get my body back up into shape. And hopefully, get married by the end of the year."

How he's going to spend his prize money:

"I will buy myself a house because I plan to get married by the end of the year. I'm thinking of going for a short holiday to relax before going back to my old life."

His advice for those who want to lose weight:

"Eight to ten hours a day is not a proper training. Eight to ten hours a day is extreme. I did that because it was part of a competition. I would suggest that eight to ten hours a week of exercise would be enough. As long as you take care of your diet, as long as you watch your daily calorie intake and with eight to ten hours a week of training, you will lose weight."