The Philippine Online Chronicles

Filipino food is not really best for those who want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Although there are alternatives to cooking adobo, sinigang, sisig, or kare-kare, it cannot be denied that the old-fashioned ways of cooking them are still the ones that people will always love.

People who have tried Filipino food may think that weight will always become an issue for the people here - the most cherished cuisines are those that pack the most punch. The ever-popular lechon, for example, the Cebu variant of which author/chef Anthony Bourdain called "the best pig ever."

There are a lot of new vegetarian restaurants in the country, and a lot of people have decided to join the world of greens, but most Filipinos still love their meat. This is probably one of the reasons why a lot of people in the country either have weight problems or are concerned over their weight because of all the calories packed into Filipino dishes.

Along with these concerns, an obsession with weight has grown in the past years, which can be seen in the proliferation of health clubs and weight-loss programs in the country. This year, another health-related challenge has been set to dare Asia.

The Biggest Loser debuted in 2004 in the United States as a reality television show on NBC. Since then, it has been produced in 25 countries and aired in over 90 countries. Its objective is for its overweight contestants to lose the highest percentage of their body weight in order to get the cash prize. Different countries around the world have adapted the show to fit the country’s culture, adjusting to the needs of the contestants. Arab countries, for instance, have a spin-off called The Biggest Winner.

According to Inquirer.net, the show will be the same as its US counterpart in terms of intensive physical training, challenges, and “temptations.” At the end of each episode, the contestants do a weigh-in. The two contestants with the lowest weight loss percentage will be part of the elimination.

However, the trainers said that the Asian version will be more sensitive to the contestants. They added that they will be training the participants by boosting their confidence to get rid of low self-esteem—a common factor reportedly being shared by the Asian hopefuls.

“I don’t need to shout at them to follow my instructions and like me, they just have to realize that health is important,” said trainer Kristy Curtis. The Aussie also said that weight is relevant to a person’s feelings. “You have to have a good understanding [of that] and get them to tell you their stories.  [And in return] do not hold too much pressure on somebody, you have to positively motivate and inspire them,” she told the Manila Bulletin.

This means that less shouting will be seen from the trainers. There will probably less heartbreaking clips to be shown on television.

Comedienne Ruby Rodriguez, host of a Philippine noontime show, joined the Manila auditions last year and is currently an at-home contestant in the challenge. She said that she decided to take the challenge for her children. She told Inquirer.net that she needed to transfer her child to another school after being bullied “because I’m a celebrity and I’m fat.”

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Ruby Rodriguez auditions for Biggest Loser Asia - Fitness First Megamall, August 15, 2009. (herestolifejane)

Other participants come from other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Hong Kong.

The first season of the Biggest Loser Asia is led by Dave Nuku (Blue team). He is a Kiwi expatriate, the author of the series of books called “BodyFirst,” and Regional Fitness manager and trainer of Fitness First Asia. He is currently based in Malaysia. The Red team trainer, on the other hand, is Kristy Curtis, a health and wellness expert from Australia.

The prizes are: US$100,000 cash, a Renault car, and “a lifetime achievement of departing from obesity with a healthy lifestyle” led by Nuku and Curtis.

Five Filipinos have been chosen to participate in the TV show. They are Kevin Yue, Leonore Llamas, Christine White and Del Bacho. So far, two of them (Bacho and Llamas) have already been eliminated. The remaining three continue to face the challenges—another test to see if Filipinos could rise to the challenge of not only losing weight, but of creating a healthier lifestyle as well.

Hallmark channel airs the series every Tuesday at 9:00 pm.

Photo: “Biggest Loser Loser” by Nathan Rupert, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.