Half The Man He used to be: Indonesian David Gurnani lost 50 per cent of his body weight to take the top prize

DAVID Gurnani has never been so happy to be called a loser.

On Tuesday, the 25-year-old Indonesian salesman was crowned Asia's first Biggest Loser on the reality show.

Originally weighing in at 159kg, Gurnani lost a faintly incredible 83kg, beating out the other three finalists: Manila's Carlo Antonio Miguel, 32; Kuala Lumpur's Aaron Mokhtar, 30; and Hong Kong's Martha Lai, 20.



"I am half the man I was!" said Gurnani over the phone from Selangor after the show's finale shoot.

Actually, he's a little less than half of what he used to be. Gurnani lost an amazing 53 per cent of his body weight, but the US$100,000 ($140,000) prize money and brand new Renault car he won should add a few kilos.

"I feel so much healthier and fitter - not just physically, but mentally. The way I see things has definitely changed because of The Biggest Loser Asia. Now I can buy clothes in normal stores - no more big-sized clothes.

"This is a complete transformation, not just a change."



Perhaps the second happiest person, after himself, is his fiancee. "She's been telling me for so long: 'Come on, lose weight, lose weight'," said Gurnani, chuckling. "I would say, 'Okay, next week, next week' - but the next week never came."

Singaporean Marilyn Tay, who was the last person eliminated before the final four emerged, said she had hoped to represent her country in the finals, but "I did my best, and whatever happened is already done." Well, losing 42kg on the show and another 12kg after returning home makes her no small loser, either.

"I didn't want to go out and see people. Every day of my life, people were staring at me and making remarks and giving me The Look," she said.

"Today, I can go out ... I feel normal. I feel like a new person," she said.



The 30-year-old signed up to be the Biggest Loser because her weight was affecting her chances of getting pregnant. That's no longer an issue for Tay, who can now see herself "getting there and doing it".

Both Gurnani and Tay agree that one of the highlights of their journey is the friends they have made. "Fifteen other people came to this competition sharing the same burden of obesity," said Gurnani. "Underneath the fat, they are such beautiful people with beautiful personalities. (They've) become like a family to me from all over Asia."