And the winner by a chin is … chef Harlan Goldstein
A three-month weight-loss challenge between Michelin-starred chefs Harlan Goldstein and Alvin Leung ended with one clear winner. The loser will end up serving tables at the other's restaurant for a night - as a waitress.
The ingredients for weight loss are actually very simple, or at least so say two Michelin-starred chefs. Harlan Goldstein and Alvin Leung believe all you need is a measure of commitment, a dollop of exercise and a dash of competition to push you along.
That and maybe knowing that if you lose, you will end up serving tables at the other's restaurant for a night - as a waitress.
And at the grand finale of their three-month weight-loss challenge, that honour went to Leung.
Goldstein, who claimed the crown after losing about 20kg, had plenty of advice for others trying to lose weight. "You have to make up your mind. When you're ready to do it, you'll do it," he said.
"You must be disciplined and you must commit. Many people say they want to lose weight, but they just don't commit."
Goldstein also recognised the importance of encouragement from friends, staff and colleagues - thoughts echoed by his wife, Helen Pong.
"He never listens to me but the pressure from his peers and staff has worked wonderfully," she said.
Goldstein is an old hand when it comes to weight-loss challenges. Last year he accepted a challenge from a banker to see who could drop the most kilograms. He lost the first round but came out on top in the second.
Leung, a long-term friend and owner of five restaurants, lost 16.9kg during the challenge - about 15.3 per cent of his body weight. He chalked up the weight loss to increased exercise and changing his diet.
"It's 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise, but the exercise part is what really motivated me," Leung said. "After staying in the gym for an hour, you don't want to waste that hour of hard work and sweat by drinking a Coke."
As the loser, Leung will donate HK$16,000 to a charity of Goldstein's choice - before donning that waitress's uniform.
