Traffic policeman Nithat Si-sard's mammoth 144kg frame offers little hint of what he once had: the physique of a body builder. A glimpse of that old self emerges, fleetingly, when he flexes whatever is left of his chest muscles.
Nithat Si-sard, at 144 kg, is among the 57 officers enrolled in a two-month programme designed to help traffic police get in shape.
While he has attempted various weight watchers diets and guaranteed-to-lose-fat workouts to target the bulge through the years, nothing seems to have done the trick for this free-spirited character.
This has made him all the more resolute to make his latest endeavour to tip the scales at a presentable weight work, namely by joining the Metropolitan Police Bureau's "Fit&Firm 2013" programme. Launched late last month to encourage traffic policemen to win the battle of the bulge, the two-month weight-reduction scheme is the answer to his prayers.
When Life met up with Nithat, it seemed unimaginable to envisage the towering 178cm tall civil servant in a well-toned athlete's body amidst the flabby torso.
In his late 20s, the sports enthusiast was a muscular 65kg, with a six pack and 65cm waist. Today, he has horizontally expanded to 133cm., and early this year weighed-in at a whopping 182kg. While he has lost considerable amounts of flab since then, there is still a long way to go for him to reach his ideal body mass.
He attributes his sharp rise in weight to a bout with malaria and a road accident that ensued a few years later that hampered him from working out. A pressing work schedule, which left him little time to do anything but eat and drink alcohol beverages to unwind, also played a significant role in making him undisciplined and plain lazy about keeping a check on his health, he mused.
The senior sergeant major at Lumpini Police Station lamented, saying: "I have always been a sportsman, and so letting myself go like this is rather depressing. Past police physical fitness campaigns have never worked for me because I never take them seriously.
"This could be because I have become rather lazy and unmotivated to curb my expanding waistline. If I put my heart into it, I can succeed.
"At the last weight watchers programme, I managed to drop 9kg without breaking a sweat. For 'Fit&Firm', which offers policemen who lose the most weight incentives of a 5,000 baht cash prize and health check-up package, I am totally determined to get rid of 10kg or better.
"Afterwards, I will continue to keep a regimented training schedule for exercising and eating a well balanced diet. This will hopefully help me to reach my ideal weight of 75kg or less within a year. I am sold on the fact that by eating sour foods I will be able to lose weight as well."
Nithat attends the "Fit&Firm 2013" programme at Kluaynamthai Hospital. He is expected to be there three times a week _ he's now two-weeks through the two-month-long programme _ and is taught healthy eating and exercising habits. Nithat, who happens to be the heaviest amongst the 57 male enrollees, believes that having a trimmer figure would make him more agile and quick on his feet to catch criminals.
Apart from increased mobility at work, the traffic officer, who has been on the force for 25 years, said that being overweight makes him a sitting target to a host of illnesses.
The recent demise of a colleague who suffered from weight issues has also given him ample reason to make the "Fit&Firm" project work for him.
Nithat _ who is an avid runner_ easily loses and gains weight. While he has always kept away from greasy and oily foods, it was alcohol and junk food which took a toll on his health.
In the span of a few months, he can easily accumulate 20kg.
Laziness and a lack of purpose continued to dog his efforts to address his predicament on the scales. When he had reached 90kg, he very much lost hope in continuing to change his worsening eating habits.
In his mid-30s by then, his health situation was going from bad to worse. By sheer grit, and a fierce conviction to get his life together, he once again took matters into his own hands, and began working out regularly when he turned 40. However, in a vain attempt to get rid of his excess baggage, he got sucked into fad diets, which did more harm than good.
Just last month, he went on a diet of having one meal a day that brought his blood pressure to a dangerously low level, sending him to the hospital in an ambulance.
"Despite the fact that I lost 14kg in two weeks, I have learned my lesson to be very careful with the diets that promise a quick fix," said the police officer.
"I nearly lost my life. Now I am determined to learn from the 'Fit&Firm' health programme, and use what I am taught to benefit me further in my quest to become healthy. I have given up drinking and also stopped eating meat. Come rain or shine, you will see me run daily at Lumphini Park.
"Kaeng som, [a sour and spicy fish soup with vegetables] should also do the trick."
Since becoming more health conscious, he is sleeping better and has greater clarity of thought. His emotional health has also greatly improved.
"Weight gain had taken away the joy of living for me," he said. "It had dampened my enthusiasm for enjoying sports, and activities which I was able to do when I was physically strong. My self esteem was often low. The 'Fit&Firm' health programme has also given me reason to feel good about the fact that I am on the path to a better tomorrow. I am looking forwards to the day standing for hours directing traffic will not be a hell on Earth experience."
Nithat urges those struggling with obesity to not give up. He suggests they be persistent with their efforts to lose weight as it is never too late to address this pressing issue head on. Another caution is to keep away from fad diets, and consult medical experts to arrange a suitable programme.
For anyone who is unable to watch their weight because of medical reasons, hang in there, he says. To keep the onset of obesity at bay during a period of recovery from medical complications, he believes its pivotal to be patient with yourself, start with light exercises and progress to more strenuous ones when you're permitted. Remember to also eat a healthy and balanced diet, while keeping a check on your sleeping habits.
As he left to go back on duty, Nithat said: "We eat to live not live to eat. I need to shed 70kg, people might say that this is a mission impossible task, but I am confident I can do it!"
