Biggest loser speaks: Dubai resident wins 63 grams gold worth over Dh10k

It was a glittering celebration at Zabeel Park on Thursday as Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality rewarded the winners of the ‘Your Weight in Gold’ campaign with gold coins.

Over 2,600 residents thronged the park from 3pm on Thursday to collect their gold rewards.

But, the star of the evening was Syrian-born Ahmad Ebrahim Al Shiekh, who won 63grams of gold for losing a staggering 26kilos in the six-week weight-loss campaign.

Talking to Emirates24|7, the 27-year-old said he was ecstatic with his victory, and thanked his parents and god for helping him achieve this dream.

“I was always on the heavier side and I faced a lot of problems because of this. But, through this campaign I have been able to lead a better life. I have been able to save myself from bigger (health) problems.

“I have not just won gold. I have won my life back,” he beamed.

 Ahmad, who moved to Dubai to work as an architect, less than a year ago, claims Dubai has been lucky for him.

The journey wasn’t an easy one, but it was his determination and consistency that helped him.

“I exercised twice a day for an hour each and watched my diet. I also spent a lot of time in the garden. And, I always took the stairs,” he revealed.

In fact, he advises everyone to use the stairs.

Ahmad, who lives in Silicon Oasis, claims the community offers good facilities to exercise.

He is hopeful that he can use his gold win to bring his parents to Dubai. “They live in Edinburgh, and I hope I can bring them here so we can celebrate together.

“My family is so far away, and I want to bring them here close to me.”

Ahmad, who is now celebrated as an ambassador for good health, weighed 146.7kg at the onset of the campaign on July 19.

“We want everyone to understand that ours is an international city, and we are hoping this will be recognised for Expo2020,” said Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality.

Twenty-nine people, who lost 15kilos, and five people who lost 20kgs were also felicitated at the event.

Mohammed Al Noori, Dubai Municipality’s director of marketing and relations, added, “We rewarded 2,648 residents in gold.”

The total value of the gold rewards totalled to Dh2.6million and weighed 16.823kg in total.

The campaign, Noori explained, has made a remarkable impact. “It is one of our most successful campaigns. We’ve seen that this has helped people become more disciplined about their health.”
He noted that earlier people would head to a gym, but not everyone was serious about adopting a healthy lifestyle.

This attitude, Noori added, has changed drastically since the launch of the ‘Your Weight In Gold’ campaign.

The success has been encouraging, and the civic body is planning to create similar campaigns in the future.

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