Everyone loves a sneak peek at highly anticipated results, right?
Season 5 of the K2Fit Ultimate You Challenge wrapped up last week, and today we're unveiling never-before-seen before and after shots submitted by 11 K2Fit challengers who will compete in this season’s People’s Choice Awards!
It's the first and only glimpse into the results you'll get before the K2Fit finale party on Sunday, June 11.
With competition as stiff as ever this round, it’s going to be tough to select just two People's Choice winners, but that’s where you come in, discerning readers – the task is in your hands!
All you have to do is read the stories from contestants below, consider their photos and decide for yourself who deserves to be honored with RMB500 in vouchers for their sweat and sacrifice this season.
Once you’ve selected a worthy winner, follow our ThatsShenzhen WeChat account and message us the word ‘vote’ to receive a link to the K2Fit People’s Choice Awards voting platform. Voting opens today, May 31, at 6pm (votes cast before this time will not count).
Cast your digital ballot before 6pm on Wednesday, June 7 and you’re good to go!
Finally, in the name of good sportsmanship – and because the individuals who have shared their stories and photos below are more courageous than most of us could ever hope to be – we ask that you be supportive of these challengers, whether that means sending an encouraging word via WeChat or buying them a drink (er, protein shake) the next time you see them out on the town.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, your Spring 2017 K2Fit People’s Choice Awards contestants:
Henry Guyler
With support from his fitness partner and fiancé Samantha as well as his K2Fit team, Henry has achieved a lot since he first came to China in August 2015, going from 101.5kg to 73g in time for his wedding this July. Read his story below:
I am putting myself forward (reluctantly) for the People's Choice Award on the basis of the success that K2Fit has facilitated.
In August 2015, I came to China and was overweight and unfit. At the medical check-up before my teaching job I weighed in at 101.5kg and I'm 5-foot-10. This was a wake-up call and I made some small progress but remained relatively unhealthy until the start of our first challenge in Feb/March 2016.
The organization and discipline levels were upped and I got down to around 85kg, taking second place and the Couple’s Award with my fiance Samantha. We made changes to our lives that we maintained and observed the 80/20 rule: I cut out beer and although some of my fitness progress was hampered by injury, felt better about my fitness and appearance.
In the September challenge of 2016, my main achievement was maintaining weight and sticking to the healthy lifestyle.
My biggest change and achievement has been during the current campaign, where I have lost 13.5kg to get to my target weight of 73kg ahead of our wedding in July. I have been far stricter in terms of eating, drinking and exercising each day, inspired by the support of Samantha, the UISG team and the K2Fit team.
I now exercise for at least an hour every day and also have seen the benefit of using a calorie/step tracking device. I am competing against myself each day and even after the challenge has finished to maintain the same discipline until the wedding and beyond.
K2Fit has really changed my life in terms of fitness and well-being, and I'm pleased to share this story.
Corley Sims
A Texan who traded BBQ for ‘Bodfathers’ as captain of her K2Fit team this season, Corley remarks on her journey towards a smaller waist and more balanced lifestyle:
I’m from Texas, and even though I was very into fitness, the endless supply of chips and salsa and BBQ took its toll and I was still pretty heavy back in the day and certainly not as toned as I am now.
The before pic from Halloween is of me in Fall 2014 rocking it as purple rain... but maybe a little chubbier than I would have liked to have been haha! The after pic is me at the end of this round a couple days before the challenge finished – spring 2017.
My favorite cheat food is pulled pork pizza with jalapeños and ranch for dipping! Yummmm!
The most rewarding part of this challenge personally was achieving some awesome fitness landmarks for myself: being able to do grasshopper yoga pose, planking for 12 minutes, and getting toned enough abs that I felt confident teaching fitness in a sports bra.
My waist has gone from 87 to 70.5 centimeters since my first K2Fit challenge to now – I actually looked at that measurement on a string after I typed that and WOW! Super happy about it.
My clothing size has dropped dramatically since the start of K2fit! I’m able to wear clothes that I could fit into in high school – and I notice how much more flattering all clothes are on me now that I have the curves and muscle to make everything have that nice tight and toned look.
Mentally I feel super proud that my body reflects my hard work with meal prep and exercising. I’ve learned how to juggle a full-time job, cooking and cleaning, and all my outside activities while keeping my body in top shape.
This round I got to be a captain and that was a really rewarding and a cool experience as I got to watch my whole team shape up together and got the inside info on everyone's progress throughout the challenge. Way to go, Bodfathers!
Sato Suzuki
After joining bootcamp, flying yoga and Zumba classes and following a healthier diet, Sato has transformed her life and encouraged her family to as well. Read her story below:
As you can see in the ‘before’ picture, I just ate beer and chips with my family [before]. Only once a week I joined bootcamp, so I wasn't very active.
Now I’ve joined bootcamp, flying yoga, Zumba class and the at-home K2Fit workout plans.
After joining the challenge and bootcamp, I can try any sport! I feel strong and an active mum with my kids. Workout is a part of my daily life now.
I’m originally from Japan. My favorite cheat foods are beer, ice cream and chocolate cake...but now I don't eat those so often.
The most rewarding part of the K2Fit Challenge for me is feeling more confident and that my body is strong. My arms are more toned, Coach Kara calls the muscles ‘gunz’ haha.
The best result is that I have abs! Plus, I changed my food habits and as a family we eat more nutritious food. It helps us feel good and also helps us perform better in sports, which is really great for kids.
Andy Board
A resident of Zhuhai for the past 12 years, Andy joined K2Fit a year ago and has since seen incredible results with help from the challenge that he says "changed his life." His story follows:
My name is Andy Board, otherwise known as ‘Boss,’ ‘Boardy’ or ‘Captain Morgainz’ (there are plenty of other names but could not possibly be printed).
I’m originally from England but have been in Zhuhai for 12 years so I actually call Zhuhai my hometown.
I’m 46 years old and started K2 exactly one year ago – the before pic was taken prior to me joining K2.
My favorite cheat food is chicken feet (only joking). My favorite cheat food has to be the La Bottega Cheese Burger – this is to die for.
The most rewarding part of K2Fit is watching the community – and in particular, my teammates – really go for it and smash their goals.
As far as I’m concerned, the best result for me is the change in lifestyle. I still have a drink (not as many and not as often), but I eat healthily and more importantly I feel healthy.
My most impressive measurements are that my shoulders have grown by 12cm and my chest by 8.5cm – that is in just 10 weeks.
Joining the K2Fit challenge has changed my life completely and also the lives of some people around me, I believe, for sure I talk about the challenge a lot, because I’m proud of what I have achieved and whole-heartedly believe others would also benefit from the challenge. The challenge still allows you to enjoy life while getting fit.
Maira Amilivia Dellepiane
Now wrapping up her fourth K2Fit Challenge, Maira’s gained trust in herself and lost 30kg since joining the team in 2014, as she recounts here:
Hello, I'm Maira from the Peach Perfect team! And I want to introduce you to two different people:
My old self weighed 94kg by the time I realized I had to change my life (in 2014). I was tired of not liking myself, not getting clothes to fit me, feeling that people looked at me horrified (yes, I was affected by what they thought of me) and tired of not being happy because of my obesity.
I started without much hope since I had to go from a ‘grade two’ level of obesity to a ‘healthy weight’ and I had been obese for many years. I did not trust myself – that's the truth!
But little by little I noticed changes: the first year I lost 10kg by reducing [food] quantities, eliminating flours and sugars and doing a little exercise. It was difficult because I had no one to guide me in how I should do things.
Right at the moment my body stalled, I was recommended to Kara and her K2Fit program. What shame I felt to have to take those photos to start my first challenge!
But thanks to K2Fit, my body responded again. I followed her exercises, and her eating plan helped me to know what to eat and how much.
This is my fourth challenge and I am grateful for all the help the K2Fit team has given me. By having an opportunity to meet and share with other people who also want to lead a healthy life, learning from them and following the advice of Kara, I have changed my body, my mind and my life!
I started the change because I hated my body but today, some years later, I have learned to love my body and to value what it has been able to achieve! My change has been slow, with ups and downs, but I have never given up and today I have the confidence in me to know that I will achieve everything that I propose.
My new weight is 64 kg and I go down the street without worrying whether people look at me or not. I wear the clothes I like and enjoy the lifestyle I lead!
Trust, strength, health (and being 30kg lighter) are some of the things I owe to K2Fit, my Peaches and my family! If you can dream it, you can do it!
Parkash (Peter) Khiani
This is Peter’s fourth K2Fit Challenge and he’s turned his life around, becoming an avid runner and recently breaking his ab plank record. His full story is below:
As you can see in the first picture (from 2014), at that stage I was close to 100kg, and it was the first time I actually started to think about exercise and joining the gym. I come from a family where my maternal grandma had diabetes and heart problems, and my dad’s side suffers from diabetes. I decided I didn’t want to go through all of that, so I decided to join a gym in 2013.
I joined a gym in Tianhe first where I made couple of good friends, and they motivated me. But the instructors were horrible, and didn’t explain what you did right or wrong, they just repeated that you were “fat” and needed to lose weight.
By mid 2015, I started to lose interest in exercise. But one of my friends (Beth Kangas) told me about a trainer named Kara and how “amazing” she is… so I eventually signed up for the K2Fit Challenge. I didn’t know then that it would change me forever and create a new beginning that I never thought I had in me.
My first challenge was October to December 2015. As I started to get to know my team, we had a good time together, but my bigger goal was to renew my interest in the gym. This was the challenge during which I ran my first mini marathon and it took me 50 minutes for a 5K… but that small run was the start of all my fitness goals.
My second challenge was March to May 2016. This time, I actually started to understand the challenge and started to know Kara and Christy more. I started doing more bootcamps, ran another race and made a goal to run my first half marathon.
My third challenge (October to December 2016) was my best challenge – I really wanted to prove myself and to everyone that I could achieve a goal if I really worked hard on it. People kept telling me I was crazy to run a half marathon, but I did! The best part of this challenge was that I was called the ‘Running Machine’ and got the ‘Most Avid Runner’ award.
During this most recent challenge (March to May 2017), I have not given 100 percent but I have achieved some of my goals: I hit the weights harder, I can see more definition in my muscles, I broke my ab plank record (can now hold for four minutes) and I’ve doubled my protein intake.
I always manage to squeeze in an hour for exercise at least, despite traveling for work. There are 24 hours in a day, there is no excuse why you can’t keep an hour for your own body.
Sezin Taskin
After living off white bread and pastries for much of her life, Sezin recently started eating gluten-free, and took up the K2Fit challenge as a way to stay strong. Her story follows:
Even though my journey is not SO big, I can say that what I achieved during 10 weeks makes me super proud.
I'm Turkish, and we have a fantastic cuisine which is not healthy at all... during the first 28 years of my life I ate kebabs with white bread, and my grandma’s pastries were my everyday snack.
Then I moved to Germany and pretzels and beer become my second love for five years. And guess what happened: after putting so many wheat-based products into my body, it eventually said ‘stop!’
For the last 1.5 years, I’ve eaten gluten-free. It is still a tough lifestyle: no pizza, burgers or pasta.
This diet can cause you to feel really weak so I decided to regain my strength by doing sports and eating more nutritious food. I tried hard without big success, until K2Fit gave me the food ideas and motivation!
After 10 weeks, I am stronger and happy with this version of me. I’m also more aware
about nutrition and active life. I finally enjoy sweating 3-4 times a week and pushing my limits. And yes, I met amazing, well-hearted, motivational people during the challenge!
Kara, captain Mette and all the Vikings were always there when I needed them. Big thanks [to them] for being open and friendly!
Sammy Gill
Nominated by his team, Sammy has shown impressive progress this past K2Fit season, getting more defined abs and pursuing a healthier lifestyle, as his team describes here:
Sammy is from Trinidad. His favorite cheat food? He’s so disciplined that he doesn’t cheat.
The most rewarding part of the K2Fit Challenge was being part of a great team and the amazing personal results he achieved. He’s experienced weight loss and a total physical transformation by adhering to a healthy lifestyle. His abs too have shown significant difference.
He’s completely shifted his lifestyle and motivates us as a team completely. We just want to say: keep it up!
Shannon Macleod
Now wrapping up her third K2Fit Challenge, Shannon has revolutionized her eating habits and cut down her measurements drastically this season, as she relays below:
I moved to China from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada two years ago. Moving to China, I had decided to set goals for myself both personally and professionally. I needed to make myself a priority. When I first heard of K2Fit, I thought this would be the perfect motivation to get me started.
The first two challenges were a struggle for me. I could easily do the workouts from week to week, but my eating habits were horrible. I just love my fries (or as the Brits would say, "chips") too much. I didn't change my eating habits to really see the results I wanted.
When I decided to do my third challenge, I knew I wanted results! I set my mind to it! I had to figure out a way to still enjoy my life, but set limits with my eating habits. I decided to push myself even harder with the workouts. Woke up at 5.30am some days to workout followed by an after-work session. I started group workouts with coworkers after school. I was going to start and finish strong this time around!
Halfway through the challenge, I was getting a bit frustrated because I didn't think I was seeing the results in all areas I wanted. I talked to Kara and she encouraged me to power through. It wasn't until friends started making comments about my body changing that I began to get excited about my final results.
When I did my final measurements, I was shocked. I lost 9cm in my shoulders, 8cm in my abs, and 7cm in my hips. Although my weight didn't change a ton, I was so proud of my measurement results, and my pictures proved that my hard work paid off.
The best result from the K2Fit challenge was the change in my eating habits. I proved to myself that if I am careful with what I put into my body, I will see results. I learned that everything in moderation is okay! I can still have my cheat meals, but work hard so I can allow myself that meal. I focused on meal prepping every Sunday, and my weekdays I spent at home, going to bed early and eating healthy! I was always prepared day to day with lunches and dinners. Healthy but simple meals go a long way!
My mindset on health has totally changed, and I showed myself that I can do it if I set my mind to it! I plan to continue the habits I developed during the challenge, and track my results. After two years, I am now leaving China, but my hope is to stay connected to Kara and compete in the challenge from a distance. Thanks Kara for the continued support and motivation!
Misha Velichko
The K2Fit Mega Fit Bit$#@Z have nominated Misha for her incredible effort made this season and every season in between. Read the full scoop below:
Misha is from Russia. Her favorite cheat food is Champagne! The most rewarding part of the K2fit Challenge is the community aspect and how our team is like family and constantly supports and motivates one another.
Misha’s best result is that after participating since the original challenge, she has consistently maintained her weight and measurements. She makes a great effort even after the challenge to stick with her training, running and healthy active lifestyle. No matter how late she’s out, she will still be at her training session at 8am. Even though she has been traveling a lot for business recently, she still keeps up with her running and training and regularly posts photos in the group to inspire everyone.
She has had a big mental shift in the fact that she has strengthened her determination and gained so much confidence with the backing of her team. We are all so proud of her. After so many challenges, it seems that not only those who have made big changes should be recognized, but those who have worked hard since the beginning and continue to follow the training even between challenges.
Janina Olschewski
Fighting off food is trickier when you’re surrounded by delicious spicy dishes in Chengdu, but Janina has proved she has it in her to lead a healthy lifestyle – and encourage her teammates to do the same. Read about her journey below:
I’m from Germany and currently live in Chengdu, where I spent the last three years.
Season 5 of K2Fit was my second challenge and my K2Fit journey has been absolutely incredible! Since starting the challenges, I have lost 16kg (6kg during the first challenge, 7kg during the second and 3kg between the challenges), have built up muscles (A LOT!) and gotten much leaner and stronger in general.
My life has undergone quite a big transformation with K2Fit. Before I was rather lazy, didn’t really care about healthy eating (especially with all that yummy Sichuanese food everywhere) and didn’t know much about working out (even if I successfully dragged myself to a gym, I didn’t really know what I was doing, so just randomly did some exercises and that was it). I feel like the K2Fit program was exactly the kind of push I needed and it also came into my life at the right time with other personal things changing at the same time.
Now I am not only leading a healthier lifestyle with regular exercise and (somewhat) better eating, but I also feel much more comfortable and confident in my body and have a more positive attitude towards all sorts of challenges in life.
My body has changed a lot in the last nine months and apart from the weight loss (-16kg), I can mostly see and feel it when trying on clothes that were kind of tight last year and are now way too loose. It’s a great feeling, but now I urgently need to go shopping!
One of the best parts of the K2Fit Challenge, in my eyes, is the community aspect to it. It is great to have that sort of extra support from like-minded challengers which can be super motivating. During this last challenge I, for the first time, led a little team in Chengdu and it was a really good experience and I was happy to give something back to the community and support my team mates.
In certain ways, this challenge has not only changed my life, but it has also influenced the people around me. Many of my closest friends have told me that I’m an inspiration to them after they saw what I have achieved. And I’m really proud of my grandma who has started taking on healthier lifestyle habits (like walking more) after we talked about my recent lifestyle changes.
Another unique aspect to the challenge is Coach Kara! She is such a huge inspiration and a really great trainer. I like the way she always finds the right words to encourage people to keep pushing and give it their best, while also being super understanding and realistic when challengers sometimes can’t. And now she is going to train me up to be a K2Fit coach myself – oh, how times have changed for me!
Whew, you made it! Ready to vote? Just follow our ThatsShenzhen official WeChat account (QR code below), message us the word ‘vote,' click the link and cast your vote!
Voting will be open from 6pm on May 31 to 6pm on June 7, China Standard Time.
Confused? Ecstatic? Hungry and looking for recommendations? Message us at ThatsShenzhen or ThatsGuangzhou or email us (editor.prd@urbanatomy.com) and we’ll get back to you within a day.
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