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"I never thought that I’d be saying this, but it feels great to be a loser,” said David Gurani of Jakarta.

David, 25, was proclaimed the winner of the first season of “The Biggest Loser Asia” during the reality TV show’s finale at the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia studio in Selangor on March 9.

His family and friends, all wearing black T-shirts with the words “King David for the win” printed on them, were there to celebrate with him. Also present were the show’s three other finalists, Carlo Miguel of the Philippines, Malaysian Aaron Mokhtar and Martha Lai of Hong Kong, as well as fitness trainers Dave Nuku and Kristy Curtis and the show’s host, Malaysian actress and singer Sarimah Ibrahim.

“The Biggest Loser Asia,” which aired on the Hallmark Channel, is a spin-off of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” in the United States.

David won $100,000 and a silver Renault Koleos SUV valued at $70,000 as the biggest loser. He beat out 15 other contestants who underwent a punishing three-month exercise and diet regimen at the A Famosa boot camp in Malacca, Malaysia, and another three months of independent exercise and diet at home.Their success was measured based on weight loss and fat percentage loss.

David, a textile salesman, appeared gaunt and lanky, is a shadow of his former self after having lost 83 kilograms from his starting weight of 157 kilograms. Standing at 1.83 meters, he now weighs a mere 74 kilograms, having lost 53 percent of his total weight and 45 percent of his body fat.

It initially seemed unlikely that David, who comes from a large family of Indian descent, would have what it takes to win. He loved to eat and when asked what his favorite food was, could not decide on one thing. “You should’ve just asked me what food I don’t like because there are none,” he said. “I think I love every kind of food — Padang food, junk food — I love them all.”

He often took his clients out to lunch and dinner and never seemed to stop eating throughout the day. “I could eat five to seven big meals in a day, at home and with my clients,” he said. “I think I ate more than 7,000 calories per day.”

His daily food intake, which was three times more than the daily requirement of 2,000 calories, started to take a toll on his body. His weight ballooned to 157 kilograms and he began experiencing neck and back pains.

“My blood pressure was 180 over 110,” he said. “I had a headache almost every day. I was still young but very unhealthy.”

With the weight also came insecurity. “When I was at the mall with my fiancee, people would stare at us,” he said. “I could almost hear them thinking, ‘What is this beautiful girl doing with a King Kong?’ ”

While he eventually proved himself to be a determined competitor, taking part in the show was not his idea. His family signed him up for “Biggest Loser Asia” without his knowledge.

“We were all worried about him,” said Jani Gurnani, David’s father. “He just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

David’s sister, who saw that the show was doing a casting call in August 2009, secretly registered his name. When David was called for an audition, he was outraged. “I didn’t even want to go,” he said. His family, however, was able to convince him.

“I still remember, he wolfed down two hamburgers after the audition,” Jani said. “He said he couldn’t care less.”

David’s outspoken personality and good command of English convinced producers to cast him. “From the start, we could see that David has a highly competitive spirit,” said Nuku, his former trainer on the show. “He’s very determined and a good team player.”

David’s nonchalance changed during the boot camp at the A Famosa Resort, where he and 15 other contestants from all over Asia had to undergo a grueling exercise and diet regimen.

“The first two weeks were very tough,” he said. “We ate so little and trained so hard. I thought, ‘I’m gonna die.’ ”

As part of the blue team under Nuku, David went all out during each stage of the competition and topped four weekly weigh-ins before the finale.

“David, when he has set his mind to do something, is just like a race horse,” fellow blue team member Aaron said. “He doesn’t get distracted. He just sees his goal and goes for it.”

“David obviously put his heart and soul into the competition,” said Curtis, who was the red team’s trainer. “He’s sacrificed a lot to get where he’s at now.”

When the four finalists were sent home to put into practice what they had learned at “The Biggest Loser Asia’s” training camp, David had already lost 55 kilograms.

“We were all so surprised to see the change,” Jani said. “It was almost a miracle.”

David decided to take another three months off from work to focus on his training. “God’s so good to me,” he said. “My boss backed me up 100 percent. He said, ‘Go for it.’

“I trained between 10 and 12 hours a day and really watched my diet,” he said.

He intensified his cardio training at the gym and limited his food intake to 1,200-1,500 calories per day.

“Personally, I’m a very competitive person and I hate to lose,” he said. “If you’ve gone this far and you don’t run that one extra mile to grab the grand prize, it’s not worth it.”

After another two and a half months of training on his own, the result was stunning. Some of the Indonesian reporters who met the four finalists the night before the finale failed to recognize him. One reporter who was sitting next to David asked, “So which one is David?”

To which he responded, “It’s me, pak .”

At 74 kilograms, David has admitted that he is now too thin.

“But it’s a competition to lose weight anyway,” he said. “After the competition, I’m planning to gain 10 to 12 kilograms of muscle.”

David said he feels like a new man. “I’ve never felt this great in my entire life,” he said. “I’d always been obese. Now, I feel fit and healthy. No more pains. And I even sleep better.”

A recent physical also revealed some good results. David’s blood pressure is now 120 over 70 and both his cholesterol and blood sugar levels are normal.

“When I was still fat, I never bothered to have any check-ups,” he said. “I knew the results would be horrible.”

Now a holiday is in store for the “Biggest Loser Asia.”

“I just want to kick back a little bit before returning to my normal life,” he said.

Does he think that he will ever return to his old weight?

“That I will never do,” he said. “It would be foolish for me not to maintain the body that I’ve worked so hard for.”

Now that he is back in the real world, David said that his routine will include a minimum workout of two hours a day. He also plans to be more conscious of how much and what he eats.

“The most important thing is portion control,” he said. “You can literally eat anything in moderation. But you really have to know what you’re putting inside your body.”

Other future plans for David include marrying his fiancee this year, becoming a spokesman for “The Biggest Loser Asia,” as well as encouraging his family and friends to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“It’s not fair for me to just stop here,” he said. “God has given me a new lease on life. If He can change me, He can also change others as long as they’re willing to work at it.”

David now religiously reads food nutrition information and makes it a point to educate family and friends.

“He preaches to us now,” Jani said with a smile. “Whenever we’re eating something, he’d tell us how many calories is in the food.”

Jani, who himself is obese at 150 kilograms, plans to follow in his son’s footsteps and lead a healthier life.

“Personally, I think it’s tough to be obese,” he said. “I used to say that I’m strong and healthy so there’s no problem. But do we really know what we’re building inside our bodies? Heart disease, diabetes and strokes don’t happen in a single day.”