Local “Biggest Loser” keynotes chamber event

Maricopa’s Chamber of Commerce hosted its third annual keynote speaker event Wednesday evening at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort. The keynoter was Maricopa’s own “Biggest Loser” of NBC television fame, Sione Fa.

Although Fa did not win the reality show competition, he came out a winner. Not only has the young father of two lost 172 pounds since starting the show, he has also regained his health. Previously he had headaches, high blood pressure and was pre-diabetic. A medical exam prior to the show revealed that Fa ranked in the top percent of sleep apnea sufferers. His breathing was stopping 140 times an hour. Today, without the extra weight pressing on his neck, his sleep apnea is gone.

“I thought I was just a young father who had gained a little weight,” said Fa, who detailed the important cultural role food plays in his Tongan heritage. “The oldest man in my family was my grandfather who died at 68,” Fa said. “He was diabetic and blind for the last few years of his life.” Fa’s father died from a heart attack two years ago, and his cousin’s father recently suffered an attack.

“It was all about the path I was on,” explained Fa. “It took the show and medical tests to show me I was on the wrong path. You need to find a path, the path best for you.”

Fa also emphasized the necessity of setting goals. “We all have goals; we all have in mind what we want to become,” he said, recounting that his life was like the car pulling challenge on the show. “I started everything in life full force, at a sprint, but I never finished.” He said it’s all about how you face challenges, but focusing on the bad things stops individuals from achieving. Fa asked the audience: “Are you on your right path?”

Both Fa and his cousin Filipe entered the competition and lost weight for their families so they would be with them for a long time. Filipe explained that the television competition, like life, is based mostly on mental motivation. However, said Filipe, “Your true test begins when you get home.”

The cousins will soon have a Website, www.tongancousins.com, and plan a fitness and speaking tour to Polynesia if sponsorship opportunities materialize. “We use our experiences on the show to fall back on,” said Filipe. Those experiences taught them how to keep fit, and to spread the message of healthy eating and exercise to their families and friends.

Chances for Children, whose goal is “to run obesity out of communities,” sponsored the event. Like Sione and Filipe this group is committed – to themselves and their health and fitness, to their families and to kids.

Speaking for the non-profit fundraising program, dedicated to enriching children’s health and fitness, Janelle Bolen told the more than 50 guests, “Every individual has the chance for success.”

Maricopa’s first Team Chances runners raised $5,000 for the local F.O.R. food bank, an additional $5,000 for the Team Fit Kids program and competed in the P.F. Chang Rock and Roll Marathon this year. A new local team will organize at the end of July for next year’s competition.

Photo by Joyce Hollis