Gym’s Controversial Weight-Loss Challenge Faces Intense Backlash for Dangerous Stunt

Many gyms and fitness facilities have offered unique weight-loss challenges with their own twists. It's also not uncommon to see specific exercise groups or even friends decide to partake in the activity. However, the most recent weight-loss challenge to surface quickly made waves on the internet for several reasons. Specifically, the fact that it's offering a Porsche Panamera as a prize, and the requirement is that the participant must lose just over 110 pounds.

The news was first reported by the South China Morning Post, which details not only the specifics of the eye-opening weight-loss challenge but also the very real dangers and concerns that come with it.

The Weight-Loss Challenge That Sparked Controversy

The weight-loss challenge is being held by a fitness training center in Binzhou, Shandong. According to the South China Morning Post, there's a promotional poster highlighting the Porsche Panamera as the prize for whoever can lose 50kg (110.2 pounds) in three months.

The Porsche has a starting price of roughly $102,800 for new models, but the one up for grabs in the challenge is the fitness club owner's 2020 car, a coach at the fitness center revealed. When searching on Edmunds, the prices ranged from roughly $48,000 to $76,000 for a used 2020 Porsche Panamera.

According to the initial report on the challenge, the same fitness coach who explained the details of the Porsche giveaway said that seven or eight people have signed up, and they're closing registration at 30 participants.

“The challenge is real and already underway, and registration will close once we reach 30 participants. So far, around seven or eight people have signed up," a fitness coach surnamed Wang told Xiang Yang Video.

While the challenge itself involves the shocking task of losing an average of 37 pounds per month, it'll be held at a fully enclosed training facility. There's also a registration fee for the challenge, which reportedly helps cover the costs associated with this aspect.

Details and Reactions to the Porsche Weight-Loss Challenge

Although there are no specifics about where the weight-loss challenge will take place, the report does highlight that its entry fee of $1,400 covers "meals and accommodation in a fully enclosed training environment with shared rooms." Details about meals, training plans and anything else involved in the setup were not revealed.

While the bold weight-loss challenge is making headlines, various doctors have warned about its potential dangers. A surgeon at Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital told the South China Morning Post that losing weight at this pace could be life-threatening.

“Losing weight at such a rapid pace can strain our organs and may even be life-threatening," Pu Yansong, a gastrointestinal surgeon, said. "Scientific weight loss should be gradual, allowing the brain, body fat, muscles, and organs to adapt to the new energy balance.”

Among the many people who responded on social media about the challenge, several said losing 110 pounds would leave them with virtually no weight left. However, even those who weighed over 200 pounds were quick to point out the drastic impact and the challenge's realistic impossibility.

"Oh. I can't do that. That would be too much for me. I weigh between 267 and 272, and losing 110 pounds in three months would kill me," said one reader.

"I weigh 215…. there's NO WAY I want to weigh 105," added another.

"As someone who’s lost 150 lbs in 3 years, I can confirm losing 110 in 3 months would be borderline [impossible]," replied another reader.

While the obvious health concerns rightfully take center stage, it'll be interesting to see if the challenge moves forward. There are also other unknowns about the challenge itself, including the possibility that more than one person accomplishes the weight-loss goal, given that only one car is listed as the prize. The topics of training regimens and diets associated with such a lofty target have also been popular on social media.

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