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Virginian drops 86 pounds to win Genghis Grill’s weight loss contest

Gary Silverman of Alexandria, Virginia, won Genghis Grill’s annual Health Kwest, a nationwide campaign that challenges competitors to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

May 12, 2015

Friends who haven’t seen Gary Silverman of Alexandria, Virginia, in the last couple of months may not recognize him today. He lost lost 86 pounds — nearly 30 percent of his body weight — while competing in Genghis Grill’s fifth Annual Health Kwest, a nationwide campaign that challenges competitors to adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle, according to a company press release.

The Asian stir-fry chain will present Gary with a $10,000 check as its grand prize winner Tuesday at the Genghis Grill in Alexandria at 7001 Manchester Blvd. A total of 65 “Khantestants” from across the country lost more than 1,100 pounds collectively in this year’s contest, which began Feb. 9, and ran through April 10, according to the release. Each Khantestant ate a free, healthy meal at Genghis Grill every day for 60 days.

In addition to the weight loss, Silverman dropped his total cholesterol from 242 to 109, reduced his triglycerides from 166 to 92, his LDL from 177 to 52 and his body mass index from 41 to 29. His waist size shrank from a 44 to a 32. In addition to eating healthier, Silverman, age 51, runs several miles each day, according to the release.

He said he was inspired to get fit after nearly losing his daughter Elyssa to a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma.

“After my wife and I went through the struggles of saving Elyssa’s life, I was determined to save my own, so I could be around for many years to enjoy and take care of my family,” he said. 

As part of the Health Kwest campaign, Genghis Grill provides each Khantestant with exercise and nutrition tips, along with suggestions for building healthy stir-fry meals using the wide variety of fresh, nutritious ingredients available at every restaurant, according to the release. Dozens of recipes are available online at GenghisGrill.com/HealthKwest.Competitors also agree to complete a series of social media tasks throughout the contest, ranging from Facebook check-ins and Instagram photos to YouTube videos, each of which is worth a certain point value, according to the release.

This year’s Khantestants generated a total of 770 tweets, 480 Instagram posts, 260 YouTube videos and 585 blog posts.

The Grand Prize winner is chosen based on his or her percentage of weight lost and social media points earned. This year’s second-place winner, who was selected based on the same criteria but only over the second half of the competition, is Joseph Smith of Albuquerque. He received a check for $1,500.

“Dozens of Khantestants have just experienced the benefits of eating healthy and delicious meals at Genghis Grill and by engaging in a more active lifestyle, and they’ll benefit from it for the rest of their lives if they keep it up,” said Ron Parikh, CMO at Genghis Grill. “We’ve all been touched by Gary’s personal story and how he is using his daughter’s experience to shine a light on the importance of retina screening for newborns. We’re happy to give him this platform to help get the word out.”