West Manchester Man Wins Diamond In Weight Loss Contest

Published on 23/05/11

Joe Lam used to eat whatever was in front of him. Fast food and soda were some of his favorites. He also loved McDonald's sweet tea.
His diet changed, however, when his girlfriend, Kim Austin, heard an ad on the radio for Oletowne Jewelers' "Lose Your Weight in Diamonds" competition. The West Manchester Township jewelry store was offering a free diamond to whoever could lose the greatest percentage of their body's weight during an eight-week period stretching from early March to late April.
Lam, who works at Industrial Piping Systems and lives in West Manchester Township, entered the contest.
He replaced the fast food in his diet with high-protein, low-fat foods, including egg whites, chicken and turkey. He also replaced the McDonald's sweet tea with water.
Lam started exercising as well. Every other day, after work, he walked two miles on a treadmill in his basement. He would start out at 3 mph, speed up to 5 mph, then slow back down to 3 mph. His girlfriend motivated him throughout the competition, he said.