It was a gruelling 24 hours before the final weigh in, but Palmer Sea Reef member Nathan Hunt has walked away 12.5kg lighter and has shed eight shots from his handicap after winning a weight loss challenge at the Port Douglas golf course.

After returning from an indulgent golf trip to Fiji with other members of the club last year weighing 109kg, 40-year-old Hunt new it was time to do something about his increasing waistline.

“I was at a party with a group of guys from the golf course for the AFL Grand Final and one of the guys was sledging me pretty bad and bet me $500 that I couldn’t get down to 95kgs before Easter,” Hunt recalled.

Needing to drop a final 2.9kg to reach his goal of losing 14 kilos that day (Saturday 23 February), Hunt cycled 60km and ran on the treadmill wearing layers of clothing for 80 minutes to get himself over the line.

“The 24 hours leading into the end of the bet was horrible, but that was what got me over the line because I was hovering around 96/97kg.”

“When I woke up on Saturday it was 5.10am and I was 97.9kgs so I decided I was going to go on a 60km ride with some of the more experienced riders in the area, which I had never done before.  

“That took me two hours and when I got home I weighed 96.5kgs so I still had over a kilogram to loose.

“Then I put on three polo shirts, a football jersey, a massive jacket and two garbage bags and hopped on the treadmill and after 40 minutes I was down to 95.9kgs.

“After another 20 minutes I was down to 95.2kgs so I kept going and eventually reached 94.5kgs.

“I rang the boys from the course, got the scales and raced in to Palmer Sea Reef and did the official weigh in and won the bet.

“I had no food or drink Saturday morning and I had done almost four hours of exercise so as soon as I got home I was straight into the fridge,” he said.
The Port Gardens resident credited his weight loss success to increasing his physical activity and changing his diet.

“I focused on swimming, cycling and running, so essentially I began triathlon training.  Those three components plus golf and having a healthy diet were the basis of the weight loss."

“I started playing golf more frequently and although we have golf cart facilities at the course, I would drive less and walk more to make my way around.”

But what started off as a bet between members of the Palmer Sea Reef has now turned into a lifestyle change, with Hunt now setting his sights on competing in triathlons and reaching a lower handicap.

“It’s now about the scales any more, that was all for the bet,” Hunt said.
“Now I’m focused on training and maintaining my weight so I can compete in my first triathlon.

“I never expected my weight loss would also help improve my golf which has probably been the greatest part about it all.

“Being fitter without any extra mid-section has certainly made this a lot easier and I can now maintain my concentration through a full round of golf.

“In October my handicap was 23 and thought 18 would be good. But I’ve reached 14.5 and now that I play Palmer Sea Reef twice per week I’m hoping to get down to 11 by June.”