Flame Awards: Jaspers Lai, transformer of the year
‘My blood, sweat and tears’
“I really think miracles do happen.”
This was what acting newcomer Jaspers Lai blurted out when he was told the results.
The formerly chubby 27-year-old, who lost 10kg and shed three inches off his waist this year, beat fellow nominees Kelly Poon and Hong Qiu Ting to be the celebrity who had the biggest physical transformation this year.
Lai got 147 votes, compared to Hong (83 votes) and Poon (73 votes).
The chatty rookie actor, who is 1.75m tall and weighs 66kg now, said: “I am really surprised.
“Perhaps the fans remember how I used to look in (local director Jack Neo’s two-part film) The Lion Men (released earlier this year) and saw how I had transformed into who I am today, so they wanted to show their support by voting for me.”
Lai, who made his big-screen debut as the ruthless, scheming leader of lion dance troupe Black Hawk in The Lion Men, will next star in Neo’s film Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen.
He revealed that he lost the weight by following a strict low-carb diet and rigorous exercise regimen.
He admitted there were times when he wanted to take the easy way out, by taking slimming pills or going for surgery.
However, he is glad that he chose to work at it as he can now set a good example for his fans.
Of the Transformer Of The Year medal, he said dramatically: “This medal has all my blood, sweat and tears.”
Tips
Lai offered some tips to readers who hope to shed some kilos in the new year.
“Drink lots of water. I drink up to five litres daily. Eat food that is not fried and eat more protein and less carbohydrates,” he said.
“Eat several small meals a day and exercise regularly. I used to exercise five times a week.”
In 2015, the comedian hopes to get more acting jobs.
He also hopes to inspire others and said: “No one ever thought that I could become an actor, but I did."
“I want to lead by example and give back to society so that others will not be afraid to follow their dreams.”
Of course, Lai has not forgotten about his physical looks, saying that another New Year resolution is to “achieve a hot bod with six-pack abs”, even though he reckons that it will be quite difficult.
He laughed and said: “That way, you guys can nominate me again for Transformer Of The Year 2015!”
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now