Nearly 60 Thai traffic policemen have volunteered for a two-month “Fit and Firm” program aimed at whittling down potbellies and excess pounds.
Bulging tummies and slow gaits do not add to the image that the Thai traffic police force seeks to cultivate for itself. Luckily for them, the results of the program, so far, have been positive.
Senior Sergeant-Major Nitas Saisaard says he has managed to drop six kilograms and trimmed his waistline by three inches after a fortnight in the program.
The training includes yoga and aerobics as well as a low carb diet. His food, he says, is now mostly soup and fruit – a far cry from the street food and rice that had previously typified his cuisine.
According to an AFP report, Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau wants cops with waistlines over 36 inches to drop 10 kilos or more. The program participants stand to gain as much as USD160 if they wind up losing the most pounds and inches.
In 2011, more than half of Thailand’s 265-strong traffic police force suffered from high cholesterol levels.
