UTC student selected to compete in national weight loss contest for $10,000

Everyone has probably heard of the "freshman 15," the anticipated weight gain for new college students, which is usually credited to unhealthy diets of dorm food, fast food and beer.

Although a recent nationwide study reported on ScienceDaily.com shows that the freshman 15 is mostly a myth, showing weight gain occurring more steadily over the entire four years of college, UTC junior Andrew Byrum said that "myth" was his reality.

"It used to be the freshman 15, now it's the freshman 30. And I have put on more than that," Byrum said.

But the computer forensics major is in the middle of doing something about it with the chance to gain something in addition to better health.

Byrum was selected as one of 80 contestants, or "khantestants," across the country to participate in the national restaurant chain Genghis Grill's "Health Kwest," in an attempt to win $10,000.

In the two-month contest, Byrum is challenged to eat one meal from the Genghis Grill menu once a day. The meal, a hibachi-style buffet where diners select their choice of protein, seasonings, vegetables, sauces and starches, is provided free of charge for 60 days.

A limited membership to The Rush gym is also included during the duration of the competition. 

Byrum said he has already lost 19 pounds since beginning the challenge on Feb. 1.

"My goal is to lose 50 pounds," he said.

The public is invited along on Byrum's journey by following his blog created for the Health Kwest. 

The winner will be chosen based on most online public votes (25 percent), highest percentage of weight loss (50 percent) and the most blog posts (25 percent) during the contest period, according to the website.

So far, Byrum ranks 29th overall on the contest leaderboard, with 3,538 votes. The No. 2 contestant, from Knoxville, holds 36,612 votes, trailing slightly behind the No. 1 placeholder from Albuquerque, who has 38,295.

Already a customer of the restaurant's downtown Chattanooga location, Byrum said instead of building a bowl piled high with marinated steak and high-sodium seasonings, he chooses leaner meats like shrimp and turkey seasoned with plain pepper and a lower-calorie sauce.

A nutrition calculator for every item on the menu helps Byrum and anyone dining at the restaurant make the healthiest selections when adding lean or marinated meats and seasonings to their hibachi-bowl creations. The calculator easily puts the choice in consumers' hands, for instance, by clearly showing that the menu's dragon sauce has 100 calories versus the roasted tomato sauce, which has just 20 calories.

Byrum said that although writing out his progress and feelings on a blog that everyone can read seemed awkward at first, the process is actually working in his favor.

"It really makes you think. When you write something down that you ate, it just makes you realize, 'Whoa, I just put all of these calories into my body," he said.

The contest continues until March 31, and winners will be announced in early April.

But no matter what happens at the end of March, Byrum said he is already a winner.

"I have become a healthier me. I'm ecstatic that I have lost this much weight so far. I am going to go as hard as I can and hope I can represent Chattanooga well," Byrum said.