Top image courtesy of D2D Sports
I’m spending a Friday night at a futsal pitch in Kovan, where 10 men are chasing a ball around a cage. It’s a clash between the Balestier Blues and the Redhill Reds.
(The names are for alliteration’s sake—the teams don’t actually hail from Balestier or Redhill.)
There’s nifty footwork, lots of good-natured yelling, and a few tumbles, just like any futsal game.
When the final whistle blows, it’s a 3-3 draw. But the match isn’t over.
In Fit 5S League, weekly weigh-ins can tip the scale towards victory. For each player who loses weight, an extra goal is awarded. Losing weight three weeks in a row nets the team three extra goals for that match. Losing five percent (or more) of your body weight over the whole season also means three goals.
But to even be eligible for this league, players need to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. In other words, they have to be medically classified as obese.
A normal BMI (a function of weight divided by the square of one’s height) is 18.5 to 22.5. Generally—not always, though—people with a BMI above 27.5 are at risk of weight-related health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease.
Weight loss is the goal here, says Rasvinder Bhullar, the executive director of D2D Sports. Fit 5S, the first of its kind in Singapore, was inspired by similar programs in the UK. It’s kind of like The Biggest Loser, minus the extreme dieting, fat-shaming, and drill sergeant-esque trainers.
Sports programmes revolving around weight loss don’t have the best track record. The Biggest Loser was a harmful and toxic spectacle that created lasting health issues among contestants. Closer to home, people who’ve been through the Ministry of Education’s Trim And Fit (TAF) programme have called it “institutionalised fat-shaming”. TAF club—or as the primary school bullies used to say, “fat spelled backwards”—has also been linked to the development of eating disorders.
But can a league that might sound politically incorrect actually be beneficial in helping obese individuals get healthier?
Futsal For All
Fit 5S is largely similar to a standard futsal game. Teams of five play for 30 minutes. Teams with more players can choose to substitute extra players in or out. What’s different here is that weigh-ins happen before matches. The final score (including extra goals awarded for weight loss) is then tabulated after each match.
Fit 5S is the first of its kind in Singapore, and being inclusive is what D2D Sports does.
In the recreational footy scene here, open leagues where people form their own teams and sign up are the norm. For a long time, there were only separate men’s and women’s leagues. D2D were the first to introduce more niche leagues for migrant domestic workers and mixed genders.
Their efforts, though, haven’t been without controversy. Their mixed-gender league where women get perks like extra goals has been called sexist by observers. The actual women in the league, though, weren’t bothered by the concessions.
Having leagues dedicated to specific groups helps get more people involved in the sport, Rasvinder says. Fit 5S was partly inspired by his observations of obese players struggling to match the pace of other players during regular leagues.
“They don’t seem to enjoy it. They know what they want to do with the ball, but it doesn’t really work on the pitch because they are slower and that affects their self-esteem as well.”
With the creation of a league that’s just for obese players, it’s a level playing field, he affirms. And when they have more fun playing, they naturally get more active and lose weight.
The end goal, says Rasvinder, is for players to “graduate” to D2D’s open leagues. “It’s not just in terms of fitness, but also confidence.”
Players themselves echo this. Elly Othman, 34, used to play football in her polytechnic days. As she gained weight over the years, she slowly stopped playing as much. But playing in this league has rebuilt her confidence.
I get the impression that the players in the league aren’t just concerned with the numbers on the scale and with getting healthier. For some of them, signing up for the league is also about overcoming the mental barriers that keep them sedentary.
“If you look at the others [in Fit 5S], they probably don’t play as much because, I think, same as me, we feel like we cannot catch up with other players. So when you put us together, we feel like we are in the same boat,” says Elly, who plays on Woodland Whites.
Elly adds that sometimes heavier players are overlooked by their teammates, even if they have the technical skills. Teams she has played on in the past would rather field a slimmer inexperienced player rather than an experienced heavier one.
Balestier Blues’ Mohammad Syukri, 23, says not looking like other football players also adds to the insecurities heavier players face.
“Because, you know, when you see football players, they are very small, very light, very lean, and very fast. So when you look at them and you look yourself in the mirror, it actually becomes a confidence issue.”
As cliche as it may be, sometimes it’s knowing that you’re not alone that makes the difference. You’re surrounded by players who can directly relate to your fears and struggles.
Syukri admits that he’s often winded 10 minutes into the match, but then he reminds himself: “When I’m tired, I know that the opposing team, they are also tired. So it’s all in the mind.”
Weight Watchers
A good 30 percent of Singaporeans are considered overweight, and around 10 percent of us are medically classified as obese. Obesity rates are on the rise, especially among kids.
Contrary to what the older generation might believe, shaming doesn’t help. I’m talking about people like my mum, who constantly reminds me to eat less because my thighs and arms are looking “chunky”.
In fact, shaming and stigma can lead to unhealthy relationships with exercise and food, and also stop people from seeking help.
What does help—besides medical intervention—is proper exercise and nutrition. Weight-loss science has come a long way since the antiquated “calorie in, calorie out” method.
Fad diets are out. Small, sustainable steps towards a healthy lifestyle are in.
The weight-loss aspect of Fit 5S is kept pretty simple and fuss-free. Players receive tips for healthy weight loss, and are kept accountable with weekly weigh-ins. As long as the number on the scale dips—even if it’s as slight as a few hundred grams—you get an extra goal for your team. How players lose this weight is left up to them; there aren’t any check-ins between the weekly Friday matches. There is, however, a one-goal penalty for players who weigh in above their starting weight.
The autonomy is refreshing, especially in a world where plus-sized individuals are often talked down to and infantilised. At Fit 5S, things are uncomplicated and totally consensual. Lose the weight, or score more goals on the pitch. It’s entirely up to you.
Enoch, 34, is one player who likes that there isn’t an overwhelming focus on weight loss, even though it is a league for the overweight. He tells me, “I don’t think that there needs to be a whole emphasis on [obesity], because that might actually create a stigma.”
What he, Elly, and Syukri all agree on, however, is that there’s room for improvement when it comes to the weight loss and diet tips offered by D2D. The tips players receive, such as drinking more plain water instead of sugary drinks, are pretty basic stuff, they say.
Syukri, who lost 12.6kg from May to July this year, tells me that he decided to stick to running in order to lose more weight and net his team more goals. He even made the choice to put strength training on the backburner during the season to avoid gaining too much muscle mass.
When I ask if he’d be more supportive of more detailed measurements such as waist circumference or body fat percentage, he nods emphatically.
Rather than making it their sole goal to lose weight, players would also be able to focus on getting stronger, he says.
When Losing Weight Turns Competitive
Despite the small gripes from players here and there, they affirm that what Rasvinder is doing is admirable. They also affirm enthusiastically that they’re open to participating in subsequent seasons (the first edition of the league started in mid-May and stretched to the end of July).
It’s right smack in the middle of the season when I make it down to Kovan for a match.
The atmosphere at the pitch is lighthearted. Players’ kids run wild on the sidelines. The players laugh among themselves as someone attempts a no-look pass, and completely misses his team mate. Goalies, typically the position with the least ball time, cheekily leave their posts to venture out to mid-field, making some daring attempts to score.
But when I chat with the players, hints of competitiveness seep through.
Balestier Blues seem to be the unbeatable team.
Redhill Reds describes their euphoria at ekeing out a 6-5 victory against Balestier Blues on the pitch, only to lose after the weight loss tabulations.
Likewise, Enoch tells me that Syukri’s and the Balestier Blues’ success at losing weight has lit a fire under him.
“They have the advantage going into every single game. Of course, their players are also good.”
He’s not salty about it. Instead, he’s analytical. I feel like we’re in a locker room talking strategy.
“In some games, they will just turn up with eight of them, but they still get at least 10 points [even before playing]. Why? Because all eight of them will lose weight. And maybe one player can lose enough weight to get three points.”
Instead of shame, players are driven by the promise of extra goals and the taste of sweet victory. Enoch says he’s been trying to work out more and replace unhealthy meals with high-protein foods like tuna and eggs.
Syukri of the Balestier Blues affirms that his team’s success is due in large part to their collective consistency in losing weight.
Throughout the week, the team sends each other messages of encouragement in their group chat. They even have lighthearted wagers. For example, those who gain weight will have to treat the team to 100 Plus, Syukri laughs.
Admittedly, gamifying weight loss can be tricky. After all, when it comes to losing weight, quicker isn’t always better. In shows like The Biggest Loser—the contestant who drops the most weight in 30 weeks wins a cash prize—drastic weight losses have left people with lasting health consequences.
One study followed The Biggest Loser contestants over six years and found that the drastic weight loss permanently affected their metabolism. The contestants in the study regained much, if not all, of the weight they lost in the show.
There aren’t really any rules in Fit 5S that discourage rapid weight loss. In fact, awarding three extra goals to players who lose more than 5 percent of their body weight might just push players into unhealthy patterns.
But it does help that players—at least the ones I spoke to—are watching out for each other. Syukri tells me that he’s been reminding his team not to starve themselves.
Sports Without Stigma
As I write this, the players are gearing up for D2D’s second season, which commences August 23rd.
In Singapore, at least, the league is a bold, unorthodox choice. After all, we aren’t really known for progressive attitudes towards fatness and obesity.
Every festive occasion, we’re pushed messages about how we need to work off holiday treats in the gym even though experts have said this mindset—termed food guilt—is unhealthy. A recent Mother’s Day ad by Osim urged people to buy their mothers a tummy-zapping contraption to “beat her belly bulge”. Influencers are still cyberbullied over their weight.
Even as body positivity and body neutrality movements grow here, there’s still some discomfort and cautiousness when we broach the topic of obesity.
Enoch, for example, tells me that he’s perfectly happy to be part of Fit 5S. But when our conversation shifts to whether other sports should be replicating the initiative, he has some misgivings.
“That might actually create a stigma. This league is a good thing. Expanding to more teams in this league is good enough. I don’t see how this can be incorporated in other sports.”
There’s clearly some aversion to having too much attention drawn to one’s weight. It almost feels a little too risky to have a sports league specially for the obese, where weight loss is rewarded. There is a fine line between creating a community of like-minded players who want to lose weight together and perpetuating stigma.
For what it’s worth, though, it appears that Rasvinder’s doing something right with Fit 5S.
In theory, inclusivity might look like a league that welcomes all regardless of size. The reality is that the Fit 5S players are well aware that they’re overweight, and are simply looking to drop the pounds with other like-minded people. They’re just doing what’s best for them and their health. And who are we to judge?
