Burke Woman Could Win Big on Genghis Grill Diet Competition

People decide to lose weight for many reasons, but for Burke resident Stefany Meyer, her moment came on an amusement park roller coaster.

Meyer and her husband, both avid roller coaster fans, sat down for a ride and the staff informed her she couldn't fit under the safety bar.

"There's nothing more embarrassing," she said.

After that, Meyer resolved to lose weight to improve her health and to be able to ride her favorite roller coasters.

Now she's getting help from an unusual place — national restaurant chain Genghis Grill, which its Kingstowne location last year at 7001 Manchester Blvd.

Meyer is competing to lose weight against 78 other people in Genghis Grill's Health Kwest. The company is giving each of the contestants a free meal each day in February and March. Competitors blog about their weight loss and daily meal choices and readers vote on their favorites. The winner, determined by their blog posts, votes and weight loss, will receive $10,000. 

So far, Meyer's lost 13 pounds and ranks 12th as of this writing on the contest's leaderboard. Her supporters can vote for her daily on her blog.

Meyer seems relaxed about whether she'll win the $10,000 prize.

"The weight loss is as good a prize as anything," she said.

Diners at Genghis Grill pick what vegetables, spices, sauces, and meat they want in their meal before it's cooked. Meyer says this flexibility keeps her from getting sick of the food, even after 29 days of Genghis Grill. One day she gets a shrimp gumbo, the next, some barbeque pork.

She plans her meals using a nutrition calculator from the restaurant's website, which she reads off her phone while she puts together her ingredients. Meyer has also started working out at a gym to increase her weight loss.

Meyer has become a celebrity customer at the Kingstowne Genghis Grill, where she greets the employees by their first names.

"You come in here enough and everybody knows you," she said. Meyer welcomes anyone who recognizes her to come and say hello.

While the final test of Meyer's weight loss will come at the weigh-in at the end of March, a personal challenge is coming on St. Patrick's Day, when she travels to Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Va. to take on the rollercoasters.

"We'll have to see whether I can ride anything," she said.