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Volunteer loses weight in "Super Size Me" experiment Czech-style [09-03-2006] By Pavla Horakova
Exactly a month ago the American documentary "Super Size Me" opened in Prague. On the same day, a volunteer started a similar experiment to the one the film's director, Morgan Spurlock, went through. Instead of eating McDonald's food for a month like Morgan Spurlock did, the Czech "human guinea pig" volunteered to eat typical Czech pub food for thirty days to see what effect it was going to have on his health. On Wednesday night he presented the results of his experiment in a Prague cinema - and they were quite surprising.
Karel, photo: www.supersizeme.cz The audiences at the packed Cinema Aero greeted a tall big man in his forties who chose to be known as Karel Gustav Bozan for the duration of the experiment, entitled "Super Spek Me" - which loosely translates as "Super Flab Me". Unlike the hero of "Super Size Me" at the end of his experiment, Karel looked all fit and rosy-cheeked. Before he went on stage, he gave Radio Prague a brief interview.
"I feel good, great! The food was varied and there were even enough greens in the garnish. As for beer, I tried to alternate brands but I always settled it with Pilsner. I liked the experiment, it was all paid for by the distributor, Aerofilms. I would do it again, maybe they will propose it to me!"
Before Karel put his own body on the line, he underwent a thorough medical check-up. He went for tests again just as the experiment concluded. And here are the results: Karel lost six kilos, his liver enzymes went down and so did his cholesterol, triglyceride and uric acid levels. His blood pressure remained the same. Zuzana Pudilova of Aerofilms.
"The result of the experiment is surprising - both for us and the experts who monitored it. The medical report says our volunteer has lost weight and his blood sugar has dropped. So we have come to the conclusion that fatty Czech pub grub is not all that bad for you - which I guess wasn't meant to be the result of the experiment at all."
Photo: www.supersizeme.cz Although what Karel ate all month can hardly be described as a healthy and balanced diet, there is an explanation for the improved results. Jan Smetanka was coordinator of the experiment.
"The experiment suggests that it's not so important what we eat but how we eat. Before the experiment, Karel's eating habits were quite bad. But this past month he had to watch his diet. He ate regularly, three meals a day, which benefited his health a lot, as was proved by the medical tests."
The month-long experiment "Super Spek Me" might have produced a completely different outcome had its protagonist been someone with a healthy lifestyle. Greasy Czech pub food certainly cannot be recommended as a good way to lose weight. A word of warning: Don't try this at home.
On February 8, the same day Super Size Me opened in Prague, a Czech film company's volunteer known as Karel Gustav Bozan began a 1 month diet of Czech pub food and beer in a Czech version called "Super Spek Me"; which translates loosely as "Super Flab Me".

Zuzana Pudilova of Aerofilms described the volunteer at that time: "He is a well-built man between 45 and 50. He is almost 2 metres tall, he is not exactly thin but until now he has had quite a healthy lifestyle." 

Karel ate typical Czech pub food for an entire month with three rules: no vegetables or fresh fruit (unless they came with a meal) no exercise, and lots of beer.

Karel's menu consisted entirely of typical Czech dishes. Obesity therapist, Iva Malkova, had warned at the beginning of the project: "People in the Czech Republic eat much more fat, especially animal fat than is recommended." Pub meals in the Czech Republic often consist of such fatty items as goose with dumplings or sausages.

Yesterday the results were announced; Karel lost six kilos, his cholesterol went down and so did his liver enzymes, triglyceride and uric acid levels. His blood pressure did not change. At his interview with Radio Prague he said: "I feel good, great! The food was varied and there were even enough greens in the garnish. As for beer, I tried to alternate brands but I always settled it with Pilsner. I liked the experiment, it was all paid for by the distributor, Aerofilms. I would do it again, maybe they will propose it to me!" 

Zuzana Pudilova of Aerofilms said: "The result of the experiment is surprising - both for us and the experts who monitored it. The medical report says our volunteer has lost weight and his blood sugar has dropped. So we have come to the conclusion that fatty Czech pub grub is not all that bad for you - which I guess wasn't meant to be the result of the experiment at all."