Winning big . . .
by losing big

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

Lt. Edward Manko of the Philadelphia Fire Department has grown quite chummy with the folks at Weight Watchers.
For three years in a row, the Bustleton resident has been the biggest "loser" in the fire department for the Battle of the Badges, an annual weight-loss competition between the fire and police departments sponsored by Weight Watchers. The contest is open to all uniformed and non-uniformed department members, family members and retirees.
"Weight Watchers knows me by name," Manko, 44, joked during an interview last week.
After each contest, Manko, who serves as the fire marshal for the Northeast, has gained some of the weight back and then recommitted himself to slimming down. This year, his loss became the fire department’s gain.
By shedding 47 pounds over a 13-week period, Manko ended the fire department’s three-year losing streak. The triumph brings the overall record for the 21 years of competition to 12 wins for the police department and nine for the fire department. Altogether, both departments have lost 146,162.29 pounds.
For their waist-whittling efforts, Weight Watchers donated $10,000 to the departments’ Hero Scholarship Fund, which aids the children of police officers or firefighters killed or disabled in the line of duty. The company has donated a total of $152,500 since the competition began.
The donation to the Hero Scholarship Fund holds special significance for Manko, an 18-year veteran who graduated from George Washington High School — he received a scholarship after his father, who also was a fireman, was injured in the line of duty in 1964.
"It means a lot to me," said Manko, whose brother is an investigator with the police department’s South Detectives Division.
In addition to the donation, Manko and five other top losers from his department received a $100 savings bond and a microwave oven. Retired police officer Kenneth Grimshaw, a Northeast resident, won the individual weight-loss honor for the police department.
Weight Watchers uses a daily point system based on weight to help clients shed pounds. Those who use the method can eat what they want as long as they don’t go over their allotted points. Individuals also do not have to exercise at the start of the system.
Manko, whose weight has fluctuated throughout the years, found it easy to follow the weight-loss course.
"I just stayed within those points," he said.
The former Marine, who serves as the drum major for the Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipe Band, stays active by walking several miles a day and taking the stairs at work. During the competition, he drank only water and black coffee and always ate three meals a day.
"You have to eat to lose weight," Manko said.
He did, however, abstain from beer, second helpings and snacking, though he got in one doughnut before the competition ended. His efforts became a family affair, with his wife and one of his two daughters also losing weight.
Surprisingly, Manko found it easier to do the competition in his office at fire department headquarters at 280 Spring Garden St. than at the fire station. The latter, he explained, tends to be stocked with tempting food.
"If you open the refrigerator here, there’s just condiments," Manko said. "If you work at the station, there’s a meat loaf in there."
The stations are also known for inspiring pranks. During a previous Battle of the Badges, a firefighter tried to sabotage a colleague’s diet by replacing his Slim-Fast with Nestle’s Quik.
"He kept saying how good the Slim-Fast was," Manko recalled.
Manko plans to retire from the competition. He has faith enough in the fire department’s ability to win without him next year, and faith in himself that he won’t need to diet again.
"I plan on keeping (the weight) off this time," Manko said. ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com