​With a blog full of lifestyle and travel articles, it is hard to imagine that Kenneth Lee, a passionate advocate for health, fitness and personal care, once weighed over 100 kilograms. 

Ups and Downs

It all began at the psychiatrist’s office when, as a teenager, he was prescribed anti-depressants to help deal with personal issues. The anti-depressants worked, but an increased appetite was a side effect that Kenneth did not anticipate. 

Playing football kept his weight in check for a time, but when the physical activity stopped, the appetite didn’t decrease, and his weight made a swift comeback. “I ate a lot of hearty meals filled with high-fat proteins. I’d choose meat-lovers pizza and rib-eye steaks, and I also had plenty of fried snacks​ in between meals,” Kenneth recalls. “Here’s the worst part: I didn’t do any exercise at all.” 

National Service helped trim his weight down from 107 kilograms to 60 kilograms — an impressive feat — but an unfortunate injury caused him to lose mobility for six months and his weight shot back up to 90 kilograms. 

Fight or Flight


Not one to back down from a challenge, Kenneth, now aged 30, decided to develop an exercise regime​ to lose weight once and for all.

This was a big deal for someone who hated exercising. “I started small, with short two-kilometre runs that conditioned my body. I adjusted my diet to supplement weight loss, then extended my distances. I started to lose weight,” Kenneth wrote on Daily Vanity, a local beauty e-magazine he contributes to, as well as running his own blog, www.5meanders.com. 

Diet, too, played a critical role in his success. Wholesome foods became staples during mealtimes, including a mix of protein and vegetables ​that nourished his body. His new regime helped to shave his weight down to a lean 60 kilograms. 

However, merely losing weight was not quite enough. After hitting his desired goal, he stepped things up a notch by incorporating High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)​ into his training, which can help build muscle mass and increase resting metabolism. He says a gym membership is not a must to reach your goals, “There is no way signing up for gym membership will help you lose weight unless you commit to something. Instead, make it a point to draw up an exercise plan and then commit to it!”

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