From flab to fab: Constantly surrounded by food and drinks, F&B folks share their fitness journeys

Straits Times

21-06-2025

From flab to fab: Constantly surrounded by food and drinks, F&B folks share their fitness journeys
SINGAPORE – Never trust a skinny chef, they say. But what about a ripped one who has lost more than 30kg and runs a Michelin-starred establishment?
Or a food and beverage (F&B) entrepreneur and mother of two teenagers looking to hit 50kg by her 50th birthday in October?
Chef Han Liguang of one-Michelin-starred Restaurant Labyrinth at Esplanade Mall and Ms Anna Lim, founder of The Soup Spoon chain of casual eateries, are part of a growing group of F&B folks who have been on a fitness and weight-loss journey in recent years.
'In our line, people think we are just gluttons and alcoholics,' says Ms Lim, 49, who will be taking part in her first Hyrox competition on June 29 and has been on a mission to inspire both her team and diners to eat and live well.
Hyrox is a global fitness racing sport that requires participants to complete 8km of running with eight different functional exercises.
Others in the nightlife scene have also been working out to stay healthy.
Mr Frank Shen, co-founder of cocktail bar Laut at Fortune Centre, has found his stride in his fitness communities, while Mr Colin Chia, co-founder and chief executive of Nutmeg Collective, is doing it for longevity and his family – at home and work.
Here is how their exercise routines and diets have strengthened them physically and mentally to deal with the challenges on the job.
Frank Shen, 35, co-founder of cocktail bar Laut at Fortune Centre
Mr Frank Shen, co-founder of cocktail bar Laut, at CrossFit Mobilus gym at Clarke Quay.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
His fitness journey may have begun in October 2021, but it was only three years later that Mr Frank Shen started to seriously shed the kilos.
Back then, his chiropractor-fiancee Jessie Lim, 36, had signed him up for Body Fit Training (BFT) when he was at his heaviest, about 120kg. BFT offers scientifically backed structured strength and conditioning group training sessions – typically 50 minutes – designed for all fitness levels and suitable for beginners.
He joined his first session on an empty stomach and proceeded to vomit three times during the class.
He kept going despite not wanting to wake up for the morning classes and not losing much weight, though he felt fitter.
In October 2024, his BFT trainer Priscilla Tay recommended that he try an eight-week challenge which required him to stop drinking alcohol, and change his diet to increase protein intake and cut carbs.
After doing two gruelling rounds of this challenge, he hit 97kg and now maintains his weight at between 95 and 99kg. His body fat decreased by 16.8 per cent, and he gained 3.6kg of muscle.
After completing the challenge, he joined the CrossFit Mobilus gym at Clarke Quay, which his trainer attends too. CrossFit is a high-intensity fitness programme – suited for experienced athletes – incorporating elements from several sports and types of exercise that can include weight-lifting, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning.
Mr Shen recalls his first intense workout, which he was unable to complete and left him in pain for the next two days. He was sore to the point of not being able to shower.
Now, he is at the gym from Tuesdays to Saturdays, packing in two sessions each day. Before the morning class, he has a protein shake, banana or bread.
Lunch is across the road at Rough Guys Co cafe, where he has a salad bowl that includes proteins such as beef, chicken breast or salmon, with edamame or tofu.
He then continues with another CrossFit class – which includes weightlifting or gymnastics – then downs another protein shake before heading to work at around 3pm. Steak or chicken breast is his dinner of choice.
'It is about building endurance. Losing weight is the least important thing for me. Am I fitter and stronger – mentally and physically? A lot of things are mind over body,' he says.
To balance his high-protein diet of 2,500 calories, he does an extra 30 to 45 minutes of cardio on the Echo bike or with a slow jog.
He says: 'There's the misconception that when I go on a diet, I eat a little bit. But the body will not have energy to do what it needs to do. I eat more, but I eat right and I eat clean.'
This means that Mr Shen, a self-declared 'sauce person', has learnt to eat food without sauce, which can be high in sugar and sa lt.
There is no curry or extra gravy on his economy rice. He also asks for a quarter of the usual portion of rice, along with one vegetable, two styles of eggs and one or two meats.
He says: 'The sad truth is that cai fan items already have a lot of sauce. But you don't add even more sauce. I try to order less saucy proteins.'
However, if he is out to entertain clients or meet friends for meals, he does not hold back.
Mr Shen says: 'When I do go out to eat and drink, I will eat and drink whatever I want. Eating and drinking is my life, I can't stop. If my trainer had said no, I'd say you're not the right person for me.'
Having said that, he has cut down from drinking almost every day to about three to four times a week and allows himself to enjoy one to three good meals a week.
Mr Frank Shen doing overhead lunges with a 22.5kg dumbbell at CrossFit Mobilus gym.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Perhaps on a subconscious level, his dietary habits have also influenced his work.
Mr Shen, who is also the general manager of Anthology bar in Circular Road and global brand ambassador for Rachelle The Rabbit Meadery, has changed the food menu at Anthology to be more protein-focused. Its elevated hawker food is made from scratch with no monosodium glutamate
And he has new milestones to look forward to. He will be competing in his first Hyrox rac e o n June 29, which has required extra training sessions on Sundays and more carb-heavy meals.
He has been part of the Hyrox community since 2024 when he was a judge, and was awarded Hypeman of the Year for his enthusiasm cheering the competitors on.
Like with BFT, his Hyrox community keeps him going.
'I want to be at the end to cheer for my friends. Everybody's voice is so powerful and if my voice can help to push someone through the last station, it is something that money cannot buy . Everyone is there to push everyone to the next level ,' he adds.
Depending on how this competition goes, he is considering joining CrossFit competition Urban Throwdown in September if he can find teammates.
After Hyrox, Mr Shen is getting married in July. To stay in shape, he goes running and for spin classes together with Ms Lim. And, this time, he signed them up for Revl Training at its newly opened gym in Serangoon.
On their travels, he works out too – with or without Ms Lim . He notes that Bali and Bangkok have nice gyms, and he enjoys attending different styles of classes.
'I'm mentally fitter and stronger, and that helps in the work I do. There is no need to challenge anyone but yourself, based on where you want to be. It is a very personal journey, not to show off but to show up every day,' he says.
'No matter how hungover I am, even if I get through 50 per cent of the class, it is better than nothing. Even if I improve by 1 per cent, it is sustainable in the long run.'
Anna Lim, 49, founder of home-grown chain The Soup Spoon
The Soup Spoon founder Anna Lim with meals that she would usually eat at her outlet at NUS Central Library.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Singapore has its '30 by 30' food security initiative to meet 30 per cent of nutritional needs locally by 2030. Ms Anna Lim's goal is '50 by 50'. That is, to hit her goal weight of 50kg by October – when she turns 50.
Currently, the petite 1.54m-tall 'souperchef' is 52kg, already significantly down from her heaviest weight at 65kg, after she had to halt her exercise regimen when she sprained her left foot during a yoga session in 2021.
The former marathon runner, who used to do pilates and yoga, resorted to intermittent fasting for four months. While it took her weight down to 62kg, it was not a sustainable s olution.
Somehow, she endured the constant swelling and pain in her sprained foot for two years and got it checked only in October 2023.
She saw an orthopaedic surgeon, who said her foot was deformed, and she had to undergo surgery in January 2024. It required breaking the heel, realigning the foot and inserting four screws.
After six months of down time, she made a conscious decision to restart her fitness journey at a gym with a personal trainer.
After her first session, Ms Lim recalls not being able to make it up the stairs because her knees hurt. Thankfully, this pain disappeared after continuing her workouts for a month.
It has been 46 weeks since then and Ms Lim's body fat has gone from 32 per cent to under 19 per cent.
On weekdays, after sending her 15-year-old son to school, she would go for an F45 workout at 7.30am and be in the office an hour later as the gym is a short walk away. She started going with four of her staff for the workouts that emphasise a circuit-style, high-intensity, cardio-focused approach for group training.
Besides walking 10,000 steps daily, she does weight training three times a week and, in the lead-up to her first Hyrox competition on June 29, has Hyrox training on Sundays.
For the competition , she is doing a mixed relay – consisting of two men and two women – so each person does a 2km run and two fitness stations.
Her next goal is to enter Hyrox as a solo competitor in November, after her 50th birthday.
Ms Anna Lim (foreground) at a recent all-women fitness competition Valkyrie Race.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ANNA LIM
She also does Zone 2 running – a tra ining method where one maintains an effort level within 60 to 70 per cent of one's maximum heart rate – which is meant to improve cardio health and is set at a pace that allows one to have a conversation comfortably while running.
Recovery, she stresses, is also important. She has gone from sleeping four hours a night to about seven to nine hours.
On the food front, Ms Lim kick-starts her day with two shots of coffee, a protein shake, yogurt and berries.
Another two shots follow in the office, and lunch is a salad with chicken breast, sweet potatoes, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs and grilled salmon.
For snacks, she has baked almonds, along with her final two shots of coffee.
Her weakness is chocolate in any form – whether cake or bar. She has, however, c ut out alcoh ol , save for the occasional glass.
For the past six months, Ms Lim has been in the research and development stages of perfecting packaged chicken fillets that have been marinated and cooked, which require just reheating in the microwave.
She has come up with 10 flavours so far and is looking to launch a few of them for dine-in first at her 30 Soup Spoon outlets. These flavours include Thai-style Nam Jim lemongrass, tandoori-style, mapo Sichuan-style and lime salt and pepper.
The halal-certified fillets – steamed, then grilled, complete with grill marks – can be part of salads, soups and tortillas. It has become the default meal for her son and 18-year-old daughter.
On developing this product, Ms Lim, whose husband Andrew Chan, 50, is the managing director of The Soup Spoon, says: 'As a person going through the fitness journey, I know that the pain points of meal prep and eating 'clean' food are real.
'I want to be the best version of myself and be my own brand ambassador. I cannot look unhealthy while selling good food promoting health and nutrition.'
Indeed, The Soup Spoon brand has been evolving to cater to consumer demands – offering, in addition to soups, sandwiches and salads, other sides such as steamed broccoli and red rice.
Ms Lim's personal journey has also influenced her staf f. T hey now have a running club that is active on Mondays and Wednesdays.
'All this didn't happen overnight. I enjoy the process and have become a better person. Working out trains determination and discipli ne – and it translates into work and life. It shows my kids that I show up every day, rain or shine.'
Han Liguang, 39, chef-owner of one-Michelin-starred modern-Singaporean Restaurant Labyrinth at Esplanade Mall
Chef Han Liguang of Restaurant Labyrinth hits the gym two hours a day, six days a week.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Probably the most-talked-about body transformation in the foodie scene belongs to chef Han Liguang of Restaurant Labyrinth.
Emerging from the pandemic in 2022 at his heaviest weight of 94kg, he cut 10kg for his wedding in the same year.
'I put on a lot of weight during Covid-19, constantly thinking about what to eat, and got lazy. I was not happy as I couldn't even wear my chef's jacket properly. Whenever I sat down, the buttons would burst, so it was time to lose weight.'
While his wedding was the initial motivation for the weight loss – achieved through a six-month crash course of managing his diet and running 9km d aily – it drove him to get into better shape even after his big day.
When his weight plateaued at 82kg, he decided to engage a personal trainer in January 2024.
In 13 months, the 1.71m-tall chef dropped to his leanest 'photo shoot weight' of 62kg and drastically reduced his body fat percentage from 25 to 9.5 percent.
Now, he is working towards bulking up to 75kg, balanced with 13 to 15 per cent of body fat.
His trainer not only kept him accountable at the gym, but also educated him on nutrition – adjusting his protein, carb and fat intake accordingly when his weight and body fat percentages changed.
'You can exercise every day, but if you don't eat right, you don't lose weight. Or you could lose but still be 'skinny fat', not fit,' says chef Han.
Chef Han Liguang's remarkable 13-month transformation under his personal trainer.
PHOTO: TRAINEDBYTITUS/INSTAGRAM
On his travels, he hits the gym every morning, counts his steps and still indulges in the occasional cheat meal.
He was in Turin, Italy, for The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on June 19, where he balanced feasting with working out. Restaurant Labyrinth is ranked No. 97 in the 51-100 list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Holiday meals with his wife Pamela Tan, 38, a business owner, are better controlled too, with less fine-dining meals and sharing of snacks. The couple have no children.
'I don't have to eat everything on my own. Not every meal has to be a great meal, because then no meal will stand out as great. The snacks become treats and I value that more.
'I appreciate what I eat more and have developed a keener interest in vegetables. I still eat, create and taste.'
Back home, chef Han records his weight when he wakes up before hitting the gym for two hours a day, six days a week. Other workouts include playing tennis, walking and swimming.
Breakfast is a banana, a slice of bread and a protein sh ake, while lunch is grilled chicken breast as well as rice and egg s f ried with no oil.
For dinner, he alternates between prawns and fish.
If he has a big meal or event coming up, he avoids carbs for the day and consumes lean protein, vegetables and eggs instead.
He adds that his chef experience helps in the planning of his cheat meal s as he understands the recipes of food he consumes and can calculate the portions.
For example, he avoids dishes such as lobster bisque because of the cream content, and chooses a tenderloin or striploin cut of beef over the fattier ribeye.
He adds: 'I want to show it's doable in the industry, especially when we have so many distractions for food and drink.
'As chefs , we taste our own food, visit restaurants to get inspired, attend and organise collaboration events – how do you build this into a sustainable lifestyle ? A nd it turns out, it is possible.'
Colin Chia, 46, co-founder and chief executive of Nutmeg Collective
Mr Colin Chia of Nutmeg & Clove bar jogging along Bukit Batok Road.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
A few 'wake-up calls' eventually pushed nightlife veteran Colin Chia from his indulgent dining and drinking days to a path of wellness.
His life started to revolve around food and alcohol from the age of 18, when he joined hospitality school Shatec to study hotel management.
It continued when he joined British multinational alcoholic beverage company Diageo, where travelling for work 75 per cent of the time meant even mor e f easting.
'I really hated myself, but I enjoyed the lifestyle. It was very bad,' admits the 1.85m-tall Mr Chia, who was with Diageo for 12½ years.
Over the years, he continued to put on weight.
Then, in 2015, he suffered a heart attack and had to undergo surgery to insert three stents. He has 65 per cent of heart muscle remaining and the ordeal affected him mentally as well.
While he lost 10kg, from around 110 to 100kg, during the recovery period, he reverted to his old ways soon after. His weight peaked at 118kg during the pandemic. Mr Chia also has multiple health issues including Type A diabetes that was diagnosed in his 20s.
When his father died in 2021 from cancer, it got Mr Chia thinking about whether he wanted to continue his unhealthy lifestyle. He started to go for brisk walks and slow jogs three times a week, and managed to lose about 10kg.
But it was only in mid-2024 that the switch really flipped, and he decided 'enough is enough'.
To spur himself on, the sneaker collector bought a pair of bright pink and purple Asics Superblast shoes at $300 and started jogging around the Bukit Batok HDB estate where he lives.
The first pair of Asics Superblast running shoes that kicked off Mr Colin Chia's fitness journey.
PHOTO: COLIN CHIA
Now, he wakes up at 6.30am, puts on his headphones playing Cantopop hits by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung and runs daily from 8am. He hits 5km on Mondays, 8km on Tuesdays and 10km on Wednesdays, and repeats the cycle for the rest of the week.
By 9.30am, he returns home to cool down by climbing the staircase and doing lunges and planks at the lift lobby.
Due to a recent aggravated knee injury in March, he also includes swimming and stationary cycling in his workouts.
His lunch, which he terms rabbit food, comprises chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs and cucumber, while dinner is a light meal of rice or porridge with kana cai (Chinese preserved olives) and salted egg.
Already satisfied with his current weight of about 87kg, he aspires to hit his target of 82kg.
'But I can be more lenient on myself. I can go to the hawker centre for a curry puff. I can enjoy nasi padang and prawn noodles on Sundays for my cheat meals. I'm not torturing myself,' says the father of two teenage daughters, aged 17 and 13.
He started to record and post his workouts and fitness journey on social media to inspire his 'very unhealthy' team and prove to them that they could, like him, get fit. This includes his team in Bangkok, where he is the co-founder of three bars and the Bangkok Bar Show, a festival which celebrates the city's vibrant cocktail scene.
In Singapore, he is co-founder and chief executive of Nutmeg Collective, which runs Nutmeg & Clove, Last Word, Room 0202 and Draft Land Singapore bars in Purvis Street, and Tess Bar & Kitchen in Seah Street.
Here, before his crew starts work , Mr Chia ensures they have an early dinner at 3.30pm, followed by a simple supper of noodles, eggs, congee and sandwiches at around midnight.
'Once full, they will not overeat or go somewhere else for more food,' he adds.
And while he still has to drink for the job, he has significantly cut down from downing a few bottles a night to just having a few glasses a week.
His 2025 goal is to take part in the T aipei Marathon to do a half-marathon in December.
'I'm not doing this for vanity or t he 'Gram. I'm doing it for longevity and for my family – at home and at Nutmeg & Clove.'
Eunice Quek is STFood online editor at The Straits Times. She covers all things trending in the food and beverage scene.
Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.