Facing death, Singapore dad used diet, exercise and ‘mentality’ to shed 40kg in 3 years

Obese and ill, Alex Tan began a weight-loss journey after a doctor’s dire warning, losing a third of his body weight to be there for his son

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Alex Tan in 2016, when he weighed more than 120kg, and in 2024 after his weight-loss journey took him from death’s door to fit and healthy. Photo: Alex Tan/Ultimate Performance

Published: 6:15pm, 23 Aug 2024Updated: 11:37am, 9 Sep 2024

Singapore-based corporate executive Alex Tan decided to take control of his health after a doctor warned him that if he did not, he would not live to see his teenage son reach adulthood.

Tan had battled with excess weight since he was a child. By the time he was 15, he weighed more than 100kg (220lbs). Aged 30, he was at his heaviest, weighing 134kg. Attempts to get into shape over the years had all proved short-lived, and Tan carried the excess weight into his mid-forties.

He was suffering from type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, acid reflux and sleep apnoea when the doctor issued his warning.

“I still remember the shock I felt when I heard those words,” Tan says.

Tan at his university graduation in 2001, aged 26, when he weighed more than 100kg. Photo: Alex Tan

Over the following three years, from April 2021 to June 2024, Tan managed to lose more than 40kg, dropping from 120kg to 78kg. His body fat percentage went from 40 to 21.7.

“Before I lost the weight, I didn’t sleep well at night and would wake up gasping. I was on painkillers to alleviate the severe ankle and knee pain caused by my excess weight,” the 49-year-old says.