How did Singaporean chef lose 11kg in 5 months? Weight loss journey was ‘tough', he says
Taking time out for regular exercise and sticking to a balanced diet are keys to losing weight. So how does a chef who works long hours around food hope to shed extra kilos?
Ngo Xing Jun, a chef at his family's hawker stall in Singapore, found the answer when he shed 11kg (24lbs) to weigh 61.5kg and his body fat percentage dropped to a healthy 10.5 per cent over five months in 2024, from August to December.
Ngo's family runs Xing Long Food Stall at
a hawker centre in Singapore's Chinatown Complex Food Centre , a zi char eatery selling local dishes like fish head in bean sauce, ginger chicken, cuttlefish kangkung or water spinach, and other popular stir-fry dishes.
Ngo joined the family business in his mid-twenties and became its chef in 2023.
Ngo in the stall's kitchen with his father and sister in 2025. Photo: Ngo Xing Jun
From a young age he would help his parents out, chopping vegetables, serving food and running errands.
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