A Singaporean mum has now become our mummy #fitspo after her amazing health transformation.

He Ting Luan, 36, currently a chief executive officer (CEO) at an investment firm, ballooned beyond 95 kg during her pregnancy and saw her marriage break down, but managed to rediscover her confidence after she lost 40 kg after divorce, within eight months.

She took part in the Mrs Singapore Pageant 2018 to encourage other mothers to live life to the fullest.

Ting Luan told Lianhe Wanbao that she weighed 60 kg before pregnancy. After becoming pregnant, she gained weight and even after giving birth, she could not shed the excess pounds. At her heaviest, she weighed over 95kg.

She said: “At that time, my son was, unfortunately, diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease, and needed to warded in the intensive care unit (ICU). “Every day, I spent around 16 hours looking after him. I didn’t even have time to look in the mirror, much less lose weight.”

Before her pregnancy, Ting Luan, originally a deputy CEO at a bank, had to quit her job to look after her sick mother.

Due to her longstanding commitment as a caregiver, she was unable to return to work.

Instead of being understanding, Ting Luan’s husband chided her not working, even calling her “fat” and “ugly”. He later had an affair with another woman, and the two are now married.

Despite all of the setbacks, Ting Luan did not lose hope. She was determined to turn her husband’s betrayal into a source of motivation.

After her son recovered from his illness, she returned to work. She would also spend her one-hour lunch breaks working out in a gym.

Ting Luan said that she does not advocate dieting, and relies on Muay Thai and weightlifting to lose weight. In the span of eight months, she lost 40 kg and now weighs only 53 kg.

She said that she also hoped to win the Mrs Singapore Pageant.”Winning in the contest will be an affirmation of my hard work and tenacity in the face of the ordeals,” she quipped.

In her spare time, Ting Luan often works with The Heart Enterprise, a social enterprise which seeks to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged or marginalised families with special needs.

Ms He hopes to use her own life experience as an example to inspire other mothers. The single mother said: “By using myself as a successful example, I hope to encourage other mothers with low self-esteem to rediscover their confidence, and let their children be proud of them.”

A version of this story first appeared in The Singapore Women’s Weekly.

Photos: He Ting Luan