Alex Chong Ka-lap, 31, from Macau, is one of Asia's top bodybuilders. Last month he won gold in the men's 65kg category at the Asian Bodybuilding Championships in Andong City, South Korea. He is now preparing for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
For us bodybuilders, dieting is the greatest torture. Many women these days are obsessed with dieting, but by starving themselves they look as if they suffer from malnutrition.
For bodybuilders, strict dieting starts at least two months before a competition. Before I was married my meals would consist of simmered chicken breasts, lean beef, or other high-protein, low-fat foods. I cooked with no creativity, so they were often unappetising. Because we have to eat large amounts - pounds of meat every day - each boring meal would be torture.
My wife came to my rescue. Apart from pursuing her own career, she found time to study healthy ways to season the most boring foods. When she came home from work, she would cook these special meals for me, spicing up every dish to make them much more tasty and aesthetically exquisite.
My wife doesn't do weightlifting in the gym like I do. Her exercise comes from carrying armfuls of fresh ingredients from the market. It is her labour of love.
Bodybuilding has been my passion for more than a decade.
Believe it or not, I used to be the weakest child in my primary school class. I was often the helpless target of bullies. Television images of people working out at the gym made me realise that exercising would help me become stronger. I started practising push-ups and sit-ups in primary school, and saved my pocket money to buy dumbbells in secondary school.