How a Singapore-based executive lost 21kg in 9 months and cured his knee pain

Ben Payet’s story is not an unfamiliar one: a high-achieving professional whose health quietly slipped down his list of priorities. The finance executive moved with his wife from London to Singapore three years ago to be closer to her family. They were building a life in a new city, but Payet was carrying excess weight. When he stood on the scales in October 2024, he was shocked. It read 93kg (205lbs), a sharp increase from the 77kg he had weighed in 2019. He would go on to lose 21kg over the next 9 months. By July 2025, he had dropped to 72kg – which he still weighs today – and lowered his body fat from 30 per cent to 12 per cent. He says the Covid-19 pandemic played a huge role in his weight gain. In 2019, he was part of the global fitness community F45, which specialises in 45-minute, high-intensity functional training sessions. He attended these five days a week and also ran regularly. “Then Covid happened, and the only thing left to do was eat,” the 35-year-old Frenchman says. The weight gain was compounded by debilitating knee pain. An MRI suggested a potential meniscus tear. Physiotherapy yielded little relief, and the diagnosis was grim. “I was told I might have to manage this pain indefinitely, potentially even give up running. I was shocked. I was too young for a lifelong injury,” says Payet, who had run 5km (3.1 miles) twice a week since his late teens and had practised indoor bouldering since his mid-twenties. One fact was clear to him: less weight on the knee joint would make it better. “I was in my mid-thirties, and it felt like the last chance I had to do something about it without long-term consequences. I had tried to lose weight before, but it was never sustainable. I did not want to enter my forties overweight, navigating the health complications that often start at that age.” Determined to regain his fitness, he joined a local gym and committed to three strength training sessions a week with a personal trainer. He began taking 12,000 steps a day, walking for 30 minutes around his office building every day after lunch and then going on a longer walk after work. He gradually resumed running and now runs 35km a week. Payet’s trainer, Hendrick Phua, says a meniscus injury does not mean you must stop training. He worked with Payet using progressive loading, doing split squats, modified leg curls and modified hack squats to restore his knee strength, increasing the intensity, volume and range over time. “Pain guided our adjustments, not fear,” Phua says. “It was also important to prepare him mentally to tolerate high-intensity training, so his nervous system could withstand heavy loads and his mind could push through discomfort. When biomechanics, load management and mindset align, the body adapts.” Despite being told it was impossible, Payet now runs pain-free: the persistent knee ache began to fade, then vanished completely. He is now aiming to improve his current personal best time for a 5km run from 21 minutes and 17 seconds to under 20 minutes. A diet overhaul helped. “I went from an uncontrolled diet of getting food delivered all the time and constant snacking to tracking calories and macros for every meal,” he says. He now maintains a high-protein, low-fat diet to build muscle and lose fat. He increases his carbohydrate intake during maintenance phases and before races, and indulges during holidays, while allowing himself occasional “cheat days”. Before he embarked on his weight-loss journey, he would eat cereal with milk for breakfast, then street food or a sandwich for lunch. For dinner, he would cook pasta or rice dishes or order rice bowls with fried pork or the like. He would also eat a chocolate bar every day. Now, his breakfast consists of Greek yogurt and protein powder with a banana or berries. Lunch is salad with a lean protein and dinner is bread, sweet potatoes or rice with ham, steak or chicken. He has a banana and some protein powder before his late afternoon strength training sessions. “This fills me up, and then I am not crazy hungry at dinner. I realised that most of the time that I was reaching out to eat, I was not hungry, but bored.” Changing his diet was his biggest challenge. “Being able to control hunger and cravings is very hard. It also changes how you interact with people, as they don’t understand the new choices you’re making. Working out was the easy part: all I had to do was show up and push.” He uses Ventrickle, an app that estimates the macros of food items in popular Singapore restaurants and provides a breakdown of nutrients and calories in a dish by analysing a photo of it. “It was essential when eating out or planning lunch around my office. Social media helped immensely. My Instagram feed now is 50 per cent Hyrox and fitness content and 50 per cent healthy recipes,” says Payet, who built a list of quick-and-easy meals to prep at home and uses AI for suggestions and menu planning. His formula for losing weight and sustaining it consisted of building healthy habits and having an accountability partner. “It starts with showing up consistently to work out and building discipline with food intake. My understanding of nutrition also helped, as I know now what I should eat,” he says. His friends and personal trainer were his biggest supporters. “Hendrick held me accountable. He took my measurements and photos every fortnight at the gym. He motivated me by explaining what to expect in the coming weeks. As I saw my body become leaner, it pushed me to keep going.” Since losing the weight, Payet has taken part in three Hyrox races: in Singapore in June and November 2025, and in Osaka, Japan, in January. The gruelling events combine running and functional workout stations. He also ran a 10km race in under 46 minutes at the Singapore Marathon in December 2025. He has a half-marathon and three Hyrox races lined up in the next 12 months. His biggest reward has been finding health again. “I feel fitter than ever before in my life. I look younger than most people my age. I sleep better. My knee pain is gone. I am proud of going from a sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle,” he says. “I’ve made friends who share similar fitness journeys and interests like Hyrox and running. I never thought I’d be as fit as I am today.” Payet has inspired his friends and colleagues to join him in corporate relay teams for Hyrox races and has motivated them to choose healthier lunch options. His 70-year-old father has also started strength-training sessions with a trainer. To others who want to get fit, he says: “Build a support system. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Join a gym. Consider a gym and a trainer not as expenses, but as an investment in your health.” Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

How a Singapore-based executive lost 21kg in 9 months and cured his knee pain

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Weighing 93kg was a wake-up call for Ben Payet, whose health journey fixed a knee issue that threatened to stop him running for good

Weighing 93kg was a wake-up call for Ben Payet, whose health journey fixed a knee issue that threatened to stop him running for good