How 26kg weight loss gave an unhealthy lawyer in Singapore his life and happiness back

After a scary medical report, Singaporean Raeza Ibrahim changed his diet and sleep routines and worked with a fitness trainer to shed kilos

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Overweight and unhappy, Raeza Ibrahim totallly overhauled his diet, joined a gym and changed his sleep patterns, and lost 26kg. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

Published: 7:45am, 26 Jan 2025

When Raeza Ibrahim was handed his medical report in December 2023 it read like a death sentence. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol and fatty liver, with a high risk of developing hypertension, diabetes and liver disease.

And he weighed 100kg (220.5lbs), more than ever in his life.

“The report was the wake-up call that I needed,” says the 38-year-old Singapore dispute resolution lawyer and co-founder of live music venue The Blackbird. “I was aware that I was overweight but had not imagined the extent of the damage.”

He suffered from chronic backache for years because he was carrying excess weight, and was admitted to hospital with chest pains in 2017 and again in 2020, when he was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.

I didn’t like the way I looked and felt, and developed low self-esteem.

Raeza Ibrahim

The threat of his life being cut short spurred Ibrahim to change his lifestyle.

Within six months his cholesterol, fatty liver and blood marker levels returned to normal, and his sleep apnoea and back pain were gone. By August 2024 he had shed 26kg and reduced his body fat from 34.8 per cent to 14.5 per cent; his clothing size dropped from XL to S.