SINGAPORE – Singaporean singer-actor Benjamin Kheng recently revealed that a severe health scare prompted him to take up intensive long-distance running, a lifestyle change that subsequently led to his noticeable weight loss.
The 35-year-old detailed his physical transformation in a June 8 TikTok video, which was created in response to netizens asking if his weight loss was the result of taking diet drugs like Ozempic and peptides.
“I’m only going to say this once,” he says in the video. “I’m not on any weight loss drug. I don’t have the time or the money.”
He advised viewers against relying on such medications, encouraging them instead to “just go and work out, be happy, healthy”.
The real reason for his dramatic weight loss originated from a serious medical diagnosis he received in 2025. Kheng disclosed that he suffered from critically high levels of “bad” cholesterol, specifically an LDL (low-density lipoprotein) reading of 252, which he said was dangerously high.
@benjaminkheng Replying to @Marco 😩😩🫠🫠
Because of this significant health scare, Kheng shared that he is now reliant on lifelong medication to manage his condition, without going into details.
He has also implemented a highly disciplined fitness and dietary regimen. His physical training currently involves running 60km every week as he is training for a marathon.
Besides this demanding physical activity, he adheres to an “awfully strict diet” that completely eliminates processed foods. When pressed in the video comments for dietary advice, he clarified that while he is not a nutritionist, he ensures that he does not “(skimp) on carbs” in order to properly fuel his intensive runs.
Kheng, who is married to local host-presenter Naomi Yeo, admitted that while maintaining such strict habits in his mid-30s is not always fun or desirable, his long-term health takes priority.
His fitness journey also inspired him to launch a new community wellness initiative named Ben There Run That.
The inaugural edition of the run club that blends physical fitness with social connection and live music took place on May 30. Participants engaged in a casual, non-competitive 4km run that finished with breakfast, coffee, and a live performance from Kheng himself.
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