31YO Pretty Hawker Lost 26kg in 10 Months After Health Scare & to Prepare for Hawker Work

Last Updated on 2023-07-31 , 9:07 am

Let’s be honest with ourselves. 

Despite all the weight-loss fads such as keto diets or intermittent fasting that have taken the internet by storm, it can be so much harder to lose weight than it is to gain it. 

However, one female hawker with “sigma grindset” levels of determination has successfully shed more than 26kg in less than a year, inspiring people with similar goals while drawing the ire of weight-loss specialists. 

Priscilla Koh Had to Lose Weight Gained Post-Pregnancy After Doctor’s Advice

31-year-old hawker, Priscilla Koh, owns fried chicken stall Chick N’ Treat at Serangoon’s Chomp Chomp Food Centre. 

@rabbitmewmew Your One Stop for crispy and juicy fried chicken and treats! #friedchicken #singapore #chompchompfoodcentre #singaporefood ♬ Let’s go – Official Sound Studio

According to an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Ms Koh begins work at four in the afternoon, only returning home at around midnight. These working hours can get even longer, as she still serves customers who are still around after closing. 

It is hard to imagine that the robust, energetic hawker was once at a weight of 76.2 kg about a year ago. 

She told reporters that her weight had begun to skyrocket after the birth of her child, which led to her doctor’s increasing concern about her health. 

Ms Koh was born with a ventricular septal defect (a health condition in which a hole is present between the wall that divides the heart into two chambers), increasing her susceptibility to heart failure. 

The weight she had gained would worsen her condition, which led to a warning from her doctor. Alarmed by her doctor’s advice, Ms Koh officially began her weight-loss journey. 

Losing Weight Has Allowed Ms Koh to Gain a New Lease of Life at Her Hawker Job

After sticking closely to her diet plan, Ms Koh lost 26kg in 10 months. During that time, she also shared weight loss tips on social media.

Here are some of the tips she has shared on her Instagram (@rabbitmewmew):

 

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A post shared by Priscilla Koh (@rabbitmewmew)

After having shed about a third of her weight in less than a year, Ms Koh believes that her physical fitness has improved, and she can now easily cope with her work as a hawker.

“Now, I can stand for long periods, and my feet don’t swell as much as before,” she told Shin Min Daily News. 

With a newfound sense of agility, the female hawker now juggles a wide range of responsibilities, from engaging customers to preparing bills and collecting payments for meals by herself. 

Ms Koh Resigned From Train Inspector Job to Open Her Dream Stall, Also Sells Homemade Desserts to Support Main Business

Before Ms Koh opened Chick N’ Treat at Chomp Chomp Food Centre, she worked as a train inspector along the Downtown Line. 

While Ms Koh has a sweet and gentle disposition, she has actually accrued many years of gruelling job experience. Since the age of 19, she worked as a saleswoman selling car parts, a bank teller and a credit card saleswoman before working for SMRT.

To become a train inspector, she had to undergo three months of training before taking an assessment that certified her for the job. 

However, after feeling exhausted from working back-to-back shifts while still overweight, she resigned after two years to pursue her dream of being her own boss by opening a hawker stall.

Ms Koh and her partner decided to open Chick N’ Treats at Chomp Chomp Food Centre since it was close to home. Chick N’ Treats also had its unique charm since it was the only fried chicken stall out of the food centre’s numerous seafood and barbeque stalls. 

Despite an initially rough start, as revenue was not enough to completely cover rental costs, the stall has attracted a base of regular customers and has gained traction on social media. 

Ms Koh also sells homemade desserts at the booth to boost her earnings. The lineup of desserts changes daily, with the desserts offered on the day of the interview with Shin Min including bean curd, snow rabbit mousse, mango sago dew and a peach gum dessert with Chinese herbal ingredients.

While work at the stall ends at midnight, the day is not yet over for Ms Koh. After reaching home at 2 am, she stays up to make desserts until 5 am before getting some sleep before the new work day starts.