How post-pregnancy weight loss turned a Hong Kong mother into a Spartan Race champion

Post-pregnancy weight loss is a concern for every mother, and like every woman who has endured the physical and mental strains of giving birth, Lena Tsang Ling-ling wished she could turn back time on her body.

“My figure before I was pregnant was pretty normal, but after I gave birth [to my second son] I felt like I was gaining weight and it seemed like people would comment on that,” said the 42-year-old full-time administrative manager. “I thought why, after having a child, do I have to be like this – why can’t I just be like before?”

In just three years, Tsang has not only lost over forty pounds but has become one of Hong Kong’s top-ranked obstacle course racers, a Spartan Race ambassador and an avid trail-runner. She finished second in the 2017 Spartan Asia-Pacific Championship female masters category and has collected awards from long-distance events along the way.

So how did a mother-of-two – whose only previous exercising experience was from “PE class in high school” – undergo such a drastic turnaround?

“I never would have thought I could do this,” said Tsang, known as ‘Lena Mama’ on her popular Facebook account documenting her weight loss and tournament progress. “I wanted to lose 10 to 20 pounds but on the path to improving my figure, I saw my performance improve.

“After a while I signed up for my first Spartan Race with a friend in Malaysia and my finishing time wasn’t that bad. I thought if I put more time and effort into training, I could get better.”