Tay Ying not rushing to lose weight after putting on 10kg
Singaporean actress Tay Ying is taking it slow with her body after gaining 10kg for her role in upcoming Channel 8 series The Blockbusters, where she plays a member of a plus-sized girl group.
The 28-year-old posted a photo of herself at the beach on Instagram on July 3, with the caption: “The most common question I’ve been getting recently – ‘Are you going to slim down as fast as possible?’ So here’s my answer to that – I’m really just taking all the time I need, as I am choosing to prioritise my physical and mental health.”
Tay, the daughter of veteran local celebrity couple Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang, finished filming The Blockbusters on June 23. In an Instagram story made then, she called the show the most challenging and tiring project she has done.
She made her on-screen debut in the 2017 Mediacorp series While You Were Young, and has since starred in martial arts series The Good Fight (2019) and the bodyguard-themed drama Shero (2023).
The 16-part The Blockbusters is slated to premiere on Channel 8 and mewatch in November. It also stars Xixi Lim, Meeki Ng and Kayly Loh.
In the July 3 post, Tay says her diet for the past five months has been pretty extreme. Tay, who is dating local celebrity chef Wu Sihan, has been having four meals a day, consuming mass gainers – a type of supplement for gaining weight – and doing more strength exercises but much less cardio workouts. She put on 10kg to be weigh about 63kg while filming.
She is now slowly adjusting back to her previous diet and exercise regimen, with two meals a day and a gradual return to her cardio workouts.
She says in the past three months, she has been filming and dancing “pretty much non-stop” for almost 15 to 16 hours daily. “But no complaints, because it was genuinely a very enjoyable journey, and I love working.”
She adds: “I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to my body for pulling through everything. Regardless of the outcome, one day I shall look back at my 20s and thank myself and my body for this experience.”
While an upcoming role could require her to undergo another body transformation, she says: “For now, I’m listening to my body and choosing to trust this process.”
In an interview with Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, Tay says she took on The Blockbusters role to break beauty stereotypes.
She said then: “Big can be beautiful too. I wouldn’t become insecure just because I’ve put on weight. As long as your have kindness and strength in your heart, why would you be afraid of how other people look at you?”
Tay’s body-positive message in her latest post has attracted supportive comments from her peers in the industry.
Fellow actress Fang Rong cheered her on, saying: “Your body will adjust according to your lifestyle, just be yourself. Tune in to your body and it’ll intuitively tell you what to do.”
Tay’s co-star Ng called her amazing, while presenter Das DD wrote, “You always look fab.”
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