Thomas Derksen, a German influencer in China, transformed over five years. Check his Instagram for evidence.
His early pictures show heavy meals: big breakfasts, cakes and bacon sandwiches. Now, he looks muscular and more active. He does kickboxing, kayaking and swimming. He said the change had begun during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At 36, he realised his lifestyle was unhealthy. He had chest pain, joint issues and fatty liver. Staying home during the pandemic gave him time to learn from free online resources.
Derksen stopped crash dieting and focused on changing his whole lifestyle. Some tips worked for him while others didn’t.
Derksen moved to China in 2013 to study in Shanghai and settled there in 2016. He calls it the best decision of his life. Known online as “Afu” or “lucky one”, he gained fame by posting funny videos in Mandarin about his life in China.
His videos got millions of views, and people started calling him the unofficial German ambassador to China.
Thomas spoke to the South China Morning Post about his lifelong weight issues. He grew up in a large German family where food was all about taste. He was overweight from a young age and tried many diets, but he always regained weight.
At his heaviest, he weighed around 140kg. His weight made daily life difficult. Walking was tiring, and he needed tailor-made clothes in China.
People often mocked him or gave unwanted advice. Travelling was hard too. He had to plan every outfit in advance since regular-sized clothes were never available for him.
In 2020, during the pandemic, Derksen decided to focus on his health and weight loss. He got a golden Labrador named Einstein, who became his daily walking partner.
Derksen started going to the gym, doing strength training three times and cardio twice a week. He walks anywhere within 5km as he calls walking the “best exercise”. He didn’t follow any fad diets or weight loss injections. He focused on long-term results.
“Having French fries or a hamburger now and then would not change the long-term result, so the feeling was very different. It was like raising a child: when you tell a child not to do something, it wants to do it even more,” he told SCMP.
Intermittent fasting didn’t work
Intermittent fasting didn’t work for him, so he switched to three or four small meals daily. He allowed himself treats like burgers sometimes but kept 80% of his meals healthy.
Derksen used to eat whatever he liked, in big portions, following what he had learned from his mother. He now sees food as fuel, not entertainment.
The social media influencer cooks at home with simple, healthy items and avoids junk. He did not use weight loss drugs like GLP-1.
Derksen likes what English comedian James Corden once said: Hunger isn’t always the reason people eat. Many eat due to stress, boredom or for comfort. He believes appetite control won’t solve mental or emotional problems.
It took Thomas Derksen five years to lose 60kg. He now weighs 83kg.
