In a video uploaded to his Instagram page on June 21, 2026, Ninong Ry threw down a heavy metal tray full of raw liempo in front of the cameras.
“Ito ay seventeen kilos ng karne,” he told the viewers, gesturing at the glistening pile of raw meat in front of him. “Nai-imagine mo ba kung gaano karami iyon? Pag binuhat mo, mabigat.”
The reason that he’d brought out that tray of liempo was so that we could visualize how much weight he’d recently lost. “Ito ang amount na nawala sa akin mula November,” he said.
In just a few months, Ninong Ry — a culinary content creator who has no qualms referring to himself as “yung matabang nagluluto sa Facebook” — had lost 17 kilos, or 37.5 pounds. And he chalks it all up to powerlifting.
How Ninong Ry began his weight loss journey
“Sa totoo lang, di naman talaga weight loss ang point. Pero alam ko yun ang makaka-grab ng attention,” Ninong Ry told Spin.ph at a press conference in Summit Media.
“Dito sa ginagawa ko, ang pagbaba ng timbang is just a side effect.”
Since last year, Ninong Ry (whose real name is Ryan Reyes Morales) has embarked on a serious powerlifting program. Unlike the Olympic lifting practiced by Hidilyn Diaz, which tests athletes on the snatch and the clean & jerk, powerlifting focuses on three barbell exercises: the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.
Ninong Ry has become so obsessed with the sport that he’s installed a gym in the same place where he shoots his videos. He’s even roped his entire production team into powerlifting.
“Naramdaman ko talaga ang quality of life na binigay niya sa akin,” said the internet personality. “Hindi na nangyayari yung may pupulutin kang ballpen sa sahig, tapos ang sakit na ng likod mo. Hindi na nangyayari na umaakyat ka nang saglit sa hagdan, may mga masel na sumasakit.”
His coach in the sport is Rafael Cahilig, a five-time national powerlifting champion.
In the comment section of the liempo video, Cahilig praised Ninong Ry’s work ethic. “In all seriousness, sobrang sipag ni Ryan sa pagbilang ng macros/calories. So all credits goes to his adherence in tracking, dedication sa training, and perseverance kahit hectic ng schedule.”
The end goal for Ninong Ry
At his press conference, Ninong Ry celebrated several major wins.
Last May 24, he unveiled his new book, Hindi Pa Rin Ito Cookbook ni Ninong Ry (P685, Lazada, Shopee) at a book launch in Robinsons Galleria. This new book, which tells the story of his life through food, combines a memoir and a cookbook into one memorable volume.
It’s the sequel to his first book, Hindi Ito Cookbook ni Ninong Ry, which was nominated as a finalist for the Best Book for Food in the 43rd National Book Awards.
And last June, SPOT.ph featured the popular content creator as their cover story for a longform profile entitled “Ninong Ry’s Malabon.”
With all his milestones as a creative, Ninong Ry is also dead set on continuing his newfound athletic journey.
“Ang goal ko talaga with powerlifting is to compete sa Masters division,” he told Spin.ph. “Kapag age 40 na, yun talaga yung goal ko.”
Ninong Ry has three years to go before he hits 40. He knows it’s going to be tough. “Medyo matindi rin yung training. Four times a week, and every training is two to three hours. And of course, kailangan kong i-divide yung oras ko sa work, pamilya, and other things.”
But even if he’s still got a long way to go, he won’t let the challenges stop him. “It's never too late for anyone,” he said.
Disclosure: Spin.ph, SPOT.ph, and Summit Books (the publisher of Ninong Ry’s books) are part of Summit Media.
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