SypherPK interview: Balancing fitness, gaming, and protein pancakes

One of the world’s biggest Fortnite creators, SypherPK has now accomplished incredible health goals alongside his streaming accolades. Here’s our SypherPK interview on the balance between diet, fitness, and gaming.

Over five million subscribers on YouTube, over five million followers on Twitch, and over one million on Twitter – Ali ‘SypherPK’ Hassan is as big a gamer as they get. But, in the real world, he’s gotten a lot smaller… 60-plus pounds smaller.

Ahead of the JBL Quantum Cup tournament, we asked the Fortnite streamer about the changes he’s made and how they’ve impacted his life, his play, and his community.

After dropping from 265 pounds to just around 200, SypherPK is now in the “bulking” stage and putting on more muscle. But, while he’s focused on his diet and fitness, he’s managed to balance that with streaming and competing.

SypherPK interview: Shifting to a healthier lifestyle

SypherPK

Is that a male model or one of the world’s biggest Fortnite streamers?

First things first, losing 60-plus pounds is wild, especially when your job is to sit at a screen for most of the day. So, for Sypher, the beginning of that journey began with self-reflection: “Life is not about following a gamer lifestyle, but about finding the best version of you and committing to do better.”

Realizing that “decisions establish priorities,” he made different choices. For food, that meant adjusting recipes. As such, his new favorite healthy meals are shrimp cauliflower fried rice, turkey pepperoni pizza, and protein pancakes. (And his preferred cheat meal, sushi, isn’t so bad either.)

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For exercises, he set a goal to do one pull-up. Now, they’re one of his favorite workouts. 

And, like one pull-up, Sypher emphasizes the impact of small decisions leading to greater change: “Finding 20 minutes before a gaming session can make a big difference. Maybe that’s two laps around the block. Over time, that’s two miles.”

How physical wellbeing impacts gaming and community

While Sypher should be proud of his physical changes, there’s also an effect on his mindset, gaming, and community. 

“There’s more to gaming than rankings and scores. I gave my lifestyle a hard look and when I decided to better balance my priorities, I improved my mental clarity and redefined what happiness meant.”

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With his community, he couldn’t help but gush over his chat (or, as he calls them, ‘extended family’). Joining his journey, they’ve also “lost weight, found new friends, and discovered versions of themselves that they didn’t expect.”

For Sypher and his community, all of that change started with small choices. And, throughout the journey, gaming hasn’t been affected at all. In fact, that boost to mental clarity helps his preparation and performance in tournaments like the JBL Quantum Cup. 

But, above all else, Sypher credits his balance with IRL priorities for a rejuvenated in-game mindset: “Enjoying your game because you’re enjoying life became an easy way to have fun.“