Being a K-Pop idol is not easy, especially when you're expected to lose weight or maintain the weight that you have.
While there are healthier ways to shed a few pounds, sometimes idols go beyond the norm to achieve their ideal weight.
Here are some of the craziest diets in the K-pop industry!
Disclaimer : Please note that these diets are not sustainable, not healthy and not to be followed. Celebrity diets are closely monitored by nutritionists (영양사) and professionals (전문가). This blog only serves as a discussion topic for unrealistic beauty standards.
1. IU Diet 아이유 다이어트
The IU Diet consists of a single apple for breakfast, two sweet potatoes (고구마) for lunch and one protein shake (단백질 쉐이크) for dinner.
Those who did the diet for even just a week shed pounds almost instantly but it also makes people sick, depletes their energy and makes them more prone to fainting.
It is not a diet meant to be done for extended periods.
2. Mono Diet 모노 다이어트
The mono diet is an eating pattern that involves eating just one food item or food group for all meals throughout the day.
Dasom (다솜) once revealed that she went on the mono diet.
The former SISTAR (시스타) member (멤버) only ate cucumbers for three weeks and she ended up losing 10kg in that short time but she does not recommend people do such drastic techniques to lose weight.
3. One-meal-a-day Diet 일일일식 다이어트
This diet is where one eats just one meal a day (하루에 한끼) .
Another former SISTAR member, Soyou (소유) did this diet.
Her one meal would consist of quail eggs (메추리알) without the yolk and one glass of milk (우유한잔).
She would also work out like crazy, saying that she would wake up early in the morning to do yoga.
She would also do weight training, cardio and running. With this diet, she lost 8kg in a month.
4. 1000kcal diet 1000칼로리 다이어트
This diet was done by UEE (유이).
On this diet, you are allowed to eat anything you want throughout the day as long as the 1000kcal limit is not surpassed by the end of the day.
This diet might not seem too detrimental until one realises that 1000 calories is only half of the recommended amount of daily calorie intake.
5. Banana Diet 바나나 다이어트
During her days with I.O.I, So Mi (소미) revealed her diet called the Banana Diet.
According to So Mi, she lost a lot of weight and detailed that, “I only ate one banana for breakfast (아침), lunch (점심) and dinner (저녁).”
She went on to reveal that she lost four kilograms from the diet immediately after a week.
The statement earned a number of negative responses from netizens (네티즌) for imposing a strict diet on a then 16 year old and highlighted her need for nourishment (영양) due to their rigorous rehearsals and tight schedules (빡빡한 스케줄).
Just as you thought, there are a number of fans who've tried some of these diets; either for losing weight or for fun as an experiment however all of their answers regarding these diets remain the same.
A large number of them are quick to clarify that they do not encourage others to try out these unhealthy diets and claim that while going through these diets they realized the potential emotional and mental stress that K-Pop idols have to go through just to lose or maintain their weight.
There are even YouTubers who filmed videos of them going on these diets as an experiment.
These YouTubers acknowledged that these diets are not sustainable in the long run and stressed the need to lose weight in a healthy manner by making small, consistent changes in one's everyday diet as well as consulting a healthcare professional when necessary.
“Most of the weight I did lose was from water weight. Two days after this diet I have gained back two pounds. Like almost all diets, most (if not all) of the weight comes back after beginning to eat normally. What does last is a healthy lifestyle,” said YouTuber Helen Moon who tried IU's diet.
There are even health experts who made comments regarding the diet culture in the K-Pop industry.
These experts point out that extreme dietary control could entail health risks.
“A diet that excessively restricts consumption of calories and nutrients could bring about hair loss, menstrual irregularity and even depression,” one doctor was quoted as saying.
What do you think about these diets that K-Pop idols have to go through? Do you know of more crazy diets? Share your thoughts with us! Since we're on the topic of K-Pop, check out our blog about The Dark Side Of K-Pop.
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