Members of the girl group Billlie, Tsuki and Moon Sua, shared their experiences with extreme dieting during their trainee days.
On the 28th, a video titled "Surviving a Week on Just Ice" was released on the YouTube channel 'Okiki haha'. In the video, Tsuki and Moon Sua appeared as guests and discussed dieting with Jung Jae-hyung, Nam Joo-hyuk, and Gabi.
The two also introduced the dieting methods they tried during their trainee days. Tsuki said, "I lost 4-5kg by eating only three lollipops a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an older sister who was dieting with me."
Moon Sua said, "The worst method was surviving a week on just ice," emphasizing, "It was only possible because I was young, but no one should follow this." She confessed, "For the first time, the company said they would measure my body composition in a week. I was already thin, but I just wanted to lose more. But since water is heavy, I only ate ice all day." She continued, "The first three days were okay, but from the fourth day, I lost the sensation of walking, and when climbing stairs, I felt like I was floating in the sky. My lowest weight was 42kg at that time," she said, "After that, I decided 'I really can't do this anymore.'"
Extreme Dieting on Lollipops and Ice... Risk of Fainting and Heartbeat Irregularities
The extreme dieting on lollipops or ice, as practiced by Tsuki and Moon Sua, can cause various health issues.
The main ingredient of lollipops is sugar (simple carbohydrates). They lack protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals like iron or zinc. The ice-only diet provides virtually 0kcal of intake. There is no nutritional supply.
When our body is in an extremely low-calorie state, it begins to break down muscle protein for blood sugar maintenance and brain energy supply, causing muscle loss faster than body fat. Weight decreases, but fat loss is minimal, and muscle disappears first. After returning to normal eating, the yo-yo effect can occur, leading to a rapid increase in body fat.
Consuming mainly simple carbohydrates can cause blood sugar spikes, leading to hand tremors, cold sweats, dizziness, and in severe cases, fainting. Extreme dieting can lead to physical decline, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and electrolyte imbalance, resulting in vasovagal syncope. Vasovagal syncope is the most common form of neurocardiogenic syncope, where reflex-induced blood vessel dilation and a rapid decrease in heart rate cause a drop in blood pressure, reducing blood flow to the brain and temporarily losing consciousness.
The American Heart Association states that rapid weight loss and extreme calorie restriction can cause heart electrical signal abnormalities. The WHO also explains that a diet with only energy sources and no essential nutrients can cause severe metabolic disorders even in the short term.
0.5-1kg Loss Per Week is Appropriate, Maintain Daily Intake of 1200-1500kcal
The safe rate of weight loss is 0.5-1kg per week. This minimizes muscle loss and the yo-yo effect. To lose 0.5kg per week, reduce daily intake by about 500kcal from usual. A monthly loss of 2-4kg or within 5% of body weight is appropriate. Set a long-term plan to lose 10% of body weight in six months.
Extreme dietary restrictions are not allowed. Women should maintain at least 1200kcal per day, and men at least 1500kcal per day. The diet should consist mainly of sufficient protein, complex carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats.
Exercise should include both aerobic and strength training, consistently 3-5 times a week. Good aerobic exercises for fat burning include walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming. Adding strength training focused on large muscles, such as squats and lunges, can increase basal metabolic rate and effectively prevent the yo-yo effect.
