K-pop star IU’s battle with anxiety and eating disorders, and how she overcame them: from the concerning ‘IU diet challenge’ to finally eating right and doing yoga with Lee Hyori
There have been many affectionate names given to the singer songwriter IU, from “nation’s little sister” to “K-pop sweetheart” – even “Santa Claus” on account of the fact that she once again donated 100 million won to children in need on Christmas Eve.
But since her debut at the tender age of 15 in 2008, we’ve also witnessed her public struggle to overcome anxiety and self-doubt, especially when it came to eating disorders. Given that this is the time to make new year’s resolutions to be healthier and happier in 2021, we took a look at the inspiring journey of how IU overcame her difficulties to reach a better place.
Consuming one apple, two sweet potatoes and a protein powder drink per day is now famously called the “IU diet challenge”. IU revealed her unusual diet plan on SBS show Night of TV Entertainment back in 2013 when she said that the extreme plan helped her lose 5kg in five days.
She explained that she wanted to lose the weight she had gained while filming a drama. People could sense that this was a sensitive topic for the idol as she had said during a radio show that same year that the comment she hated most from others was “you’ve gained weight.”
Despite fans being worried, a shocking number of people nevertheless adopted the so-called IU diet challenge to see if it would help them lose weight after her declaration.
On the talk show Healing Camp, Aren’t You Happy in 2014, IU opened up about her eating disorder. She said she became bulimic after she felt anxious, doubting and hating herself, and fearing that her popularity and success could be taken away at any time. She said she ended up binge eating, filling herself up when she felt empty inside. For a period of time, IU said that she would just eat and sleep between throwing up.
Fortunately, she sought professional help as well as advice from others. She started to take care of her mental and physical health by, among other things, keeping a diary. On the same programme, she said that her problem was not completely resolved since she still relies on eating when she’s stressed out, but after seeking treatment she is getting much better at following the new, healthier eating rules she had imposed on herself, including eating after working out and enjoying good quality meals each day.
Fans were especially excited to see IU on the show Hyori’s Homestay in 2017 looking much happier. IU worked as support staff alongside Lee Hyori on the programme and showed off her more considered eating habits, such as chewing her food slowly for a long time. According to professionals, this helps the digestion process.
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