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.”

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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.

Her struggle with eating disorders

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.

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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.

Doing yoga and eating well with Lee Hyori

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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The outcome? A set of killer abs on show in the 2017 behind the scenes video of the photo shoot for her album “Palette”.

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The fan that called her out on stage – and helped her see her true self

During a 2015 concert in Busan, IU told her fans that she had gained weight, but one of them was quick to scold the star by shouting, “what weight!?”. The clip went viral online because of the sharp tone used by the fan in question – and the fact that it seemed to fill the entire concert hall. IU later chose the video as the best of her 10 year career when she was asked to recall her most memorable moments.

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The subject was brought up again in a video interview this year, with IU saying that she’d tried to find the fan in question, and that she still watches the clip to this day when she’s feeling down. The fan followed up by commenting on the YouTube interview video, saying that she was so happy to live at the same time as IU and intended to continue showing her full support and love for the star.

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