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Lucy Jeong

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.
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The diet plan that became a YouTube challenge

hi twitter! i’m here to do diets so you know whether they work or not the first one i’m going to do is the IU diet! i will try to do it for 1 week. i will update every night after my day is finished under this tweet! #diet #IU_diet #iudiet #kpopdiet #dieting pic.twitter.com/XF3uvfFTBP
— layla (@layladiets) July 1, 2020

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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Korean diva Lee Hyori’s passion for yoga is also well known, and in Hyori’s Homestay we see her passing on her yoga obsession to IU. During the show it looked as though IU was struggling to learn some of the trickier yoga poses, but she later showed off her yoga mastery on Knowing Bros with an impressive salamba headstand pose.

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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Fame and celebrity

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

While fans love IU for who she is, the star admitted she was often more concerned with how much weight they thought she might have put on. Photos: @IU_Cherry; @MINYA_IU/Twitter

IU on the official instagram of Edam Entertainment. Photo: @edam.official/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Eight by IU featuring Suga of BTS CREDIT: YOUTUBE / 1theK

IU on the show ‘Hyori’s Bed&Breakfast.’  Photo: @hyorine_official/Instagram

Screenshot from behind the shoot video. Photo: @IU Official/ Youtube

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K-pop stars Hyuna and Yoon Ji-sung. Photo: @hyunah_aa, @_yoonj1sung_/ Instagram

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IU, Jonghyun, and Lee Hi. Photo: @dlwlrma, @408_jjong, @leehi_hi/ Instagram

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===PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Rain. Photo: @rain_oppa/ Instagram

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Gong Myung and NCT’s Doyoung, Jessica and Krystal Jung, and Twice’s Jeongyeon and Gong Seung-yeon. Photos: @0myoung_0526; @jessica.syj; @0seungyeon/Instagram

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The Blueming and Bbibbi star opened up in interviews about her eating disorders and self-doubt – and why it took a YouTube clip of a fan calling her out at a concert to help her change


New year, new you? It might be tempting to kick off 2021 with a crash diet, but IU’s journey from disordered eating to having quality meals and exercise shows that it’s all about living well
