[Sportschosun Kim So-hee] Broadcaster Kim Shin-young left a lasting impression as she opened up about why she gave up the grueling diet she had maintained for 13 years.
On the June 10 episode of tvN (Total Variety Network)'s "You Quiz on the Block," Kim Shin-young, often called the "icon of yo-yo dieting," appeared and shared her candid story.
She surprised everyone by saying, "I lost weight from 88 kg to 44 kg, but it took just six weeks to gain it back."
After hearing that, Yoo Jae-suk sympathized, saying, "You kept it off for 13 years, but it came back in six weeks. That’s so disappointing." Kim Shin-young explained, "People usually say your body changes after maintaining weight for 10 years. But that wasn’t the case for me." She added, "Everyone seems to have a default setting. I was born with a naturally plump body type."
That day, Kim Shin-young also revealed that the decisive moment that made her let go of her obsession with dieting came during her final meeting with the late Jeon Yu-seong, leaving viewers deeply moved.
Kim Shin-young recalled, "The professor passed away last September, and I stayed by his side until four or five days before he died." She added, "By then, he could barely speak."
She continued, "He briefly took off his oxygen mask and said, 'I want jjambbong right now, but I can’t eat it, can I? You should just eat whatever you want and live your life.'"
She said, "Afterward, when I saw how small he had become at the crematorium, I had so many thoughts. I realized that if I wanted to be happy, I needed to eat. So I immediately bought a chocolate cake and ate it." She added, "In the past, I would have regretted it and thought, 'Why did I eat that?' But that day, I thought, 'Ah, this is it. What is life, anyway?'" Her words resonated with many.
What drew the most attention was the change after her yo-yo rebound. Kim Shin-young said that even though she had regained weight, her health had actually improved.
She explained, "The reason I lost weight was because of hyperlipidemia and other health issues." She added, "Even after losing that much weight, I was still in the risk group for type 2 diabetes. I kept wondering, 'Why is this happening?' But it turned out to be because of stress."
She went on to say, "But now my numbers are completely normal. Even though I eat so many sweets, they’re still fine." She drew attention by revealing that she has become healthier as her stress levels have gone down.
