The secret to helping female artists lose 32 kg of excess fat and not gain it back after 9 years

Thanks to actively controlling a low-calorie diet and walking for an hour a day, actress Hong Ji-min has maintained a slim figure for 9 years after once weighing up to 92 kg.

In a recent video on her personal YouTube channel called “Right Now Hong Ji-min”, musical actress Hong Ji-min, 53 years old, shares the secret to maintaining a slim figure for the past 9 years after successfully losing 32 kg of excess fat. When the production crew commented that she ate quite a bit, the famous Korean theater and television star said she had to always proactively control her food intake because she had put in a lot of effort to achieve her current results.

The female artist revealed that her initial motivation to lose weight came from health and work reasons. Previously, on MBN’s “Altoran” program on January 11, she said she went through a period when her weight reached 92 kg after giving birth, causing pain in her knee joints and shortness of breath, making her unable to sing on stage.

Talking about the secret to maintaining physical condition, the artist affirmed that diet is the most important factor, more than exercise. “I still eat the foods I like but focus on low-calorie ingredients. I gradually switched to a vegetarian diet and found this to be a very suitable method for me,” she shared.

The actress maintains healthy home meals, avoids extreme fasting, and practices the habit of not overeating. In particular, she does not prohibit herself from her favorite foods. Whenever she craves black bean noodles (Jajangmyeon), Hong enjoys it by modifying the recipe, cutting down on calorie-rich ingredients and increasing green vegetables.

Because she can’t eat many raw vegetables, the female artist chooses the stir-fry method and tries to minimize the amount of carbohydrates in her meal. In fact, green vegetables are rich in fiber and help you feel full longer despite being low in calories. The abundant minerals and vitamins in vegetables also support antioxidants, anti-inflammation and improve intestinal health. A study from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health that followed 130,000 adults over several years also showed that increasing just one serving of green vegetables per day was associated with a loss of about 0.1 kg of body weight.

In the program, Hong also introduced a breakfast with bibimbap mixed rice consisting of vegetables prepared with minimal spices, combined with a very small amount of rice and sauce. The variety of vegetables provides micronutrients and fiber, the right amount of carbohydrates provides energy for movement, while reducing salt helps limit water retention and reduce edema.

For those who are on a diet or maintaining weight, it is important not to increase the amount of rice and avoid using too much spices such as gochujang chili sauce or oil, and should supplement eggs, tofu, lean pork or beans to ensure the necessary amount of protein. This salt reduction is also in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation to limit sodium to less than 2,000 mg a day (about 5 grams of salt), to prevent the risks of high blood pressure, stroke and kidney disease according to warnings from the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention.

Besides nutrition, exercise plays a role in strengthening the physical foundation for female artists. The exercise she maintains most regularly is walking on a treadmill at a steady pace for at least an hour a day, helping to activate the fat-burning mechanism that only begins to work strongly after 30 minutes of continuous exercise. This method is both effective and reduces pressure on the knee joints. Hong also actively combines resistance exercises like squats with a pot right at home to maintain muscle mass. Muscle mass is the “fence” against the yo-yo effect thanks to its ability to maintain the body’s basic metabolic rate.

Finally, the important factor that helped Hong maintain his results for nearly a decade lies in eliminating the procrastination mentality of “doing it tomorrow”. Instead of setting huge, daunting goals, she goes through each day with simple resolutions like “just exercise a little today” or “just control this meal well today.” Small habits repeated every day have naturally become a lifestyle, helping her maintain her figure and sustainable health over the past 9 years.