This K-Pop Idol Lost 13kg In One Month To Debut In Girl Group: ‘No Water At All’

During a guest appearance on Pungja's web series "John Yeah Lovely" in January, a girl group member revealed the extreme, unhealthy measures she took to lose weight in just a month, shocking the host, as well as her bandmate and group leader.

When KARA's Youngji and Gyuri appeared as guests on Pungja's web series, they were referred to as "beautiful creatures."

Youngji, who was added as a member of KARA through the survival show "KARA Project" in 2014, talked about the effort she made before joining the girl group.

Speaking of how she managed her weight, Youngji revealed, "I lost 13 kgs in a month. No water at all." She added that she only "drank water on the scale" to make sure she wouldn't gain weight from consuming water.

After the revelation, she earned sympathy from Gyuri and Pungja.

Per U.S. News, healthy weight loss is when one loses about 1 to 2 lbs per week or 4 to 8 lbs a month. However, the 13 kilograms Youngji lost in just a month back then is equivalent to 28.6 lbs.

Despite the unhealthy measures Youngji took to shed a lot of weight before her debut, she still received criticism for how she looked as an idol.

In 2015, TV Daily even reported that the face of KARA's maknae (youngest member) "has become noticeably thicker" during the K-Star Road unveiling ceremony held in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 21.

Youngji joined KARA in 2014 after members Nicole Jung and Kang Ji-young left the girl group. She topped the voting charts in DSP Media's reality TV show "KARA Project."

In January 2016, DSP Media confirmed through a press release that KARA officially disbanded. At the time, Youngji still had time left on her contract with the company and remained under DSP Media as a solo artist.

From 2015 to 2021, Youngji also appeared in different South Korean dramas, including "The Alchemist," "Another Miss Oh!," "Introverted Boss," "Han Yeo-reum's Memory," "Are You Human?," "The Beauty Inside" and "At Eighteen," among many others.

She made her official solo debut in September with "Toi Toi Toi," which featured the tracks "L.O.V.E.," "Focus" and "Climax."