Singer Yoon Hee-chan recalled the harsh dieting he experienced during his trainee days to debut as an idol.
On the 9th, Yoon Hee-chan appeared on the KBS1 cultural program 'Morning Yard' in the Wednesday corner 'Challenge Dream Stage' under the theme of the end of dieting.
Yoon Hee-chan, who is a former idol trainee, said, "I applied for public auditions held by idol agencies more than a thousand times since high school," and added, "After applying so many times, the staff advised me to lose weight. My weight was 94kg. With a desperate heart, I went to the gym and lost 20kg."
He continued, "After losing weight, I passed every audition I applied for. However, my body became thin and weak, so I couldn't sing as well as before, and it was difficult. Yet, I was accepted, and I wondered, 'Is appearance really that important?'"
At that time, the agency Yoon Hee-chan was with conducted weekly weight checks for the trainees. Yoon Hee-chan said, "(The company) made us do high-intensity training every day, including 21km of cardio, dancing, and singing," and added, "I would take three laxatives around Tuesday or Wednesday for the weight check held every Friday and wouldn't drink a drop of water until Friday. Then I would lose 1-2kg. Doing this, I lost 30kg compared to my peak weight."
He mentioned, "It was really hard, and I went back and forth to the emergency room. During my trainee period, I suffered greatly from hair loss and gastrointestinal disorders."
Despite these efforts, his idol debut fell through. Yoon Hee-chan said, "The bigger problem was that my debut was canceled due to issues with the company and contract problems. I spent a difficult time dealing with depression and panic disorder because of this," evoking sympathy. He added, "I decided to keep exercising and sing again, and my weight increased to the 70kg range. I will happily pursue my dream."
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
