Why Are KPOP Stars So Skinny? (7 Tips For Weight Loss) — Aspire Fitness (2024)

If you’ve ever wondered how KPOP stars stay so slim and lean, then this is the blog for you.

KPOP stars are paired with nutritionists who understand what their bodies need and how to keep them slim throughout their careers.

The most important factor to staying slim like a KPOP star is to understand how many calories you need to consume in a day and control where those calories come from.

We’ve summed it down to 6 simple steps that you can implement to slim down quickly and effectively.

1. Understand How Many Daily Calories You Need To Consume

2. Understand Your Macronutrients (Protein, Carbs, & Fats)

3. Build Muscle In All Areas

4. Make Sure To Have a Consistent Cardio Schedule

5. Find Healthy Foods (The Korean Diet)

6. Keep Your Activity Level High

7. Keep Up This Lifestyle For Years

Let’s get into these 6 steps that you can take and how you can slim down in the healthiest and most effective way.

Most Korean pop stars have very extensive diets that are assigned to them by nutritionists.

They are very strict on what they eat and live very active lifestyles that promote a slim figure and small features.

The reason they can maintain this look is through the understanding of calories and a concept called energy balance.

Energy balance is the process of energy used vs energy consumed.

Basically put, if you use more energy than you consume, then you will lose fat (stored energy).

If you, however, consume more calories than you use, then you gain fat (excess stored energy).

Every single diet that you hear of whether that’s Atkins, The KPOP diet, intermittent fasting, etc. is aiming to get you to eat less.

Now, when I say this, I don’t mean to starve yourself.

You need to simply understand the perfect amount of calories that put you in a caloric deficit (loss of stored energy).

The only way you can find this out is through trial and error which is what most nutritionists do for their clients.

A good place to start is to multiply your bodyweight by 12 and adjust the calories if your weight does not change.

For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, then you will need to eat 1,560 to be in a caloric deficit.

If your weight goes up or stays the same, then you need to drop your calories by a small amount until it does.

After every 10 pounds you lose, you should take a small break from dieting and then dive into a new calorie range that comes from multiplying your new weight by 12.

If you want a more in-depth article on how you can calculate your calories, then check out this blog.

After finding your calorie range you need to make sure that the calories you consume come from a reliable source of protein.

Check out our picks on some supplements that can add protein to your diet at a low cost.

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Now that we understand our calorie range, let’s get into what those calories should come from.

Step 2: Understand Your Macronutrients (Protein, Carbs, & Fats)

Calories come from three different sources of macronutrients called Protein, Carbs, & Fats.

I’m sure you’ve heard of these before but it’s important to understand the importance of what each one does and how much of each you should eat in a day.

To sum it up briefly, proteins are in charge of muscle growth and all bodily functions, carbs provide a direct energy source to fuel your activity, fats maintain hormones, vitamin intake, and give flavor to foods.

The main thing here is to get your protein which can be one of the most challenging things to do when dieting.

This is something that KPOP stars are really good at as Korean food generally promotes high protein foods without too many fats and carbs.

Protein is important due to two things: it helps build and maintain muscle, and it allows you to be more satiated when dieting.

These two aspects are crucial when dieting and it allows you to look great when after your diet and keeps you sane throughout the process.

If you’re having a hard time getting more protein into your diet then make sure to check out our supplement list where we provide our picks on the highest quality protein powders with the cleanest ingredients.

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If you want to figure out what your macronutrient split should look like, then check out this article that we’ve made that discusses an in-depth process of how much of each you should consume.

It basically talks about how much protein, fat, and carbs you should consume in a day.

It isn’t enough to simply eat less. There has to be a strategy to it which Korean idols understand very well.

There are so many health benefits to slimming down and it all starts from understanding calories and macronutrients.

If you try to lose weight without these two concepts, then you’ll be shooting a dart with a blindfold on trying to hit the bulls-eye.

Once I implement calorie control and macronutrient ratios into my client’s diet, they always see that the fat sheds off quickly.

Now that we’ve learned more about macronutrients, let’s get into the importance of building muscle and why you should aim to put as much as you can on your body.

Step 3: Build Muscle In All Areas

Muscle is really one of the most important parts of being fit and slim.

It’s what allows idols, athletes, and celebrities to look so slim and great.

It can be hard to believe that muscle keeps you slim but it’s really the main factor that keeps us from looking skinny fat.

So, why is muscle so important?

It’s important because it allows us to burn calories at rest.

This means that, when you have more muscle on your frame, you can burn more calories by doing absolutely nothing which is amazing.

I like to think of muscle as an investment where you go through the pain of building it now and, eventually, it will become a great tool to help you diet more effectively.

It also looks great when you workout the right areas and keeps us from getting that flabby look even when we have lost 10, 20 pounds.

The main fear of muscle is that it keeps us looking big and bulky which only occurs when the individual purposely eats at a surplus of calories.

To sum it up, what makes you bulky isn’t the muscle, it’s the fat that you’ve stored by eating too many calories.

If anything, muscle is what keeps us from getting fat and is something that we should all strive to have more of.

I know it seems like many KPOP stars don’t have too much muscle but, I ensure you, that they have very extensive workout routines where they workout their abs, glutes, back, and arms (basically everything).

Here is a basic workout routine that I use for my clients when their main goal is to slim down like their favorite KPOP idol.

Monday: (Legs, Abs)

Goblet Squats: 4 sets 20 reps (With whatever weight you can carry)

Walking Lunges: 2 sets 20 steps

Hip Thrusts: 4 sets 20 reps (Heavy weight on your stomach)

Jump Squats: 4 sets 20 reps

Stiff Leg Deadlifts: 4 sets 10 reps (Heavy, with good form)

Weighted Crunches: 3x35 reps

Leg Raises: 4x25 reps

Wednesday: (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

Flat Bench Press: 4 sets 10 reps (With whatever weight you can safely do)

Incline Fly: 4 sets 10 reps (With whatever weight you can safely do)

Seated Shoulder Press: 3x15 reps (you get the point)

Lateral Raises: 3x15

Knee Push Ups: 3x20

Tricep Rope Pushdown: 3x10

Tricep Seated Dips: 3x20

Friday: (Full Body Workout)

Squats: 4x20 (With Weights)

Jump Squats: 4x20

Lat Pulldown: 4x20

Seated Rows: 3x15 (Heavy)

Push Ups: 3x10 (If you can’t just do knee push ups)

Lateral Raises: 3x15 (With whatever weight you can carry)

Bicycle Crunches: 3x35

Planks: 2 sets of 1 minute

This is a very basic workout plan but the point is to lift weights and make sure to follow a regimen.

Body weight movements are fine at first but adding resistance is the best and fastest way to slim down.

You can Youtube all of these movements or workout with a personal trainer who can workout all the parts of your body you need.

Now, let’s get into step 4!

Step 4: Make Sure To Have a Consistent Cardio Schedule

There’s two types of cardio that you can do in your week that will speed up the fat loss results. Those two types come from LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) cardio and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio.

Although working out and building muscle takes priority, having a consistent cardio schedule can help with expediting the fat loss process as it raises the energy expended throughout your week.

What you want to aim for is to burning around 1,000 kcals of cardio every week through means of either LISS or HIIT.

LISS is cardio that comes from walking or a brisk walk, you should be able to have a conversation while still building up a sweat.

HIIT cardio is intervals of a very high intensity movement such as sprints, battle ropes, or kickboxing movements that aims to raise heart rate quickly.

The benefit of HIIT is allowing yourself to burn calories in a shorter amount of time.

There are many that claim that HIIT offers a after-burn affect through EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) but it is nothing too significant where you can rely on.

Our rule of thumb is to have 80% of cardio coming from LISS while 20% comes from HIIT for optimal fat loss throughout the week.

The reason for this is because HIIT is very hard to consistently track as many of the calorie tracking devices are inaccurate.

LISS is a much more reliable source of consistent movement and does not require rest as it does not shock the Central Nervous System the way HIIT can.

There’s a time and place for HIIT but just make sure that 80% of those 1,000 kcals come from brisk walks and light jogs.

Step 5: Find Healthy Foods (The Korean Diet)

Korean foods really promote healthy eating and a slim lifestyle as so much of the food is high in protein and low in fats and carbs.

If you’re looking for some of the most delicious Korean foods and the healthiest options, then I’ve come up with a list of the 5 foods that are great for any diet out there.

Here are my top 5 Korean foods that you should be eating when dieting.

5. Steamed Egg

For 10 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of protein, this dish is a great way to eat eggs as its flavor and texture is something you don’t really get from your typical egg dish.

It’s essentially just eggs steamed with sesame oil and salt which is surprisingly a very delicious way to elevate your typical egg dish.

4. SamGye Tang (Whole Chicken Soup)

This is a great dish for getting your protein in as it features a whole chicken inside of the soup.

It’s stewed with very little oil and is seasoned with salt, sesame oil, and garlic.

It comes with 90 calories with macronutrients such as 3 grams of fats, 4 grams of carbs, and 11 grams of protein.

This was one of my favorite foods growing up and is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to eat healthy.

3. Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)

Kimchi Stew is a Korean classic as it features Korea’s favorite food, Kimchi! It’s Korea’s main soulfood dish and is great for anyone looking to eat healthier as well.

My tip here is to pair it with healthy meat such as fish or chicken and enjoy it with some veggies or something light.

2. Bulgogi

Bulgogi is another classic Korean dish that features korean beef with a sweet soy based sauce.

It's one of the best ways to get your protein in and is super delicious with Korean lettuce wraps called ssam.

The tip here is to avoid eating this with rice and just wrap it in lettuce as you can save a ton of calories from carbs and get your protein in without guilt.

1. Kong Guksu (Soy Bean Noodles)

This is one of my favorite carb sources as it also contains a ton of protein from the soybeans as well.

It’s an extremely delicious dish that is creamy, savory, and low on the calories.

It’s best when paired with meat like our previous options or enjoyed with vegetables such as cucumbers or other greens.

Here is my list of my favorite Korean foods when dieting.

I grew up eating these which is why it was easier for me to stay slimmer growing up.

It’s only until I became a nutritionist that I discovered that the calories and macronutrient ratios is what kept me from getting too fat.

Step 6: Keep Your Activity Level High

Another factor that contributes to fat loss is how active you are throughout your life.

This can be really hard if you’re someone living in LA who has to go to work or commutes with a car most of their lives.

In Korea and so many other Asian countries, walking to your destination is the norm and allows the individual to burn a ton more calories throughout their everyday life.

Here in the States, however, we drive to most of the places we need to be and don’t really move a lot.

This is why for so many people, activity level is something that we need to actively seek out and put into our daily schedule.

The best way to do that is to get a gym membership and do some cardio or to go outside for a walk or run throughout our weeks.

Staying sedentary makes it so much harder for us to lose weight which is why it’s important to take care of our bodies and move when we can.

My favorite way to track my activity is to see how many steps I’ve walked in a day.

I set a goal for myself which can be higher or lower depending on how your life is set up.

Activity throughout your day matters as you can increase your daily calorie expenditure.

This means the fat loss process will be expedited and you can reach your goals faster.

It’s also one of the main components as to why people in Korea or Asia are so slim and stay slim year round.

Let’s get those bodies moving and live active lifestyles. This is one of the fastest and healthiest ways you get to your goals.

Step 7: Keep Up This Lifestyle For Years

This is the step that brings people down as it requires patience and dedication.

Fitness, unfortunately, is something that occurs overnight and is an investment that you put into yourself that pays off over time.

Some may be genetically gifted to stay slim and skinny while others may not.

This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to slim down like the KPOP stars; it just means that some people may need to work for it for a little while longer.

As I said in the other parts of this article, calories dictate how we look and how much fat we carry.

Following these steps for years can make anyone look like a KPOP idol as a healthy lifestyle brings out amazing figures and bodies.

There are many idols who were not always slim and have earned their figures by doing their workouts and eating within their calorie ranges.

The hardest part is to just stick with it and be consistent for a year or many years to come.

It took me four years to get my sick pack and, I have to say, every step of the way was worth it to both feel amazing and look the way I finally want to.

It’s all a process of dedication and holding on for many years.

So, don’t be discouraged if in a month you don’t see results right away! It’s a long process and, if you just try it out for a year, you’ll see what you can accomplish and how great you can feel.

I’ve worked with hundreds of clients over the years and I’ve seen the power of great dieting with a consistent healthy lifestyle.

It always produces results and so many of my clients have achieved the physique they’ve wanted to. They just stuck with it for a long time!

There It Is!

So, there it is, 6 steps that KPOP stars take to look slim and fit.

It’s all a process of controlling your calories, eating healthy foods packed with protein and fibers, and working out consistently and for a long period of time.

Anyone can look and feel like so many of the idols that look great, it just takes time and dedication which will all be worth it in the end.

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