• Rapid weight loss leads to health crisis

• Sparks widespread debate on social media

A young Chinese woman aimed to look her best as a bridesmaid at her close friend’s wedding, but her insistence on losing weight quickly through an extreme diet resulted in prediabetes, triggering widespread online reaction.

The 26-year-old, known by the pseudonym “Xiaoyu,” lost about 15 kilograms in just two months after following a strict diet plan.

Xiaoyu works as an office employee in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, southeastern China. She is 160 cm tall and weighed around 65 kilograms before starting the diet.

After being invited to be a bridesmaid, she decided to slim down before the ceremony, creating what she called a “devilish weight-loss plan,” almost completely eliminating staple foods and surviving on small portions of vegetables and chicken breast daily, while committing to high-intensity workouts, including running over 10 kilometers some days.

Thanks to this combination of extreme dieting and intense exercise, she reached 50 kilograms before the wedding.

Despite initial happiness with the rapid results, she soon began experiencing alarming symptoms, including constant fatigue, extreme hunger and thirst, dizziness, and heart palpitations.

These symptoms led her to the Endocrinology Department at Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where Associate Physician Cheng Boning oversaw her tests.

Results showed elevated blood sugar levels during fasting and after a two-hour glucose tolerance test, consistent with a prediabetes diagnosis.

The doctor explained that her weight-loss method was extremely risky, noting she had nearly eliminated carbohydrates from her diet while doing intense exercise, leading to insulin disruption, significant muscle and water loss, and severe metabolic damage.

Cheng developed a treatment plan that included returning to a balanced diet, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and some anaerobic training.

After three months, Xiaoyu’s weight stabilized at 52.5 kilograms within a healthy range.

Her story shocked social media users in China. One wrote, “I thought only brides went all out, but it seems bridesmaids go even further.”

Another commented, “Even the brides themselves don’t go this far.” A third user questioned the health outcome, suggesting possible pre-existing conditions or early indicators of diabetes.