Sung Si Kyung opens up about grueling diet, emotional struggles, and retirement thoughts after betrayal

Singer Sung Si Kyung has candidly shared his struggles with dieting and the emotional toll of recent hardships.

On February 17, a new video was uploaded to his YouTube channel showing Sung Si Kyung visiting popular restaurants at Garak Market. While enjoying a well-known seafood spot, he revealed that he has a commercial shoot scheduled in three days.

“It’s been about 20 days,” he said. “Of course, I’ve continued filming YouTube content and food-related shoots, but I’ve really lived like a monk. I think I finally understand the mindset of a monk.” He added, “It feels like a good opportunity. I’m using this as an excuse to get in shape and focus seriously on losing weight. Today, I’m planning to enjoy a drink under the pretext of filming ‘Mukbang.’”

Sung Si Kyung explained that he typically does not follow strict meal plans when dieting. “I usually just cut back on dinner because I work out a lot,” he said. “But this time, I’ve been more disciplined—eating sweet potatoes, eggs, and really putting in the effort. The shoot is in three days, so I hope the results turn out well.”

He also opened up about the emotional difficulty of dieting. “While dieting recently, I realized something,” he shared. “A younger acquaintance invited me out for drinks, saying there was a great gathering. Last year, he lost weight after we lost touch, while I was the one eating. A few days ago, he asked me to come drink with him, and I spent 15 minutes after work debating it before deciding to just go home.”

Reflecting on that moment, he confessed, “I thought to myself, when I was happy, he was unhappy. So now that he’s happy, maybe I need to be unhappy to lose weight. I gained weight because I was enjoying myself and feeling happy more than necessary. Maybe you have to endure some unhappiness to lose it.”

He added, “During these 20 days, I truly tasted what hell feels like. I’m trying to manage that sense of unhappiness carefully as I work on building my body.”

Meanwhile, Sung Si Kyung recently suffered a major emotional blow after discovering that his former manager of 10 years had committed embezzlement. At his year-end concert last year, he addressed fans and shared his wounded feelings.

Explaining why it took significant courage to hold the concert, he said, “So many things happened, and it was incredibly hard. I think it took a toll on my body. Recently, in Japan, my voice wouldn’t come out at all. It was such a shock.” He admitted that he even considered retiring. “I thought, ‘This is it. It’s time to retire’.”

However, he ultimately chose to go on stage. “The reason I performed was that I wanted to take a step forward. It may be shameless, but I wanted to lean on my fans just once,” he confessed.

Sung Si Kyung concluded, “It was such a difficult time that I even thought about the end. If I ever become washed up, I’ll say so honestly.”