Comedian Kim Shin-young says she was less healthy at 44 kg during 14-year diet

Comedian Kim Shin-young has said her health was actually worse during the 14 years she spent dieting.

A video titled "The Real Happiness Kim Shin-young Shares" was posted Tuesday on the YouTube channel "Chimchakman."

Appearing as a guest, Kim said that during her years of strict weight management, the stress and resentment from constant self-denial had been severe, but that since letting go of her diet, she has felt far more at ease.

"When I was thin, I had what they call 'skinny fat,' and my cholesterol was actually higher," she said. "The stress put me in a pre-diabetic risk group. I recently had my blood sugar checked and it came back normal. I was actually less healthy when I was thin, and I slept worse too."

Kim said she had lost weight from 88 kilograms to 44 kilograms starting at age 30 and maintained that for 14 years. She said the words of Jeon Yu-seong — whom she referred to as "Professor Jeon Yu-seong" — were what ultimately moved her to give up the grueling regimen. "He told me, 'Eat what you want and live happily' — that hit me the hardest," she said.

"I'm glad I started eating again. When I wasn't eating, I was irritable and I think I became bitter. Because I was always holding back, I had a victim mentality and felt inferior," she said.

"Now that I've let it all go, I feel so free. It really comes down to one small difference," she added.

Kim went on to say the main reason she endured 14 years of dieting was other people's opinions. "About 70 percent of it was because of how people around me would look at me," she said. "I pushed through out of sheer stubbornness because I didn't want to hear anyone say, 'I knew it would come to this.'" She said she has since freed herself from caring what others think.