{
  "id": 10655784,
  "title": "#SHOWBIZ: 'I eat one meal a day': Michelle Chen's diet after online weight criticism",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/showbiz-i-eat-one-meal-a-day-michelle-chens-diet-after-online-weight",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T09:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/groove/2026/09/1543873/showbiz-i-eat-one-meal-day-michelle-chens-diet-after-online-weight"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In an interview on Taiwanese web series Xiao Ni Zi De Jia Jia Jiu, Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen revealed her extreme diet of one meal a day. The 43-year-old You Are The Apple Of My Eye star explained that this restriction began after she faced severe online criticism for her appearance while filming the 2014 period drama The Romance of the Condor Heroes. Netizens mocked her, referring to her as \"Little Pork Bun\" due to her appearance.\n\nChen decided to seek professional help and consulted a nutritionist before the role. As a result, she drastically altered her lifestyle to avoid further public scrutiny. She stopped consuming foods high in salt and became extremely disciplined about her diet. Chen would meticulously calculate her daily macronutrient intake using mobile applications, ultimately discovering that eating once a day was the most effective way to maintain her figure.\n\nDue to her busy social calendar centered around dinner, Chen finds this one-meal-a-day routine convenient. She fuels her daytime work hours with caffeine to maintain energy and prevent sluggishness. In the day, if she has work commitments, she does not enjoy eating, as she might feel bloated or want to sleep. Instead, she claims that drinking coffee instead of eating keeps her awake and alert.",
  "summary": "TAIPEI: Maintaining a screen-ready appearance often demands immense discipline from female celebrities, but Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen has taken dietary restriction to extreme levels.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}