Taiwanese artist Shu Qi recently appeared on the mainland Chinese variety show “Mao Xuewang,” where she openly shared her secrets to maintaining a youthful appearance. She debunked the traditional notion of blind dieting, stating that excessively restricting diet in middle age will only make one look older. Shu Qi emphasized the importance of having different dietary rhythms for women at different ages.
At over 50 years old, Shu Qi has always maintained her ageless appearance and slender figure, sparking curiosity about the secrets behind her good condition. Recently, she proposed a life-changing perspective on “Mao Xuewang”: strict dietary control is necessary before the age of 40, but after turning 40, one “absolutely cannot skip meals.”
Shu Qi confessed that being too thin in middle age can cause facial lines to sink, making one look dry, wrinkled, and aged. She believes that maintaining a certain amount of subcutaneous fat is essential to maintain skin elasticity. Nevertheless, this does not mean letting go completely. Shu Qi practices “smart eating”: having high-fiber oatmeal with low-fat fresh milk for breakfast, and adhering to the rule of “one fist-sized portion of carbohydrates, one palm-sized portion of protein, and two fist-sized portions of vegetables” for lunch and dinner. She concentrates her eating within an 8-hour window each day, finishes her meals before 6 p.m., strictly avoids fried foods, and fasts rigorously for 5 hours before bedtime.
Despite strictly following the fasting schedule, Shu Qi stated that she eats normally during the day and does not starve herself or engage in extreme dieting.
Although she admits to being a “lazy girl” who does not particularly enjoy exercising, Shu Qi has ingrained self-discipline into her routine. She once shared her weight management tips on social media: “if you can stand, don’t sit; if you can sit, don’t lie down,” combined with a positive attitude. Her favorite physical activity is playing badminton, which allows for social interaction and fun. She even has a “exercise redemption mechanism”: indulging in desserts in moderation is only allowed after exercising, but if her weight increases by 3 kilograms, she immediately activates control measures.
Shu Qi bluntly stated that for actors, gaining weight is akin to committing a crime. Hence, she consistently keeps her weight precisely at 50 kilograms throughout the year, relying primarily on her dietary rhythm to maintain her condition.
Compared to her younger days of strict diet restrictions, Shu Qi now clearly prioritizes moderation and balance. She believes that integrating dietary control, exercise habits, and lifestyle rhythms into daily routines is more effective than relying on some magical weight-loss method. This approach has become her secret to maintaining a good condition even at 50 years old.