A 21-year-old influencer has died after trying to lose 200 lbs in weight as fast as possible while at a weight loss camp.
The woman, who has been named as Cuihua, died on Saturday, her family confirmed on her Douyin page, which is the Chinese version of TikTok.
While her cause of death has not yet been revealed, her parents claimed Cuihua had reported to the hospital after feeling unwell while exercising, according to reports from the New York Post.
Her family paid tribute following Cuihua's tragic death, sharing a post on her Douyin page telling fans: "Thank you to everyone for your support and love for Cuihua. Our child has gone to heaven, and we are still processing all of this."
They added: "We hope that people won’t be misguided by malicious individuals for their entertainment, which could harm parents and family. Let our child rest in peace, thank you!"
Cuihua had racked up almost 9,000 followers on the platform who were invested in her fitness journey as she charted her daily routine.
She had joined one of China's weight-loss camps which aim to target the country's skyrocketing obesity rates through healthy eating and exercise.
Cuihua started her Douyin account in 2022 sharing her daily routines, which reportedly included high-intensity cardio and strength training workouts as well as weightlifting, and would even livestream her exercise routines in the evening for her followers. However, it has also been claimed that Cuihua often appeared to be "struggling" through her workouts - which have since been set to private, according to Insider.
Shanghai Morning News reported that Cuihua also ate "very little food", sticking to a strict diet of eggs, cabbage, coarse grains, and fruit.
Cuihua had claimed that she had lost 80 lbs in six months, including losing 57 lbs in just the first two months of her regimen alone - and was aiming to lose 200 lbs overall.
After new of Cuihua's death broke, many social media users had accused the weight loss camp of pushing her too far without the science to back up this approach.
One critic wrote on Weibo, per the New York Times: "The training camp is too messy," adding that someone with Cuihua's "figure" should not go straight in with such "high-intensity exercise" and should instead focus on maintaining a "reasonable diet" in order to lose weight.
Another added: "You should take it slowly to keep your heart rate within the aerobic safety range. It can’t be high-intensity all at once, the heart and knees can’t stand it, and it is easy to die suddenly."
One commented: "These coaches really don’t have any comprehensive knowledge, and they think they are all sports school trainees."
Cuihua's family, however, did not blame the weight loss camp for her death and encouraged others not to send them hate in the wake of it.
They wrote: "It didn’t happen at the Hornets [training camp], please don’t cyber bully any more training camps, it’s over, we don’t want to be sad."
Hundreds of weight loss facilities have sprung up across China in recent years as the nation faces an epidemic of obesity.
A 2020 report on the Status of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases in China claimed that over half of the country’s adults were overweight or obese, and a nationwide campaign was launched to try and lessen this figure.
While making changes to exercise and lifestyle is an important step towards a healthier life, some of the weight loss camps have been criticised after participants were injured during their stay.
Shanghai-based outlet Jiemian News reported in March that some attendees even suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition which happens when damaged muscle tissue releases toxins into the blood, which can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability and can even cause death.
Our thoughts remain with Cuihua's family at this heartbreaking time.
