Mapo healthy restaurant takeout at Han River: Why Starve Diet

I do need to diet, but I don't want to lose weight by eating only tasteless food... Then I heard there was a menu that lets you diet while eating deliciously, so I headed to Why Starve Diet Gongdeok Main Branch (와이스타브 다이어트 공덕본점).

A diet-food restaurant beneath Gongdeok Lotte Castle

Why Starve Diet is on B1 of Lotte Castle Plaza. As I went downstairs, the orange-toned shop immediately caught my eye. Even from the outside, it gave off such a healthy, lively vibe. 🧡

There were plenty of diet-friendly options, from protein boxes to salads and poke, so it looked like a good place to visit when managing your meals. These days, people say it is important to manage your diet healthily by eating well, rather than dieting by simply starving yourself.

In that sense, it seemed to fit perfectly with what Why Starve Diet is aiming for.

Why Starve Diet was born to break the fixed idea that dieting means being hungry and starving, and to build the right awareness around “healthy, delicious dieting”!

Comfortable seating for solo meals and light dining

Once inside, it had an atmosphere where eating alone felt completely comfortable.

There was also seating for a light meal with friends, a partner, or family, and everything was neat and clean.

Ordering was easy at the kiosk. After choosing a menu, you can select a dressing and add any toppings you want. The protein boxes are said to include more than 150 g of meat, so I thought they would be a good choice for anyone wanting to get their protein in. When you are dieting, keeping up with protein is something you quietly have to think about, and I loved that these dishes came with such generous meat portions.

Ordering Chicken Light and Beef Light

My husband and I do not usually eat duck, so instead of a duck menu today, I ordered Chicken Light! 🥗 My husband got Beef Light! 🥗 We ordered at the kiosk and waited, and the staff were so kind, too. While the food was being prepared, a delicious smell started wafting over from somewhere~

“This smell...?? Is this really the smell coming from food you can diet with?” 😂 When I think of healthy food, I somehow think of the smell of grass(?) first, but here the whole shop was filled with the scent of delicious food, so my anticipation was already rising while I waited.

Our order was ready quickly, in about 3–5 minutes, which was great because we did not have to wait long.

Eating takeaway protein boxes at Hangang Park

With our food in hand, we headed straight to Hangang Park—go, go! The weather has been so cool lately that it felt perfect for eating outside. It would have been nice to eat at the shop, too, but today we decided to enjoy it with the Han River breeze.

🌿 Once outside, we opened the takeaway boxes... “Oh~ this looks even tastier than I expected?” The colors were so vibrant and the vegetables were plentiful; just looking at it made me feel healthier. Haha. It was plated so prettily that I briefly forgot it was diet food. 😆

Chicken Light: add the sauce little by little

They say you can dip into the sauce according to your preference or pour it over everything. At first, I tried a bite of chicken without sauce, and—“Huh? The chicken is so tender and delicious!” 😋

Because it was diet food, I expected it to be dry, but it was much more tender and tasty than I thought. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy, and eating them with the meat gave it a lovely texture. One bite of vegetables, one bite of chicken, and I somehow felt like I was standing at the starting point of healthy dieting. Haha. 😆

As expected, I think dieting is more sustainable when you manage it by eating delicious food like this instead of starving. I tried it with a little sauce drizzled on, and of course it was even tastier with the sauce.

Rather than pouring it all on from the start, I think it would be nice to add it little by little and adjust it to your taste.

Beef Light for a satisfying protein boost

Why Starve Diet's protein boxes are said to provide more protein than a salad, with quality carbohydrates and vegetables for a balanced meal. When you are dieting, the hardest question is, “What should I eat?” right? 😂

But since a meal like this is put together fairly evenly, it seemed like it could take away some of that meal-planning worry. When dieting, eating only tiny portions makes you hungry again quickly, but this was more filling than expected because it included both meat and vegetables.

So I think it would suit not only people looking for a good salad spot in Gongdeok, but also anyone who wants to keep up their protein while working out.

A meal for managing your diet while eating deliciously

I have gained a little weight lately, so I keep thinking that I should diet, but resisting the temptation of delicious food is the hardest part. 😂 Still, if it is a menu where you can enjoy both flavor and a reasonably satisfying portion, it seems like a great meal to have while managing your diet. Especially when you are out running errands in Gongdeok and craving a healthy meal, it would be nice to stop by; it also felt easy to visit alone for a simple meal.

Next time, I should try a menu with tofu noodles that I did not get to have today. If you are in Gongdeok on a day when you want to diet while still eating deliciously, this is a place worth stopping by at least once. 🥗🧡