Chinese Student Wins Fitness Championship Thanks to Eating 10 Egg Whites a Day

Xu Mengli, 20, traveled to Mongolia last week to compete at the 51st Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship. As per Tencent, she won gold in the Junior Women’s Bikini Fitness category.

With her win, Xu, who studies at Chengdu University, became the youngest Chinese winner in her category of the competition, Shanghaiist noted.

Xu’s road to success, however, was not an easy one. She had to wake up by 5:30 a.m. to train in the gym by 6, where she worked her way through aerobic exercises, weight-lifting and stage performance, according to Weibo. She trained for seven days a week.

Xu, who weighs 48 kg (105 pounds), attributes part of her win to the consumption of 10 egg whites daily, which adhered to a diet plan that strictly controls her intake of carbohydrates and protein while allowing fruits and vegetables on the side.

She also had to live by the principle of eating smaller frequent meals over large bulks in specific time periods — with no red meat.

The competition, held in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, saw 233 athletes from 26 countries compete. China, which brought 56 participants, took home nine gold medals (including Xu’s), seven silver medals, and six bronze medals, including two full-court championships.

Congratulations to Xu!