Question: How much do you know about weight loss? Answer: Obesity Analysis. The classification of obesity is based on the causes: simple obesity and secondary obesity. Simple obesity - caused by excessive nutrition, insufficient exercise, psychological behavior, etc., accounting for 95% of cases. Secondary obesity - caused by certain diseases, such as nervous endocrine system diseases, accounting for 5% of cases. Classification according to fat distribution: abdominal obesity and hip obesity. Abdominal obesity is more dangerous than hip obesity. Abdominal obesity - more common in men. Hip obesity - more common in women. Based on the anatomical characteristics of fat tissue: multicellular obesity and large-cellular obesity. Multicellular obesity - occurs during childhood, quantity increases 2-4 times, approximately 42 million to 106 million. Large-cellular obesity - cell volume increases, differing from normal size by 40%. Causes of obesity are generally diet-related. For example, eating too much "oil". Saturated fat is a big taboo for weight loss, and to prevent gaining weight, one should reduce the intake of high-fat foods. Both plant oil and animal oil are fats; plant oil is pure fat, the main component of fatty meat is fat, and fat also exists in lean meat, organs, eggs, milk, soy products, and some vegetables. Eating too much processed sugar. 1 gram of processed carbohydrates or 1 gram of protein produces only 4 kilocalories, while 1 gram of fat can produce 9 kilocalories, so eating a little more fat equals eating a lot more carbohydrates or proteins. Plant oil contains more fat than an equal weight of fatty meat because fatty meat also contains water, protein, fiber. In fact, people misunderstand carbohydrates; effective for obesity are artificial carbohydrates. Excessive protein. Protein is also an energy-producing substance, if consumed in excess, the ingested energy exceeds the body's needs, and the stored energy is still fat. Protein-rich foods include meats, eggs, milk, soybeans, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Protein-rich foods (meat, eggs, milk, soybeans) all contain high fat, and eating too much of these foods will also result in excessive fat intake.
Other causes of obesity:
1. Constitutional obesity. Cause: congenital. Slower material metabolism in the body, synthesis rate exceeds breakdown rate. Phenomenon: large and numerous fat cells, spread throughout the body.
2. Acquired obesity. Cause: caused by overeating. Sweet and greasy foods lead to fat accumulation mainly in the trunk. Phenomenon: large fat cells, but no increase in number.
3. Cushing's Syndrome. Cause: hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex, excessive secretion of cortisol. Phenomenon: enlargement of face, neck, and body, but not much fat in limbs.
4. Pancreatic origin. Cause: excessive insulin secretion, reduced metabolic rate, leading to reduced fat breakdown and increased synthesis. Phenomenon: overall obesity.
5. Reduced sexual function. Cause: cerebral obesity disease, accompanied by loss of sexual function or reduced libido. Phenomenon: obesity around the breasts, lower abdomen, and genital area.
6. Pituitary origin. Cause: pituitary lesion leads to excessive secretion of growth hormone in the anterior lobe. Phenomenon: hyperplasia and enlargement of bones, soft tissues, and internal organs throughout the body.
7. Hypothyroidism. Cause: hypofunction of the thyroid gland. Phenomenon: obesity and mucoid edema.
8. Drug-induced. Cause: side effects of drugs, such as corticosteroids. Phenomenon: obesity appears after taking medication for a period of time, such as patients with allergic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.
Clinical symptoms:
In males, fat is mainly distributed in the neck, trunk, and abdomen, less in the limbs; in females, it is mainly in the abdomen, hips, chest, and limbs.
Newborns weighing over 3.5 kilograms, especially those born to diabetic mothers, should be considered as precursors to obesity. Over-nutrition during children's growth and development may lead to childhood obesity. Women in their middle years may become obese after 2-3 pregnancies and breastfeeding. Men over 40 and post-menopausal women often experience weight gain and varying degrees of obesity.
Pickwickian syndrome:
This is a clinical syndrome of severe obesity. Due to excessive fat in the abdominal cavity and chest wall, breathing movements are affected, lung ventilation is poor, gas exchange is restricted, leading to carbon dioxide retention, exceeding the normal range of carbon dioxide binding capacity, resulting in respiratory acidosis; elevated blood carbon dioxide partial pressure, decreased arterial blood oxygen saturation, decreased oxygen partial pressure, cyanosis, increased red blood cells; at the same time, venous return stagnation, elevated venous pressure, distended neck veins, enlarged liver, pulmonary hypertension, increased right heart load; due to the large increase in fat tissue, total blood circulation increases accordingly, cardiac output and stroke volume increase, increasing left heart load, leading to high-output heart failure, constituting Pickwickian syndrome. Symptoms include shortness of breath, inability to lie flat, intermittent or Cheyne-Stokes respiration, rapid pulse, possible cyanosis, edema, confusion, drowsiness, and sleepiness.
General manifestations:
Weight exceeds standard by 10%-20%, usually without noticeable symptoms. Those who gain weight due to edema may feel eyelid swelling, difficulty gripping fists, heaviness in the legs when the weight increases by 10%. Weight exceeding the standard by more than 30% shows a series of clinical symptoms. Moderate to severe obesity leads to shortness of breath when climbing stairs, easy fatigue during physical labor, heat intolerance and excessive sweating, shortness of breath, mild to moderate edema in the legs. Some patients find daily activities like bending down to tie shoes difficult, particularly after a full meal when the abdomen expands and they cannot bend forward. Load-bearing joints are prone to degenerative changes and may cause soreness. Long-term overload on the spine may cause hypertrophic spondyloarthritis, manifesting as back pain and leg pain. Skin may have purple streaks, located on the outer sides of the hips, inner thighs, and lower abdomen, smaller and lighter red compared to those in Cushing's syndrome. Due to excessive sweating, skin may develop folds, maceration, dermatitis, and tinea. As obesity worsens, movement becomes difficult, leading to shortness of breath, weakness upon activity. Prolonged sitting or lying down, even excessive sleep, further promotes the development of obesity.
Metabolic disorders:
Fasting and postprandial hyperinsulinemia, basal values can reach 30 milliunits/liter, postprandial values can reach 300 milliunits/liter, approximately double that of normal individuals. Due to the insensitivity of enlarged cells to insulin, patients often have reduced glucose tolerance. Total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acids are often elevated, presenting as hyperlipidemia and hyperlipoproteinemia, which form the basis for inducing diabetes, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, gallstones, etc. Plasma amino acids and glucose tend to increase, forming a vicious cycle stimulating beta cells of the pancreas, worsening obesity. Thyroid function is generally normal, but T3 may be higher and reverse T2 lower when eating excessively, with a low basal metabolic rate. Blood cortisol and 24-hour urine 17-hydroxy levels may increase, but the diurnal rhythm remains normal, and suppression tests are normal. Growth hormone secretion decreases during hunger or hypoglycemia, reducing fat breakdown. Female patients may experience amenorrhea, infertility, and masculinization. Male patients may experience impotence.
Digestive manifestations:
Persistent strong appetite, easily hungry, eating a lot, often constipated, bloated, fond of snacks, candies, pastries, and sweets; some patients may experience palpitations, sweating, and hand tremors if meals are delayed. Patients with gallstones may experience chronic indigestion and biliary colic. Liver enlargement occurs when liver fat changes occur.
(1) Increased mortality: The mortality rate of obese individuals is significantly higher than that of normal-weight individuals, increasing with weight. Studies show that death rates from diabetes are 383% higher (males) and 372% higher (females) among obese individuals compared to normal-weight groups. Mortality rates from liver cirrhosis, appendicitis, and gallstones are also about twice as high in obese individuals. Cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and accidental deaths are also higher.
(2) Hypertension: Obese individuals are more likely to develop hypertension.
Obese individuals often experience increased cardiac output and blood volume, but peripheral vascular resistance decreases in normotensive obese individuals. However, peripheral vascular resistance is normal or increased in hypertensive obese individuals. Hypertension is an important factor contributing to the high mortality rate in obesity.
(3) Coronary artery disease: The incidence of coronary artery disease is much higher in obese individuals than in non-obese individuals. The reasons include: (1) overweight causing increased cardiac burden and hypertension; (2) obese individuals prefer greasy foods, consuming excessive saturated fatty acids that promote atherosclerosis formation; (3) hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperlipoproteinemia increase blood viscosity and coagulation, making it easier to develop atherosclerosis, microcirculatory disturbances, and coronary artery embolism; (4) reduced physical activity weakens or insufficient collateral circulation of the coronary arteries. Additionally, increased weight burden in obesity is also one of the reasons promoting heart failure in coronary artery disease.
(4) Diabetes: The incidence of type 2 diabetes in obese individuals is four times higher than in non-obese adults. Obesity is often an early sign of diabetes, with about 40%-60% of type 2 diabetes patients over middle age experiencing overeating and obesity at the onset or early stages. The incidence of diabetes is proportional to the degree of obesity. Before developing diabetes, obese individuals consume excessive food, overstimulating β-cells until they lose compensation and develop diabetes.
(5) Cholecystitis, gallstones, and fatty liver: Due to obesity, digestive dysfunction, liver dysfunction, high-calorie diet, greasy foods, and lipid metabolism disorder, cholesterol reaches saturation, leading to gallstone formation, mainly cholesterol stones. The incidence is twice as high as in normal-weight individuals. Gallstones can cause biliary colic, and secondary infections may lead to acute or chronic cholecystitis. About 68%-94% of obese individuals have fatty liver changes, with 25%-35% of liver cells showing fat infiltration. Liver fatty acid and triglyceride concentrations in obese individuals are higher than in normal individuals.
(6) Infections: Obese individuals have reduced resistance to infections, making them more susceptible to respiratory infections. They are more likely to develop pneumonia. Areas of skin folds are prone to wear, leading to dermatitis, boils, urinary tract, and gastrointestinal infections. Appendicitis incidence is reported to be twice as high as in normal individuals. During acute infections, severe trauma, surgery, and anesthesia, obese individuals have poorer stress responses, more severe conditions, lower tolerance for surgery and anesthesia, slower recovery, and increased complications and mortality.
Additionally, obese individuals' physical reactions become slow, making them more prone to various injuries, traffic accidents, fractures, and severe limb injuries.
Weight loss methods:
There are many ways to lose weight. When choosing a weight loss method, physical weight loss and dietary reduction should be prioritized, rather than oral medications.
Weight loss tips: Regardless of whether the upper body, lower body, or entire body is obese, one can recover a slim figure. If there is lower body obesity, muscle relaxation, excessive phlegm, edema, eating less but not losing weight, cold hands and feet, it is recommended to: 1) Bathe or take foot baths frequently, at least three times a week, to promote blood circulation and strengthen metabolism. 2) Do not randomly diet or use improper weight loss methods, such as the "apple therapy" or "seven-day fasting method." Individuals with yin-type obesity need methods that both reduce weight and nourish the body to succeed. 3) Drink warm beverages or olsim herbal teas, and absolutely avoid cold drinks, which greatly reduce the success rate of weight loss. 4) Eat spicy foods like ginger, pepper, Sichuan pepper, and chili, which help warm the body and enhance basic metabolic functions. 5) Avoid white sugar and use brown sugar or honey instead. Avoid instant noodles and monosodium glutamate.
Specific methods are roughly divided into the following categories:
Diet:
Ancient Chinese longevity and health preservation advocated a light taste, which indeed benefits human health. Scientists point out that excessive salt intake can easily lead to hypertension. Obesity has no direct relationship with salt, but when salt intake is excessive, physiologically, more water is required, and excessive water intake weakens spleen and stomach functions, leading to edematous obesity. Therefore, it is recommended to eat light foods and reduce salt intake, with a general limit of 5 grams per day being ideal.
Scientifically arranging three meals a day: Under normal physiological conditions, most people are accustomed to three meals a day. The body's greatest consumption occurs during the morning. Since the stomach has been empty after a night of digestion, skipping breakfast means that all the energy consumed during the morning activities must be provided by the previous dinner, which far fails to meet nutritional needs. During lunch, eaten hastily due to extreme hunger, the amount consumed often exceeds the total of breakfast and lunch combined, resulting in excess calories that are stored as fat in the body, causing weight gain. Many obese individuals trying to lose weight skip breakfast, especially women. This habit can lead to acute gastritis, gastric dilation, acute pancreatitis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, etc. Consuming night snacks generates excess energy, which is converted into fat and stored, easily leading to weight gain. Therefore, not eating anything within three hours before sleeping is the ideal weight loss method, paying special attention to avoiding alcohol and meat.
Controlling staple foods and restricting sweets: If the original food intake was large, the staple food can be gradually reduced by 50 grams per day. Gradually control the staple food intake to about 250-300 grams. Grains like wheat, rice, and some coarse grains can be selected, but the quantity must be strictly controlled, forming a habit of eating until seven or eight parts full. Starchy and overly sweet foods like sweet potatoes, potatoes, lotus root powder, jam, honey, candy, candied fruit, malted milk essence, and sweet fruit juices should be minimized or avoided. Foods high in fat, such as peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, various animal oils, cream, and fried foods, should also be restricted. Side dishes can include lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu products, and vegetables and fruits with low sugar content.
Dietary fiber for weight loss: Fiber hinders food absorption; fiber swells with water in the stomach, forming a larger volume, creating a feeling of fullness, helping reduce food intake, and aiding in controlling weight. Eating fiber-rich foods allows for proper digestion and waste excretion. People who consume more fibrous diets chew more, slowing down their eating speed, allowing the small intestine to absorb nutrients slowly, preventing spikes in blood sugar levels. Since dietary fiber promotes intestinal motility, consuming large amounts reduces constipation and lowers the incidence of colorectal cancer. Therefore, obese individuals should consume more fiber.
High-protein weight loss: Processed carbohydrate foods can cause obesity, uncontrollable hunger, and appetite. Therefore, limiting carbohydrate intake and absorbing large amounts of high-protein foods can help lose weight and maintain a slim figure. This weight loss diet plan lasts two weeks, during which patients can only eat a limited amount of vegetables but can consume sufficient dairy, eggs, meat, and fish. This puts the body into a state where it relies on fat rather than carbohydrates for energy.
Vinegar for weight loss: A vinegar craze has emerged domestically and internationally, such as in the United States and Japan, where obese individuals drink vinegar to lose weight. Vinegar contains volatile substances, amino acids, and organic acids. It is reported that consuming 15-20 ml of vinegar daily can aid in weight loss. A Japanese product called "brown rice vinegar essence," a solid particle, is convenient to carry and consume, with 20 particles per day showing significant weight loss effects in a month. A health vinegar produced in Shanghai is also effective. In daily life, vinegar can be eaten with food, mixed with raw foods, or added to soup to enhance appetite.
Black rice and black rice porridge: Experiments show that pigments in black rice have the strongest effect among various colored rice. These pigments are rich in flavonoids, five times more than in white rice, effectively preventing arteriosclerosis. Thus, black rice has long been regarded as a health supplement. Preparation: Soak black rice in water for 24 hours, wash thoroughly multiple times, and remember to cook with the soaking water to fully absorb the nutrients. For breakfast, have some milk and eggs; eat more for breakfast and lunch, and only until seven parts full for dinner.
Beef clear soup: Effective for cleaning the intestines and stomach, paired with soda crackers. This beef clear soup is typically made from the hindquarters of cattle, along with onions, carrots, egg whites, and red wine. First, chop the meat into a paste, mix with red wine, add onions and black pepper, then finally add egg whites. Boil on high heat, skim off the foam, and simmer on low heat. This beef clear soup not only cleanses the intestines and stomach, aiding in weight loss, but also enhances immunity, being a complete protein food whose nourishing effects rival those of the Chinese herb Astragalus.
Potatoes: Potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and are rare among foods containing large amounts of vitamins and minerals. Each 148 grams of potatoes generate only 100 calories, with actual starch content less than 2%, and no fat, effectively controlling the total intake of fat in daily diets. To lose weight, one should eat potatoes as a staple food, such as boiled potatoes, potato strips, or fried potato pancakes, once a day, persistently eating which will definitely benefit in preventing excessive nutrition or reducing excess fat.
Fruits: Oranges, kiwis, bananas, tomatoes, pineapples, etc., all have weight-loss effects.
Exercise:
The most effective exercise for weight loss is aerobic exercise, which helps burn fat and boosts metabolism. Remember to engage in outdoor fitness exercises for weight loss. The most effective exercise for weight loss is aerobic exercise, especially those that consume more energy, such as jogging, hiking, brisk walking, ball games, swimming, etc. It's best to complete each session continuously without stopping, and each session should consume at least 300 kilocalories. Typically, this level of exercise