5. Diet plans and specific treatments for moderate to severe obesity

② Dietary control for moderate to severe obesity: Strict dietary control is essential. These patients generally have a strong appetite and often overindulge in high-calorie foods, making it difficult to control their intake. Therefore, daily calorie intake must be strictly calculated. For men, the intake should be approximately 1500-2000 calories, not exceeding 2000 calories; for women, it should be approximately 1200-1500 calories, not exceeding 1500 calories. Following this standard, approximately 1000 calories can be reduced daily, resulting in a cumulative reduction of 7000 calories per week, equivalent to burning about 1 kg of body fat, or a weight loss of 0.5-0.75 kg per week. Adjustments should be made based on weight and other responses. While dieting, it is also important to reduce or eliminate the consumption of sweets, pastries, fatty meats, and oily foods high in fat and calories. Limiting salt intake is also crucial, as salt retains water, leading to weight gain. To ensure the body receives sufficient protein and other vitamins, it is advisable to supplement with high-protein foods, vegetables, and fruits, which not only provide vitamins and minerals but also help reduce hunger.

During a diet, patients experiencing severe hunger can adopt a method of eating small, frequent meals, 5-6 times a day. The diet should be varied, ensuring a complete range of nutrients while maintaining acid-base balance. Adhering to this approach will definitely yield good results.

③ Dietary control for severely obese patients: Strict control of calorie intake is essential, limiting it to the minimum physiologically tolerable 1000-1200 calories. If obesity persists after a period of time, the two aforementioned fasting therapies can be used, but the treatment duration should not be too long. Close monitoring is crucial; if sudden weight loss occurs accompanied by anemia, hair loss, or vitamin deficiency, these two therapies should be discontinued, and other weight loss methods should be sought.

Short-term fasting therapy: for a period of one week, the daily calorie intake is 100-200 calories until the weight gradually decreases. Afterwards, depending on the specific situation, the daily calorie intake is 1200-1500 calories, with a maximum of 1600 calories, in order to maintain the weight.

Intermittent fasting therapy: Fast for 1-2 days per week, and on the remaining days, follow your usual dietary control. Whether using short-term or intermittent fasting therapy, you can refer to the following diet plan:

Lean meat: can be cooked in any way, with little or no oil or salt added; skinless chicken, without oil; oil-free fish or seafood, seasonings can be added; eggs, preferably boiled, not fried, can also be cooked in other ways without oil; skim milk.

Soy products: dried tofu, tofu slices, etc. Do not process with cooking oil; include a certain amount of water, about 6-7 cups daily; do not add sugar.

For severely obese patients, the success of dietary therapy hinges on their confidence and adherence to the regimen. It is crucial to resolutely break the habit of indulging in sweets, snacking, or eating before bed. Use less salt when cooking, especially for obese individuals with high blood pressure. Avoid strong tea and coffee, as both stimulate gastric acid secretion, increasing appetite and hindering the execution of the weight loss diet plan.

3. Precautions for dieting to lose weight

1. Plan your three daily meals: Eat a good, substantial breakfast, ensuring quality and quantity to meet the maximum energy expenditure from work, study, labor, and exercise. Lunch should be smaller than breakfast; dinner should be the smallest meal and eaten early. It's best to avoid eating before bed to prevent excess calories from being converted into fat and stored in the body, hindering weight loss. Be sure to follow this meal schedule and avoid eating arbitrarily.

② Change unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices that hinder weight loss: A fondness for sweets, snacks, fried foods, and alcohol is extremely detrimental to weight loss. It should be clear that a piece of chocolate, a candy, a bag of sunflower seeds, or a cup of sweet juice contains no fewer calories than a regular meal. This extra intake will severely interfere with diet therapy.

3. Do not be impatient for quick results: Many patients share the common mentality of arbitrarily increasing the intensity of dieting in order to achieve short-term weight loss. However, this often results in malnutrition, muscle atrophy, edema, or even palpitations, gastric prolapse, night blindness, beriberi, acidosis, and other symptoms, making the dieting measures impossible. Haste makes waste.

④ Maintain confidence and perseverance: In the early stages of dieting, you are often troubled by hunger. Strict food restriction can also cause fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, and insomnia. These are all discomforts within tolerable limits. If you persevere, you will adapt. Do not give up halfway.

Chapter Two: Weight Loss and Differences in Body Constitution

I. Children's weight loss

In today's world, where people's living standards are constantly improving, many families believe that obesity is a sign of a child's health. Parents spoil their children excessively, not only paying special attention to their daily meals but also supplementing them with many high-end nutritional products such as royal jelly, chocolate, pastries, and candies. They fulfill every request their children make. Furthermore, they indulge their children to the point of neglecting any chores they are capable of doing, leading to a significant number of children becoming lazy and averse to work. Once children start school, some parents, due to the pressure of schoolwork, also cancel extracurricular games and physical exercise. Thus, the child's daily routine becomes: eating-going to school-doing homework-eating-sleeping. This cycle repeats itself endlessly, resulting in high calorie intake and low calorie expenditure, ultimately leading to obesity. Parents are often unaware that this "chubby" appearance can trigger many diseases in their children.

1. Characteristics and Harms of Childhood Obesity

What are the characteristics of childhood obesity? Childhood obesity can generally be divided into infant obesity, toddler obesity, and school-aged childhood obesity. There are two main periods in childhood when children are most prone to obesity: one is infancy, when adipose tissue development is most vigorous; the other is from school age to adolescence. Infancy is characterized primarily by the proliferation and enlargement of fat cells, while obesity from school age to adolescence is characterized by both fat cell enlargement and hyperplasia. Therefore, the number of fat cells that proliferate in early childhood remains constant throughout life. It can be anticipated that this is closely related to future obesity. School-aged childhood obesity has a high conversion rate to adult obesity (70-80%).