Article 88: Weight Loss is a Systemic Project; Overweight Individuals Should Seek Weight Loss Assistance

Consistent exercise can help you lose weight. However, if a man with a large belly only does sit-ups, he won't see immediate results in burning off excess abdominal fat. Similarly, a woman with thick legs won't quickly slim down her thighs by only doing leg kicks.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine is a systematic process; don't have unrealistic expectations. Furthermore, don't mistakenly believe that you should only exercise the part of your body with excess fat and expect to see quick results there.

It's understandable that people want to quickly burn off excess fat in specific areas through targeted exercise, but this is actually very difficult to achieve. Clinical trials have shown that having a heavily overweight man do 75 sit-ups a day for one course of treatment resulted in his abdominal fat remaining almost unchanged. Women receiving similar training treatments yielded similar results.

Essentially, where excess fat accumulates in the body depends on genetic and hormonal factors. Generally speaking, men tend to accumulate excess fat in the abdomen, while women often accumulate it in the hips and thighs. If a woman has small hips, she may have a family history of obesity. In this sense, the fundamental solution for human weight loss lies in gene therapy. This depends on the further development and application of science and technology.

Currently, it's possible to control one's body shape to some extent through consistent and comprehensive physical exercise. American researchers advocate that the best form of exercise is aerobic exercise, including walking, jogging, cycling, climbing stairs, swimming, and so on. They recommend that people engage in this type of exercise at least three times a week, for 30-45 minutes each time.

Between workouts, try to get your body moving by doing housework, tending the garden or lawn, and minimizing sitting time. At the same time, do three high-intensity workouts per week to strengthen muscles throughout your body.

Researchers emphasize that consistent, scientific exercise will burn excess fat in various parts of the body to varying degrees. Generally speaking, the fat that was last accumulated in the body is burned first. Therefore, weight loss is a gradual process.

Physiologically speaking, the most direct goal of exercise is to develop and strengthen muscles. Muscles in the human body are heavier than fat, but only half the volume. Well-developed muscles can burn a significant amount of calories, thus indirectly contributing to weight loss.

American experts emphasize that it is possible to obtain and maintain a healthy physique and graceful figure through scientific and consistent exercise; however, it is essential to abandon the unrealistic fantasies mentioned above and to avoid common misconceptions about weight loss.

According to reports, in the month since a hospital opened an obesity clinic, it has found that nearly 30% of obese people have varying degrees of physical abnormalities. There was even a family of four who came to the hospital for weight loss treatment. Among them, two people had high uric acid and two people had hypothyroidism. After three weeks of cocktail therapy, they have lost weight and their symptoms have improved.

Mr. Wang, 70 years old, his wife, their 40-year-old daughter, and their 18-year-old granddaughter, weigh an average of 80 kilograms. In recent years, the couple has suffered from gouty arthritis due to high uric acid levels, causing frequent redness, swelling, and pain in their joints. Mr. Wang's daughter and granddaughter suffer from hypothyroidism, experiencing slow heartbeat, cold intolerance, drowsiness, lower limb edema, muscle weakness, and gradual weight gain. Instead of benefiting from obesity, the family's health has been negatively impacted, causing interpersonal difficulties. After seeking medical help, they decided to lose weight together.

A serum test of 1,000 patients in an obesity clinic revealed that 3% had high triglycerides, 7% had high blood sugar, 5% had high uric acid, and 15% had low thyroid hormone levels, resulting in symptoms such as slow heart rate, cold intolerance, drowsiness, and even myxedema and muscle weakness.

Hypothyroidism can be caused by thyroiditis, side effects from drug abuse, excessive or insufficient consumption of iodine-containing foods, humic substances in drinking water, or congenital pituitary insufficiency. These patients often have excessive weight and difficulty losing it. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy can be given while losing weight, which can help them lose weight and alleviate their symptoms.

(1) You can keep some low-calorie foods that can satisfy your chewing desires, such as cucumbers and carrots.

(2) Drink more water. Water is good for your health and can fill your stomach, so you can eat less.

(3) Lemon juice can be used instead of soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings such as fermented bean paste and pepper that can cause weight gain.

(4) Choose a weight loss diet that suits you well, otherwise you will not be able to handle it after only two days and give up halfway.

(5) Control the amount of food for each meal in advance to avoid overeating because you don’t want to leave any.

(6) Using small plates and bowls makes you feel more satisfied with your meal.

(7) Set a reward system for yourself to lose weight. For example, buy a small gift or watch a movie for every 2 kilograms you lose. With this incentive, you will be more happy to continue losing weight.

(8) Eat more lettuce or other vegetables before attending a dinner party; when the main course is served, you will be less tempted.

(9) Cultivate some hobbies, such as knitting sweaters or arranging flowers and plants, so that people can shift their attention when they have a strong appetite.

(10) Carefully compile a statistical table of the calories you eat every day and gradually eliminate those dangerous snacks.

(11) Try to eat chicken, fish, or beef tendon instead of pork. This way, you are healthier and less likely to gain weight.

(12) The amount of food you eat in three meals a day should be balanced, so that you will not use the excuse of eating too little in the previous meal to overeat in this meal.

(13) Sit down at a fully set dining table before eating. While eating, deliberately get up and walk around a few times to both affect your appetite and prolong the mealtime.

(14) When someone tries to force you to eat something, practice saying firmly, "I don't like this," instead of saying shyly, "I'm on a diet, so it's best not to eat this."

(15) Try to chew slowly and enjoy the deliciousness of food. This can reduce the amount of food you eat and increase the time you spend eating.

(16) Develop the habit of only eating in the restaurant or kitchen. Once you leave that place, you will not be easily tempted by snacks.