The Truth About Dieting: Scientific Methods Revealed Through Failure Cases

What is Dieting?

Before explaining this theory, let's look at a case study.

This is a personal experience shared by one of my followers:

Follower's Weight Loss Story

Before, I was someone who talked about losing weight every day, yet also made peace with myself every day. Weight loss was always something I'd start tomorrow.

Until January 2018, during a company physical exam, the doctor said I had severely excessive visceral fat. I realized how terrible it was for someone of average height to weigh 132 pounds and have a body fat percentage of 33%.

I finally decided to start losing weight in early March. My most familiar and effective weight loss method was dieting. After a month of fasting, the results were significant; my weight returned to around 120 pounds.

Dr. Qiu said: Losing 12 pounds in a month is basically the rate achieved only with excessive dieting.

But the side effects came. I was in a terrible mood every day, my complexion was awful, I had no interest in work or life, my brain was often in a stagnant state, and my weight would tend to rebound even after eating just a little bit. After that, I got a yearly gym membership and started working out. I maintained a semi-dietary diet for two weeks, but my weight didn't change at all. Being incredibly lazy, the gym membership just sat idle. Then, I bought slimming packs from online vendors and various meal replacement powders on Taobao, but these either relied heavily on reducing my water intake to lose weight, or they simply didn't work at all.

I was browsing online videos and stumbled upon a very handsome doctor talking about weight loss. Being someone who appreciates good looks, I naturally had to check it out. I found the weight loss diet recommended by this doctor, surnamed Qiu, quite interesting. The diet recommended a wide variety of foods, and he patiently explained weight loss knowledge to everyone.

As a "theorist," I felt this doctor was different from many other weight loss influencers, so I tentatively tried following his recommended diet. In my previous understanding, the core of weight loss was simply "starvation." At that time, I mainly relied on self-exploration to lose weight, only vaguely knowing that each meal should include vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality protein, and generally following a diet plan.

A miracle happened. I started losing weight at a rate of about 5 pounds per month. From being so overweight that I couldn't buy clothes, to being able to wear size L, and then to size M, I was ecstatic and happily threw away all my old clothes.

When my weight reached around 102 pounds, the real plateau arrived. A month passed with little change in weight. So I carefully reviewed Dr. Qiu's online posts and found methods to break through the plateau. Then, when my weight reached 99.8 pounds, I joined a weight loss camp. Many people would say, "Why would you join a weight loss camp at this weight?" I joined the camp hoping to systematically learn healthy weight loss methods, enabling me to eat well and not rebound. I never wanted to use dieting again, because using methods that can't be maintained for a lifetime is meaningless.

At the weight loss camp, I learned how to achieve basal metabolic rate-based weight loss, which is the most comfortable method I've ever used. Using this method, I could eat my fill every day, and the nutritional balance was very scientific; I didn't experience hunger or diarrhea. My biggest takeaway was that after one cycle, I basically understood how much I should eat. I was very clear about what I should and shouldn't eat at each meal, and how much to eat. This feeling of being in control was truly wonderful; I felt like I could manage my weight.

Through this weight loss program, my gut microbiota changed significantly. I used to be a huge fan of high-sugar and high-fat foods, but now I prefer light, unprocessed foods, and I'm basically indifferent to the fried foods I used to crave. After 21 days, my weight dropped to around 97 pounds. This is a weight I haven't reached since 2012. I no longer need to wear plus-size women's clothing, and I'm no longer seen as fat by others.