Pay off your obesity debt quickly after the New Year! Doctor: Master two principles to lose weight healthily

The Lunar New Year holiday has been over for a while. Some people took advantage of the time after the New Year to quickly repay their obesity debt, but many people have tried various methods but still have not achieved satisfactory results. In the second week of work, a 30-year-old female bank employee named Wu urgently sought help from a weight loss clinic because she had gained 5 kilograms during the New Year holiday. After work, her uniform was too tight to fit her. She tried eating less and eating boiled meals but still to no avail, so she sought professional medical assistance. After consulting with Dr. Zhong Jixian at the Xing Xing Fu Aesthetic Clinic, we learned that the girl had been eating non-stop all day after returning to her hometown in Changhua during the Chinese New Year holidays. She loved her grandmother's homemade dishes, from Dongpo pork, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, sweet and sour fish, braised pork knuckle...she ate everything until the plate was cleared, but she only ate very little vegetables, and she also drank non-stop when playing cards with relatives all night!

According to statistics from the National Health Administration, the obesity rate of Chinese people after the Spring Festival is as high as 30-40%, with an average weight gain of 2 kilograms. Since most New Year dishes are cooked by deep-frying, pan-frying, sweet and sour cooking, or thickening, they are high in oil, sugar and flavor, which makes people eat a few more bowls of rice without realizing it. Add to that the inevitable souvenirs, desserts, snacks and drinks at gatherings with relatives and friends, and it is easy to exceed the calorie intake limit. Dr. Zhong Jixian said that the most important thing for weight loss is to consume less calories than you burn every day, which is the so-called calorie deficit. However, if you do not consume the calories required for basal metabolism, you will not be able to lose weight successfully. He used the Inbody data of the woman surnamed Wu as an example. Since the woman had less muscle mass, more fat mass, and insufficient body water, if she just went on a diet, she might see weight loss in the short term, but she would not be eating the calories required for basal metabolism, and her body metabolism would also decline in the long run. Not only would she not be able to lose weight successfully, but once she resumed her normal diet, she would easily gain weight again. Therefore, he suggested that "increasing the basal metabolic rate" is the key to making weight loss more effective.

This is how to lose fat and pay off debt after the New Year: a two-pronged approach of diet and exercise

The most effective way to increase the basal metabolic rate is to "build muscle and reduce fat", which can be done through exercise and diet. According to a paper published in a medical journal, aerobic exercise can reduce fat and weight training can build muscle. Dr. Zhong Jixian said that if you want to burn fat through aerobic exercise, you must follow the 333 principle (exercise at least 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time, and a heart rate of 130 beats per minute). He said there are many aerobics and training videos to watch on Youtube, and you can find some Tabata videos to follow along. "Short time and high fat burning" are the biggest advantages of this type of high-intensity interval exercise! In addition to aerobic exercise, muscle tissue can be increased through weight training. Since 1 kg of muscle contraction consumes 100 calories, while 1 kg of fat only consumes 4 to 10 calories, when muscle mass increases, the basal metabolic rate will naturally increase as well.

Increase protein intake and drink enough water

In terms of diet, protein is the raw material for building muscle tissue, which can increase satiety and reduce the brain's appetite for high-fat, high-sugar foods. In addition, when the body digests protein composed of amino acids, it burns more calories than digesting fat and carbohydrates. The average daily protein intake of an adult is about body weight x 0.8. Common high-protein foods include eggs (boiled eggs), chicken breast, white meat, fish, and beans. However, it should be noted that among beans, only soybeans are protein, while others such as mung beans and red beans are starch. In addition, processed bean products such as shredded tofu are very high in fat. Fried tofu and fried bean skin should also be avoided.

Dr. Zhong Jixian reminds that in the process of losing weight, what should be paid attention to is body fat percentage rather than weight. What should be lost is fat that is harmful to health, not weight. (Photo courtesy of Star Happiness Aesthetic Clinic)

In addition to increasing protein intake, weight loss also requires the body to drink enough water. Literature from Johns Hopkins University in the United States suggests that adequate water can suppress appetite, break down fat, stimulate metabolism, metabolize toxins and waste in the body, and avoid constipation and bloating. Dr. Zhong Jixian pointed out that vegetables are high in water content, low in calories, and contain a lot of dietary fiber, which can help digestion and reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines. Vegetables such as spinach, cucumber, and celery are all good choices for weight loss!

Dr. Zhong Jixian reminds that in the process of losing weight, one should pay attention to body fat percentage rather than body weight. What should be reduced is fat that is harmful to health, not body weight. Just like many people who are underweight and have excessive body fat, their bodies do not look firm enough, but they have thick fat hidden in their bodies, and their risk of cardiovascular disease will also increase. He stressed that rapid and improper dieting may cause harm to the body, and it is necessary to consume the calories required for basal metabolism to reduce the chance of gaining weight again. The ideal weight loss goal is 0.5 to 1 kg per week. The core principle of weight loss is still the combination of diet and exercise. You don’t have to choose an auspicious day to lose weight. The moment you make up your mind to change is the first step towards successful weight loss. Develop good eating habits and exercise regularly, and I believe you can achieve the goal of healthy weight loss!