Are you fake skinny or really fat? Weight and BMI are not enough! Doctor: It depends on “this indicator”

Are you a "fake skinny guy" or a "real fat guy"? In the past, people usually measured their body shape by looking at their weight or the BMI index which is a conversion of height and weight. However, doctors point out that from the perspective of human health, "physical composition analysis" is a more valuable indicator.

Dr. Hong Yuzhong, director of the Health Management Center of Lian'an Clinic, a Lian'an preventive medicine institution, said that in fact, weight only needs to be paid special attention when there is a large fluctuation (gain/loss of more than 2 kilograms in a month without changing lifestyle). "Blindly pursuing weight loss is not necessarily healthy. For example, sarcopenia and osteoporosis, which are common among modern people, may be problems caused by being too light." Instead of caring about the number on your body weight, it is better to understand your muscle and fat distribution so that you can better understand your health status and disease risks.

"Visceral fat" is the number one threat to health!

It is important to understand the "distribution status" of body fat. Hong Yuzhong gave an example, men's fat rate is generally lower than women's, but men have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The key reason is that women have more subcutaneous fat, which has less impact on health, while men tend to accumulate visceral fat, which poses a great threat to health.

The "tuna belly" that many middle-aged men have is the accumulation of visceral fat. Central obesity can easily lead to high blood pressure and high blood lipids, and the accumulation of visceral fat can easily cause insulin resistance, further leading to diabetes. Hong Yuzhong pointed out that if you want to understand your fat distribution, in addition to abdominal ultrasound and body composition analysis, you can also observe your waist circumference: men should be less than 90 cm and women should be less than 80 cm.

"The body will automatically store fat to avoid famine. This is a biological instinct, so many people are prone to obesity. Coupled with the lifestyle of modern people with excess calories and insufficient physical activity, the risk of obesity is increasing."

Increase muscle mass and reduce fat percentage, "weight training" is more important than aerobic exercise

Hong Yuzhong reminds that if you want to have a healthy body, you should reduce fat and increase muscle mass. The more muscles you have, the easier it is to burn fat and the less excess fat you will have. In addition, muscles also have the function of protecting joints. However, the weight loss methods commonly used by ordinary people, such as running, swimming, etc., are mostly aerobic exercises. Although they are beneficial to cardiopulmonary function, they may not necessarily increase muscle.

If you want to increase muscle mass throughout your body, the most important exercise is not running, but muscle training. "I once saw a girl in her 20s who didn't look fat, but her body composition analysis showed that she had insufficient muscle mass and too much fat, which is the so-called 'invisible obesity'. In order to improve her body composition, the girl tried jogging (aerobic exercise), but when she came back for a check-up a year later, the results were not satisfactory, and she found out that she had used the wrong method," Hong Yuzhong gave an example.

Controlling calories requires "boiling a frog in warm water"! Maintain body functions with high-quality nutrition

In addition to muscle training, another key factor affecting body shape is diet. Hong Yuzhong reminds us that extreme dieting is equivalent to announcing to the body that it has entered a "state of famine," leading to a rapid decrease in metabolism and endocrine abnormalities.

"The correct way is a bit like boiling a frog in warm water. A slight calorie deficit every day is required to maintain normal metabolism. Avoid the intake of refined sugars, and supplement with high-quality protein, oil and vitamins. Eat enough, exercise more, and you can change your body shape in a healthy way," said Hong Yuzhong.

Get rid of the curse of weight numbers and understand yourself first with "body composition analysis"

Hong Yuzhong reminded that many people consider thinness as beauty, but being thin does not mean being healthy. To take charge of your own health, the first step might be to do a full body composition analysis to understand your muscle and fat mass. "Please remember, whether it is weight or body composition, because everyone's situation is different, these numbers can be compared with your own, and you can gradually improve through exercise and diet, and track them regularly, without having to blindly chase the weight numbers."