Choosing the right weight loss method: Understanding various weight loss therapies
Section 5 Choosing a suitable weight loss method
The World Health Organization has clearly defined obesity as a clinical disease. Therefore, weight loss should be a medical procedure, requiring accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment by a professional physician. Experts advise that weight loss primarily relies on adjusting dietary structure, changing lifestyle habits, and increasing physical activity to achieve a metabolic balance. It should never be solely dependent on medication, nor should it be achieved through unscrupulous means. Amidst the dazzling array of weight loss trends, blindly following fashion or blindly believing in any particular method are both unwise choices. Weight loss and body shaping involve a combination of factors, including lifestyle habits and treatment attitudes; therefore, you must learn to master scientific weight loss methods.
1. Understand the various weight loss methods correctly
A low-calorie diet combined with exercise is the healthiest and most fundamental method, and if maintained consistently, it can lead to ideal weight loss results. However, it's important to note that exercise can also stimulate appetite. Once you stop exercising, it becomes difficult to control your diet, leading to an intake that exceeds expenditure. This can cause fat cells to swell, accelerating weight gain. Excessive dieting can also cause malnutrition, endocrine disorders, anorexia, and other health problems.
Weight loss drugs: Some weight loss drugs are effective, but they also have significant side effects, commonly including dizziness, weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, heat intolerance, excessive sweating, palpitations, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, excessive thirst, and menstrual irregularities. Some drugs are addictive; once discontinued, the weight rebound is very rapid, often resulting in weight gain even greater than before. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly understand a weight loss product before taking it.
Surgical weight loss methods: Currently, commonly used weight loss surgeries can be roughly divided into four categories: gastric reduction surgery, small bowel bypass surgery, liposuction (including liposuction and fat excision), and jaw fixation surgery. These surgeries generally offer good long-term results, but they are painful, invasive, and have numerous postoperative side effects, so careful consideration is necessary before undergoing the procedure.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) weight loss methods include herbal medicine, acupuncture, acupoint embedding, and Qigong. Acupoint embedding is a relatively new weight loss method with the following characteristics: it is performed every 15 days, is convenient and time-saving, painless, safe, effective, and has no side effects. It also ensures the body's health and energy during the weight loss process, with a very low rebound rate. Furthermore, it can improve some obesity-related symptoms such as constipation, insomnia, fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, and menstrual disorders (prolonged menstrual cycles, scanty menstruation, or amenorrhea). Therefore, acupoint embedding is a healthy weight loss method.
Optical weight loss: This method utilizes optical reactions in conjunction with specific media to promote the conversion of body fat into unsaturated fats, fatty acids, and lactic acid, thereby reducing the number of fat cells and decreasing the size of fat molecules, thus achieving weight loss. Additionally, this method also regulates endocrine function and promotes metabolism.
People with different types of obesity should choose different weight loss methods based on their specific circumstances, or they can combine several methods. However, regardless of the method chosen, it is essential to consult a specialist at a reputable hospital. Selecting the right weight loss plan can help you avoid detours and achieve your weight loss and body shaping goals sooner.
2. Eating less and exercising more is the most effective way to lose weight.
At the 11th European Obesity Congress, China was included in the world's obesity incidence ranking for the first time. In the past decade, the obesity rate in China has approached the obesity rate of the United States over the past 50 years. It is noteworthy that after some Western dietary habits were introduced to China, eating high-fat, high-calorie foods became fashionable, and even sugary drinks were consumed like water. Coupled with the fact that the digital age has significantly reduced physical exertion, leading to a diet rich but sedentary lifestyle, the surge in obesity has become an unavoidable reality.
The International Obesity Congress also released another shocking piece of news: the number of people who die from obesity worldwide has exceeded the number of people who die from starvation during the same period. When people fully realize the health risks of obesity, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, fatty liver, and respiratory, digestive, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and biliary diseases, they become eager and desperate to lose weight, resulting in a bewildering array of weight-loss therapies.
Experts point out that weight loss is not a simple matter; it requires precise calculation. Based on the patient's metabolic rate, the required calories for 24 hours are calculated, and then 600 kcal/day is deducted. By maintaining basal metabolic rate while dieting, a weight loss of 0.5-1.08 kg per week can be achieved. When dietary control no longer leads to further weight loss, exercise is necessary to increase energy expenditure. Only thirdly should weight-loss medications be used appropriately. Ideally, weight-loss medications should reduce energy intake, increase energy expenditure, and improve obesity-related symptoms. Even so, medication should only be used as a short-term adjunctive treatment.
In the process of controlling obesity, inappropriate weight loss often leads to adverse consequences, including gastrointestinal disorders, anorexia, amenorrhea, liver and kidney damage, surgical infections, and even life-threatening situations. Therefore, experts point out that weight loss is a medical procedure, and the principles of scientific weight loss are to eat less, exercise more, and strictly prevent complications.