Preventing illness before it occurs starts with healthy weight loss: The relationship between energy balance and obesity

**Preventing illness before it occurs starts with healthy weight loss.**

Someone once said: You're arrogant when facing nutritionists and health managers, but humble when facing doctors. Daily health maintenance can save your life, but doctors can't necessarily cure your illness. Spending a few hundred yuan on preventative health can reduce disease; prevention is better than cure. No one wants health problems, let alone illness, yet many neglect early prevention, failing to embrace the concept of treating illness before it occurs, and not understanding that people don't die from disease, but from ignorance! Imagine, what's the use of money if you have no health? This statement may seem harsh, but it's profoundly insightful. Dr. Cooper, the US president's personal physician and a renowned expert in preventive medicine, believes that "the length and quality of each person's life depends entirely on their own prevention of disease, not on doctors or anyone else. Compared to prevention, any life-saving medical intervention seems too late." Health is the foundation of everything; managing our own health is everyone's responsibility. If we don't have good health, or if we don't pay attention to self-care now, we may be plagued by illness in the future. When we lie in hospital beds, our quality of life declines, we suffer from the torment of disease, our families need care and companionship, affecting their work and lives, causing worry and trouble for loved ones, and our hospital visits consume medical resources, adding a burden to society. Even so, perhaps even spending all your life savings cannot save your quality of life, or even your life.

Life exists in a dynamic equilibrium, with one thing rising as another falls. Energy intake is no exception. Human energy metabolism can be divided into two aspects: energy intake and energy expenditure. The main energy sources for the human body are the three major energy-producing nutrients: carbohydrates (sugars), fats, and proteins, obtained from three meals a day. Energy expenditure consists of expenditure during rest and expenditure caused by exercise and energy production. The relationship between these factors can affect the body's fat percentage. Due to individual differences and varying levels of activity, each person's daily energy intake and expenditure differ. However, energy intake and expenditure should maintain a relative balance; a popular saying is that calories in should equal calories out to ensure a reasonable body fat percentage. If the body's energy intake far exceeds its energy expenditure, it will accumulate energy, a phenomenon known as overnutrition. Excess energy is often stored as fat in our subcutaneous tissue, around internal organs, and in the omentum. A body fat percentage exceeding 25% for men and 30% for women is considered obese.

Generally speaking, the consumption of the three major nutrients is first carbohydrates, then fats, and finally proteins. When energy intake is less than energy expenditure, the body's carbohydrate intake cannot meet its needs, and body fat is consumed to supplement energy, resulting in a decrease in body fat mass.

Someone on my social media asked me, "Since body fat percentage is determined by energy intake and expenditure, wouldn't it be enough to just diet excessively, reduce energy intake, and increase energy expenditure?" Actually, this is a misconception. It's important to understand that long-term insufficient energy intake and excessive exercise will lower your basal metabolic rate (BMR). If you don't exercise, or your exercise levels are insufficient, you'll accumulate more fat. Since BMR accounts for 70% of our body's energy metabolism, a higher BMR is more beneficial for energy metabolism and for controlling body fat percentage. The key to increasing BMR is increasing the amount of lean body mass, which we will discuss in more detail later. If you don't consistently consume a healthy diet consisting of appropriate quantities, types, and quality of nutrients, your body will suffer from malnutrition, which will negatively impact your growth, development, and metabolism.

Excessive body fat leads to obesity. Obesity not only affects physical appearance and causes inconvenience in daily life, but more importantly, it easily leads to various complications, accelerates aging, and increases the risk of death. Statistics show that obese individuals have twice the incidence of cerebral embolism and heart failure, twice the incidence of coronary heart disease, 2 to 6 times the incidence of hypertension, approximately 4 times the incidence of diabetes, and 4 to 6 times the incidence of gallstones compared to those of normal weight.

Obesity is the root of chronic diseases; most bodily ailments and illnesses are related to obesity. However, many of us are unaware of the dangers of obesity, and coupled with numerous unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking, smoking, and sexual activity, this further burdens the body, leading to premature death. There are no second chances when it comes to health and life; we must learn to cherish life, rationally accept reality, and not wait until we lose our health to realize its preciousness. Regarding health management, controlling body fat percentage, and preventing sub-health, as mentioned at the beginning, we should focus on six aspects: First, nutritional problems caused by diet and eating; the correct use of nutritional supplements and health products is an important aspect of proactive prevention. Second, focus on exercise and improving physical fitness; grasp the core issue of controlling body fat percentage, reducing fat and building muscle. Third, focus on lifestyle and the intake and elimination of toxic and harmful substances. Fourth, focus on endocrine changes caused by emotions. Fifth, focus on aging caused by genetic changes; don't be too concerned about genetic factors, but pay attention to factors such as environment, diet, and water that affect gene expression in our bodies. Sixth, pay attention to the physical adjustments and changes brought about by active intervention. Aging and death are natural laws, and we should adopt a positive attitude to adapt to nature. Health management lies in treating illness before it occurs and in prevention.

**Differences between Health Management and Hospitals**

1. Health management studies health, while hospitals study disease.

2. The goal of health management is to prevent disease from occurring, while the task of hospitals is to treat disease.

3. Health management studies how to maintain health, while hospitals study how to eliminate symptoms.

4. Health management studies how to prevent illness, while hospitals study how to eliminate existing diseases.

5. Health management education helps you stay healthy before you get sick, while hospitals treat you after you become ill.

6. Health management is the process control before illness occurs, while hospitals are the treatment process after illness occurs.

7. Health management involves pre-treatment control measures, while hospitals use post-treatment methods.

8. Health management eliminates the root cause of disease, while hospitals eliminate the disease itself.

9. Health management guides people to let their bodies heal themselves, while hospitals take measures to treat patients' illnesses.

10. Health management advocates preventing disease before it occurs, while hospitals advocate treating illnesses and saving lives.

11. Health management studies health, while hospitals study disease.

12. Health management expenses should be within one's means, while hospital expenses are unavoidable.