Healthy weight loss requires attention to diet. Even with good food and enough sleep, you might find yourself gaining weight after relaxing completely! Weight loss is back in the spotlight, but many people are hesitant due to the perceived effort involved. Here are some scientifically sound dieting tips to help you lose weight easily while enjoying your meals... [[ Editor's Recommendation: Healthy Eating for a Slim Figure]]
People are exposed to over 800 kinds of food every day, and can enjoy the pleasure of feasting to their heart's content if they so choose. Unfortunately, the body can't "eat" that much, making weight gain inevitable. Eating and drinking while losing weight is a dream for many. In principle, the methods I'm about to describe all follow the same principle—doing "comparison" arithmetic while eating. This is the first thing many children do when they learn to count, comparing their daily intake and expenditure. Losing weight through eating and drinking actually means controlling total intake. If a method existed that allowed you to eat and drink to your heart's content and still lose weight, the person who possessed it would certainly be richer than Bill Gates. We advocate eating scientifically, which means fighting against your gluttonous and greedy taste buds, which isn't easy for most people with weak willpower. So, think it through before embarking on an ascetic eating journey!
●The proper approach—dating at the hospital's nutrition department
Many people are unaware that a reputable large hospital has a nutrition department that can treat obesity or emaciation. I was also unsure before whether the nutrition department had a weight loss clinic, whether it treated obese patients, or whether the prescription included a "weight loss diet." It wasn't until I found Zhang Pianhong, a member of the Chinese Nutrition Society and director of the nutrition department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, that I learned that "this is because people still don't consider obesity a disease."
While simple obesity and pathological obesity are different, obesity is often accompanied by various chronic diseases, making it a disease in itself. Blindly and unscientifically trying to lose weight is, in Zhang Pianhong's view, "extremely reckless," whether it's a roadside shop offering weight-loss services or the people who go there. He says that weight loss is not just about losing weight; the correct and successful approach is to lose weight while preventing or improving various chronic diseases. Clearly, this is a strength of reputable hospitals; however, currently only a small percentage of obese patients are aware of this and seek help from hospital nutrition departments. Director Zhang Pianhong says that the Ministry of Health has specifically issued a "Guideline for the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in China," which provides guidance on weight loss in multiple aspects, including diet, exercise, behavior, medication, and surgery; developing a diet plan is only one aspect.
Director Zhang said he couldn't provide a ready-made weight loss diet plan because everyone's situation is different. However, he advised adhering to the principle of consuming more low-energy, low-fat foods with moderate amounts of protein and carbohydrates, rich in trace elements and vitamins. He didn't mean completely excluding high-calorie foods. "My view is that all foods are acceptable; just try to change the way you eat them and control the total amount," he said. Tofu is better eaten cold, avoid fried tofu; eggs are better boiled, avoid fried eggs; pork is okay, but don't eat too much. He added that when doctors create diet plans for patients, "you can definitely negotiate," meaning fewer restrictions but not excessive intake. For particularly obese patients or those with a strong motivation to lose weight, Director Zhang said the hospital would also prescribe suitable nutritional bars or nationally approved (currently only two types: Xenical and Sibutramine)
