Case study illustrating the physiological mechanisms of human obesity

Another perspective on ideal weight goals

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One day, a friend asked me about a weight loss plan. This friend was 35 years old, 176 cm tall, and weighed 130 kg, which seemed like a very good physique. However, after asking him more questions, I found that he had symptoms such as arrhythmia, high blood sugar, and difficulty breathing during sleep.

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These symptoms are very dangerous signs. Therefore, I recommend that they lose weight. A combination of diet control and exercise is necessary to avoid any potential life-threatening situations.

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The initial advice to him was to set a weight loss target of 100 kilograms. During the weight loss process, he raised a troubling issue. This friend is an advertising design planner at an advertising company. At the beginning of the weight loss plan, he still kept a lot of snacks on his table, such as cookies, and was constantly eating them. Under such a habit, the creative ideas for advertising designs could not be generated smoothly.

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However, once he started strictly adhering to his diet control plan, he found it very frustrating to struggle with creative advertising designs. We understand that for someone 176 cm tall, a weight of 68.1-75 kg is optimal, and he needs to lose weight for a healthy life. But work is also very important.

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After repeated detailed discussions and advice, a compromise was adopted. Although the obesity was controlled slowly, the patient's physical condition, such as arrhythmia, high blood sugar, and difficulty breathing during sleep, improved, and the weight was maintained at around 100-110 kilograms.

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A healthy ideal weight is desirable. However, many practical situations make it impossible to force dieters to reach their ideal weight. Instead, developing a multi-stage weight management plan based on actual needs is a more feasible approach.

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In many weight loss treatments, the design and setting of weight loss goals should be discussed in detail, and the standards can be based on body fat percentage or standard weight.

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People often set a weight loss goal of 30 kg, and when they achieve a weight loss of 5 kg, their health improves significantly. At this point, whether they need to continue losing 30 kg is certainly a question that needs further discussion.

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In 1994, the International Obesity Society reported that achieving a 5% to 15% weight loss from one's current weight is the most achievable goal.

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Another point to note is that adolescents in their growth period have a higher basal metabolic rate than adults. Adults should not use their weight from their younger years as a standard when making weight loss plans; this is unreasonable.

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When you find that your actual weight differs from your ideal weight, your weight loss plan must simultaneously consider your physical and mental state and other medical and physiological needs during the weight loss period. This is a healthy way to lose weight. This is another perspective on ideal weight.

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Humans are animals that gain weight very easily.

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Fat accumulation is a natural physiological function of the body. So why do people gain weight?

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Looking around the natural world, very few animals suffer from obesity; we hardly ever hear of obese elephants or zebras. However, when we look at pets kept by humans or animals in zoos, we see some exhibiting symptoms of obesity, including conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, just like humans.

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Looking back at human history, humans initially relied on agriculture to sustain their lives. Thousands of years ago, they began hunting and gathering to obtain the necessities of life. Primitive life required the use of force to obtain these necessities, and figuring out when to have a full meal from morning till night was a daily struggle.

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Once food is obtained and ingested, it is quickly converted into energy, making it virtually impossible to accumulate fat in a normal diet. However, in modern life, people eat too much and expend too little energy. As a result, the energy is stored in the body as fat, leading to obesity.

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The human body has 18 billion fat cells that can store fat.

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Animals in nature have a habit of storing food after eating. Because their feeding habits are greatly affected by climate and environment, and the laws of survival in nature are harsh, some food is stored as fat after a full meal, while some remains in the liver.

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Fat cells in the human body are three times the size of ordinary cells, and there are more than 18 billion fat cells in the body, which can store a large amount of fat.

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We often think that we only need to start losing weight when we reach a certain level of obesity. In fact, the key to health is to detect obesity earlier and burn off excess fat as soon as possible.

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Incorrect dieting can lead to recurring obesity.

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There are too many weight loss advertisements on TV-weight loss foods and all sorts of weight loss methods tempt people struggling with obesity, making it seem so easy to lose weight. But in reality, there is no simple, quick way to lose weight. Strictly speaking, we can only pursue efficient weight loss methods, not simple and quick ones.

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Even those who have successfully lost weight often face the problem of recurring weight gain. This is medically known as "weight rebound" or "weight recycling." Why does this happen?

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This is because our bodies need to burn calories each day to sustain life; this minimum amount of energy required to sustain life is called the basal metabolic rate. For adult men, it's approximately 1200-1500 kcal, and for women, approximately 800-1200 kcal.

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In the early stages of obesity, the body's basal metabolic rate decreases, thus reducing the need for calories. If the body continues to eat the same amount as usual, the reduced basal metabolic rate will lead to the storage of more fat, resulting in greater obesity.

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The synthesis of human fat requires the promotion of certain enzymes. Obese people will have elevated blood sugar levels. In order to lower blood sugar, the brain will command the secretion of insulin. Insulin is related to changes in blood sugar and fat levels. This chain reaction causes "people with the illusion of obesity to be more likely to become obese." In other words, once weight gain is detected, obesity will quickly follow.

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Some people, once they set out to lose weight, suddenly reduce their food intake significantly and begin dieting. This method can be very effective in the first 3-4 weeks. However, they then find that the scale needle remains stuck for a long period afterward.

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Sometimes the human body can sustain life even with very little nutrition because it can adapt to a decrease in basal metabolic rate.

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At this point, the activity of active tissues is greatly reduced, and the brain will issue a judgment of life-threatening danger. Therefore, the body's fat will be broken down, the basal metabolism will decrease, the efficiency of food being converted into fat will improve, and the body's original low-fat constitution will be changed.

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Furthermore, while rapid dieting may allow you to immediately wear smaller clothes, people often become overconfident and start indulging in high-calorie foods like cakes again, reverting to their old habits. The body then begins absorbing and storing fat, instantly negating all the weight loss. If dietary habits aren't changed, the same result will repeat itself.

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1 cal (cal) = 4.18 joules, the rest of the book is the same.

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Repeated dieting and weight control activities can lead to a body type that is difficult to lose weight.

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Scientific experiments using mice have observed the effects of dieting and weight rebound. The experiments showed that in the first 21-day diet, the weight returned on day 46; in the second 46-day diet, the weight returned after 14 days.

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This experiment demonstrates that dieting for weight loss can create a body type that is prone to gaining weight, a phenomenon known as weight cycling.

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In addition to this phenomenon, there is a very important recent report, the core of which is the concept of "set point".

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Two groups of obese patients were treated. One group used a very low-calorie (VLCD) meal replacement diet of 200-600 kcal per day, which resulted in rapid weight loss. The other group used a diet to gradually lose weight.

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To compare the effects of these two groups, participants were selected who were obese patients weighing over 100 kg. These individuals had previously tried various methods but were still unable to lose weight. The results were observed through lifestyle modifications and guidance.

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The treatment results showed that the group using VLCD lost an average of 21.5 kg, while the other group lost 11.9 kg.

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However, a year later, the other group was able to maintain their weight loss, while the VLCD group rebounded by an average of 10.5 kg.

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The "fixed point" theory posits that due to genetics, the human body's weight or fat mass tends to remain relatively constant. This constant conservatism helps protect against extreme changes, and these protective mechanisms are strengthened during intense dieting, leading to a return to normal weight or fat mass. Each instance of dieting triggers the interaction between fat and enzymes, causing weight to rebound.

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Some middle-aged people who have gained weight, influenced by the "set point" view, believe that obesity is influenced by genetic factors and is unavoidable. It's possible that many people hold this view.

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However, a survey of obesity rates among identical twins with the same genetic makeup showed that the concordance rate of obesity rates among twins was about 70% during childhood, but only 30% in adulthood.

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This is incredible for twins who share the same genes. However, it also illustrates that the development of obesity is more influenced by the living environment than by genetics.

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Since obesity is greatly influenced by the living environment, in order to achieve a healthy life, we should try our best to avoid obesity, find a way to lose weight that counteracts a predisposition to obesity, and make continuous efforts to achieve our weight loss goals.