Frequently Asked Questions about Weight Loss (Part 2): Plateaus, Constipation, Hunger, and Physical Examinations

(5) Is running more effective for weight loss?

At the same speed, running consumes more energy than walking.

However, running is not recommended for obese people with a BMI over 26, people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, or high blood sugar, people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, or people with knee problems.

When running, the joints bear a greater load at the moment the foot lands, which can easily cause joint damage.

People with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or hyperglycemia, as well as those with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, are more prone to running dangerously.

(6) What physical examination items are needed for weight loss?

① Pre-weight loss physical examination items: complete blood count, urinalysis, complete blood lipid panel, liver function, kidney function, blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood homocysteine, electrocardiogram, and liver ultrasound.

For severely obese individuals who are significantly overweight, it is recommended to add the following two items to the pre-weight loss physical examination, in addition to those mentioned above: a treadmill test and a sleep apnea test.

② Physical examination items during weight loss: If there are abnormal indicators in the physical examination before weight loss, it is recommended to have another physical examination when you have lost 7% of your weight.

The specific medical examination items are as follows:

a. Required tests: Complete blood count, urinalysis, complete blood lipid panel, liver function, and kidney function. These five indicators may become abnormal due to improper weight loss, so they should be checked again regardless of whether there were any abnormalities in the previous tests. The purpose is to monitor and manage the health and quality of weight loss through these physical examination indicators.

b. Optional physical examination items depending on the situation: blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood homocysteine, and electrocardiogram. If the physical examination before weight loss is abnormal, it is necessary to have the examination again. If these items are normal before weight loss, it is not necessary to have the physical examination again.

c. Special medical examination items: Liver ultrasound. If fatty liver is found in the pre-weight loss medical examination, this examination will not refer to the weight loss rate, but to the BMI index. It is recommended to reduce the BMI index to below 24 before the examination.

Fatty liver is closely related to obesity. If the BMI index does not reach the normal range, fatty liver is difficult to completely eliminate.

If you have a body fat scale at home, you can also detect the improvement of fatty liver by measuring the visceral fat index.

(7) What is the plateau period?

If you've only lost a few pounds and your weight stops decreasing, then you've definitely not hit a plateau.

A true plateau works like this: for example, you need 2,000 kcal of energy before you start dieting, and you consume 1,600 kcal during your diet. As your weight decreases, your energy requirement becomes 1,600 kcal. If you then consume another 1,600 kcal, there will be no energy deficit, so your weight will not change.

If the weight loss method is scientific and appropriate, and the loss of fat is minimal while muscle and water loss is minimal, then a weight loss of 10 kg will only reduce energy requirements by 100 kcal.

Based on this calculation, an energy difference of 400 kcal would require a reduction of 40 kg to reach a plateau.

Therefore, when you encounter a so-called "plateau," it is usually caused by improper weight loss methods, such as excessive hunger, excessive fatigue, or lack of nutrients; or it is a false plateau, which is often caused by inadequate implementation of the plan. If you continue to follow the plan, your weight will continue to decrease.

(8) Why does weight increase during weight loss?

Weight gain during weight loss can be caused by several factors: ① Women may experience weight gain as their menstrual period approaches. If dietary control is maintained during menstruation, weight loss should occur significantly after menstruation ends. ② Check the following aspects of the plan: meal times, meal frequency (skipping breakfast or lunch), variety of foods, excessive consumption of high-calorie foods, total food intake, eating before bed, and exercise after dinner. ③ If all of the above are followed correctly, the weight gain is likely due to bodily adjustment. It's possible the initial weight loss was too rapid, causing the body to replenish lost water and sugar, resulting in weight gain. Continue following the plan; weight gain should stop, and you can then continue with the next weight loss cycle. ④ It's also possible that body fat has decreased while muscle mass has increased.

(9) What should I do if I get constipated during my weight loss journey?

Reason 1: It is usually caused by insufficient water intake.

Drink more than 2,000 ml of water in small amounts frequently throughout the day. If constipation cannot be resolved, the amount of water should be increased. At the same time, choose vegetables that are high in dietary fiber, such as leeks, celery, asparagus, daylilies, and Chinese cabbage. Choose fruits such as dragon fruit and kiwi. Choose whole grains and tubers as staple foods.

Reason 2: Insufficient food intake, especially insufficient staple food. Please consume staple food according to the plan.

(10) What should I do if I feel hungry during my weight loss journey?

Hunger may occur between dinner and bedtime during weight loss.

There are generally two types of hunger:

One type is false hunger.

It often occurs in the first two weeks of dieting. Because snacks are cut out and the diet becomes lighter, there is some discomfort in the early stages of dieting. At this time, it is often just a craving, not real hunger.

How to tell: If you are not feeling hungry and your mental state is good, you can basically tell that you are experiencing false hunger. It is recommended that you brush your teeth, wash your face, and go to bed early.

Another type is true hunger.

This type of hunger manifests as palpitations, shortness of breath, and difficulty falling asleep.

It is recommended to eat less than 100g of fruit as soon as possible, or eat some vegetable soup with 10g of dried noodles or flour. After the meal, do some light physical activity and do not go to sleep immediately. At the same time, you should also analyze the reasons for hunger: Is it because you ate too little, or because you exercised too much? Solutions: Keep the amount of food the same and reduce the amount of exercise; or appropriately increase the amount of food and keep the amount of exercise the same.

(11) When is the best time to prevent obesity?

Preventing obesity should be a lifelong endeavor: From the moment of birth, the fetal period, early childhood (1-4 years old), and pre-adolescence (7-12 years old) are the key periods for prevention, and preventing obesity is a lifelong endeavor.

(12) What should a person with high blood sugar do if they feel extremely hungry during a meal?

At this point, you should not eat in the order recommended for weight loss. Instead, you should eat fruit or staple food first, chew slowly, and slow down your eating speed to raise your blood sugar level as soon as possible, thereby reducing hunger and preventing you from eating indiscriminately or wolfing down your food.

(13) What to do if there is too much oil when eating out?

Find an empty bowl or disposable cup, pour in some boiled water or mineral water, put the vegetables in to rinse them, or put them on leftover rice to remove the oil from the vegetables.

(14) Why did you drink a lot of water but not go to the toilet?

This indicates severe dehydration and the need to drink plenty of water.

(15) How to replenish water during exercise?

Drink small amounts of water frequently before, during, and after exercise. It is recommended to drink no more than 150 to 230 ml of water at a time.

Recommended hydration levels: Drink at least 500 ml of water after 30 minutes of exercise in summer, and at least 300 ml of water after 30 minutes of exercise in other seasons.

(16) If you sweat a lot during exercise, does that mean you are losing weight effectively?

After exercising and sweating profusely, many people are happy to find that their weight has dropped by as much as 1 kg, thinking that they are losing weight.

Actually, the weight loss at this time is due to dehydration.

Excessive sweating during exercise can lead to dehydration and weight loss if fluids are not replenished promptly.

If it is not the hot summer, and you sweat a lot during or after exercise, it can be basically determined that the exercise intensity is too high, and it is recommended to reduce the exercise intensity.

In addition, to prevent catching a cold after exercise, except in summer, it is recommended to exercise until you sweat slightly in other seasons.

(17) Can I skip taking nutrients?

Weight loss is a journey of malnutrition. Even if the diet is already reasonable, the intake of nutrients will also decrease due to the low energy intake. At the same time, fat is broken down for energy during weight loss, which increases the demand for nutrients. Therefore, it is essential to supplement nutrients during weight loss.

To give a more easily noticeable example, water is one of the seven essential nutrients for the human body. Insufficient water intake can cause a series of problems such as dry mouth, sore throat, a feeling of something stuck in the throat when swallowing, decreased immunity, and constipation. Long-term deficiencies in other nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, can also increase the risk of malnutrition and even lead to diseases. However, these diseases may not have symptoms in the short term and can only be detected during a physical examination, such as anemia, high uric acid, and abnormal blood lipid metabolism.

This problem is not hard to understand. Think about why some people develop anorexia or even lose their lives while dieting. It is caused by improper dieting methods and long-term nutrient deficiencies.

(18) Can I still lose weight if I have a family history of obesity?

Obesity has a genetic component, but that doesn't mean you can't lose weight.

Under the same conditions, they are more likely to gain weight than others, but as long as they learn to control it, they can still achieve a light figure.

If you eat a bowl of rice and it won't make you fat, but it will, then you can eat half a bowl of rice or turn the rice into a bowl of porridge and you won't gain weight.

In reality, it is generally believed that obesity is not caused by familial genetic predisposition to obesity; rather, it is more often influenced by lifestyle habits.

99% of childhood obesity and 95% of adult obesity are caused by overeating.