Trying to take shortcuts often leads to taking the long way around: Lessons from two weight loss experiences

Story Sharing 7: Trying to take shortcuts will only lead you astray.

A woman recently told me about her weight loss experience.

"I started reading your Weibo and books in 2016. By eating healthily and exercising more, I easily lost fat in 3 months, got 5-pack abs, and had a clear six-pack. My figure is amazing."

"In 2017, I became a bride. In pursuit of a slender figure, I took a two-week course of food bars (the kind used for the ketogenic diet) from the hospital's nutrition department. I did lose weight very quickly at the time, but the effect on improving my figure was significantly less than when I lost weight in 2016 through a healthy diet and exercise. After stopping the food bars, my weight rebounded very quickly."

"In April 2018, my weight reached its highest point in several years. I went to the nutrition department and got a 3-week supply of food bars, which helped me lose weight quickly, but the weight rebounded a few months later. Now most of my fat is concentrated in my abdomen and thighs."

"I'm currently trying to conceive and dare not use the ketogenic diet anymore. I've re-followed your Weibo account and read your book on pregnancy and postpartum nutrition. After countless weight loss and rebound cycles over the years, I've finally returned to a healthy diet and exercise."

Another man also shared his weight loss experience with me.

"I used to be an obese person weighing 100 kilograms. In order to lose weight quickly, I first fasted for 2 weeks and followed a regenerative ketosis diet, and lost 25 kilograms in 3 months. I did lose weight, but my complexion became obviously worse, my skin became loose, I looked much older, and my energy and physical strength decreased significantly."

"Now I don't dare to eat normally at all. Besides fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables, I take all kinds of vitamins and health supplements. As soon as I eat a little staple food, my weight rebounds quickly. I don't even dare to eat fruit casually."

"When I'm out socializing, people are always curious about how I've lost so much weight and they're all envious. At first, I felt proud and really smug, but now I feel like life isn't as happy as it used to be, and I'm under a lot of pressure. Besides being unhappy because I can't eat delicious food, I'm also afraid that my weight will rebound and my family and friends will laugh at me, and I'm also afraid that eating like this will affect my health..."

Take a close look at the people around you who lose weight quickly. Those who rely on starvation diets, fasting, or ketogenic diets to lose weight will inevitably experience sagging skin, loose muscles, and decreased physical strength. Comparing before and after photos, you can clearly see the difference in facial firmness. Loose skin makes a person look older, which is a sign of physiological aging.

So how can you get your muscles firm again? A weight loss and fitness expert offers some advice.

Simply eating food bars won't work for weight loss. You need to combine aerobic exercise with strength training, exercising at least five times a week while ensuring a high protein intake and a negative energy balance. Once your weight is within a normal range, increase the proportion of strength training while gradually increasing your food intake to build muscle. Then, continue maintaining a negative energy balance to burn off the fat gained during muscle building. Two or three low-carbohydrate diets followed by high-carbohydrate diets, combined with long-term fitness training, are necessary to achieve a normal basal metabolic rate and a decreased body fat percentage. Besides such long-term effort and self-discipline, there is no other weight loss method that is completely free of side effects and can maintain weight loss results in the long run.

How many impatient people can actually do such a complicated process? This high- and low-carbohydrate diet cycle is no simpler than the low glycemic index + high satiety + high nutrient density + low-intensity exercise method that I recommend. Therefore, any method that seems like a shortcut is actually the most roundabout.

By adopting a diet with 45%–50% carbohydrates for energy and consistently engaging in moderate aerobic and muscle-building exercises, you can gradually lose weight. After a year, the amount of fat lost is no less than with methods that prioritize rapid weight loss followed by controlling rebound, and it's simple, painless, health-free, and much less expensive. You can achieve this even without a coach.

The biggest drawback of this method is its inability to effectively stimulate economic growth. In this world driven by economic interests, how widely can a method that doesn't generate profits be promoted and adopted?

Actually, I don't object to people using other methods to lose weight. I just want to let everyone know that there's this simple and natural option. If you feel tired of using other weight loss methods, you can always go back to this one.

Like the woman in the story, many people tried various methods before realizing the advantages of this simple and natural weight loss method, and then remarked, "In fact, so-called shortcuts often lead to detours. After all the detours, you eventually have to return to the right path of a healthy diet and exercise."