Overcoming Obesity: A Simple Method for Sustainable Weight Loss Without Side Effects

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In a study from 2017 and leading up to the 2020 pandemic, 41.9 percent of the U.S. adult population was reported as not just overweight but obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Obesity not only affects personal health but also brings about social and economic problems. For example, a 2017 review published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health stated that in 2014, the impact of obesity on the global economy was estimated to be around $2 trillion, accounting for about 2.8 percent of the global gross domestic product.

Causes of Obesity

Many people are fully aware that lack of exercise and overeating are the leading causes of obesity, but other factors contribute as well.

Lack of Sleep

Studies have now found that not getting enough sleep can interfere with hormone secretion, disrupt the part of the brain that controls appetite, and affect the body’s metabolic efficiency, thereby increasing the risk of obesity.

A study published in the journal Cell Biochemistry and Function in August 2012 identified the effects of reduced sleep on metabolic and endocrine changes, including:

• Decreased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.
• Increased nocturnal concentrations of cortisol.
• Growth hormone releases of more peptides.
• Decreased levels of leptin.
• Increased hunger and appetite.

This can lead to overeating and, simultaneously, reduce the desire to move to burn the extra calories because you feel more tired.

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A 2019 study of Latinos was published in the journal Chest. The project, which studied the relationship between sleep duration and obesity among 2,156 Latinos aged 18 to 64, found that a one-hour sleep reduction was associated with a 4.1 percent increase in obesity, including a 3.6 percent increase in the prevalence of abdominal obesity.

Stress

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, prolonged exposure to high stress may cause hormonal imbalances that could affect appetite and metabolism. Stress can also lead one to choose unhealthy foods and drinks.

Medication

Certain medications, such as birth control pills, hormones, and antidepressants, all have side effects that can lead to weight gain and obesity, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Irregular Meals

Due to work or busy schedules, some people cannot follow a meal routine. Sometimes they eat more, sometimes less, skip meals or binge eat.

Hu Naiwen, a well-known Taiwanese traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician, said on his YouTube video program that such a practice disrupts the body’s fat metabolism and simultaneously affects the nerve center of the hypothalamus, which then fails to send normal satiety signals at the right time.

Some simply eat when they are around others who are eating or crave snacks even when they are full, and so on. The state of constant eating while being full will retard the satiety center. If this becomes a habit, the body will lose the ability to feel sated even when full.

TCM’s View on Obesity: Weight Loss Methods Should Be Applied With Caution

TCM believes that obesity is due to body frailty when water and fat cannot be dispelled, thus accumulating inside the body.

Among the many TCM classic books is “Fu Qing Zhu Gynecology,” which mainly records the diagnosis and treatment of TCM on female gynecological diseases but also mentions obesity.

It says: “Obese people suffer some form of qi (vital energy) deficiency, and they have more phlegm and salivation ... Such internal deficiency causes qi to decline and will fail to move the water around as it should. When dampness stays between the stomach and intestines, it will result in the inability to produce essence and makes saliva instead.”

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This means that obese people accumulate too much water in their bodies. While they may look robust, their internal qi is weak, and the water cannot be discharged completely, so it stays inside, resulting in obesity. The “phlegm” and “water” mentioned here do not refer to water as modern medicine sees it, but the water among the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth).

TCM believes that the five elements constitute the human body, so the substances that will be metabolized in the body, such as blood, body tissue fluid, urine, fat, and marrow, are all included in this category of “water.” Modern science also believes that the human body is 70 percent water, which coincides with TCM theory.

Hu said there are many modern-day weight loss methods, such as pursuing a ketogenic diet that reduces the intake of starch and increases fat and protein. Or one could resort to a plant-based diet. However, while all these methods can achieve weight loss, they might cause other problems in the body.

Achieve Weight Loss by Reducing 1 Meal a Week

The implementation is simple: Choose one meal to skip every week and eat normally the rest of the time to maintain balanced nutrition.

A proper diet means regular in both time and quantity for all three daily meals with balanced nutrition. Skipping one meal a week does not mean you can eat whatever you like at other times.

Hu explained that when you stop eating for one meal, while enduring hunger, the fat-containing cells will release leptin, which can help control appetite and regulate fat metabolism in the body, allowing the satiety center to function.

Overall nutrition will not be affected by skipping only one meal and eating balanced meals the rest of the time.