Why are Chinese people generally slimmer than people in Western countries?
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In addition to genetic factors, longstanding dietary habits are also a major reason.
Chinese people emphasize “flavor,” while foreigners emphasize “nutrition.”
With the development of the times and the improvement of residents’ living standards,
our country has been able to balance both “flavor” and “nutrition.”
As a result, in recent years, the average weight of Chinese residents has increased.
If you pass by the entrance of a primary or middle school, you will easily notice many overweight “little chubby” children in real life.
Many people think being fat is fine, children should be able to eat well, it can be dealt with when they grow up.
Unfortunately, this misconception has harmed many children and families.
In Jiangxi, there was a 14-year-old little chubby boy whose weight was equivalent to two adult males.
Eating 18 packs of instant noodles in one meal was nothing unusual, but ultimately he lost his life due to obesity.
Who was he? Was there another reason behind him severely exceeding the weight limit?
Unusual food consumption from a young age
This child named Xu Zhoulei was not particularly heavy at birth.
As the third child in the family, Xu took his mother’s surname “Xu” and his father’s surname “Zhou” for his name.
Seeing the big chubby boy just born, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou’s first reaction was that the child must be healthy.
As strong as a rock, they added the character “Lei” to his name.
As the youngest child in the Zhou family, he was unquestionably a favored one.
Whatever Xu Zhoulei wanted, he could get, especially with his older siblings doting on him.
A turning point occurred when Xu Zhoulei was one and a half years old.
Due to an invitation from relatives, the family decided to stay in Hainan for a while.
Whether it was the air in Hainan that invigorated him or the delicious food there.
During their temporary residence in Hainan for a month, Xu Zhoulei, who was just one and a half years old, developed a big appetite.
Not only did his food consumption increase, but his body size also swelled like a balloon.
Upon returning home, his weight had increased by nearly 10 pounds.
At that time, the family did not realize the seriousness of the situation.
It was only when Mr. Zhou noticed that the child’s weight did not decrease after returning from Hainan and his appetite kept growing.
Monitoring his weight, they found that Xu Zhoulei’s weight would increase by almost two pounds every month.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou consciously wanted to help their son lose weight, but Xu Zhoulei was too young at that time.
He had no idea about being fat or slim, he only knew that his parents weren’t feeding him.
Every time his parents tried to control his food intake, little Zhoulei would cry heartbreakingly.
The young child tearfully cried out that he was hungry, which his parents couldn’t bear.
So, the first attempt at a weight loss plan was aborted before it even began.
By the time Xu Zhoulei was 4 years old, his weight had reached 90 pounds, and various health issues arose.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou took him to see a doctor, and the doctor advised them to lose weight and control his diet.
Otherwise, if the child develops habits when older, it would be harder to correct them, but getting Xu Zhoulei to lose weight proved to be no easy task.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou stumbled many times on this road, and Xu Zhoulei himself suffered a lot.
What was going on?
The exceptionally difficult weight loss journey
The first method Mr. and Mrs. Zhou thought of was to reduce Xu Zhoulei’s meal portions and have him exercise.
So, every day, Mr. Zhou took Xu Zhoulei out for a walk early in the morning, walking for almost an hour.
Following a strict nutrition plan, Mrs. Zhou hoped to influence Xu Zhoulei’s development and growth while helping him eat less.
No snacks or similar items were allowed at home, and Xu Zhoulei’s siblings were not allowed to take him out to eat.
Unexpectedly, these measures led Xu Zhoulei to develop other bad habits.
Once, when Mr. Zhou returned home from work, he saw his son coming out unsteadily from a neighbor’s house.
He then realized that although his son ate little at home, at such a young age, he was wandering to the neighbors for food.
Moreover, the neighborhood’s grocery store staff reported that snacks from the store often mysteriously disappeared.
All these incidents made Mr. and Mrs. Zhou very embarrassed, as they had to apologize to the neighbors every day for their son’s actions.
Eventually, they were even forced to move to a new place.
Since they couldn’t get their son to slim down, they had to seek help from outside.
At this point, a relative suggested sending the child to Shaolin Temple.
In the temple, there was less greasy food and fewer snack temptations, and daily martial arts training could aid in weight loss.
Initially hesitant, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou ultimately decided to send their son to Shaolin Temple for over a year, where his body did slim down significantly.
Upon Xu Zhoulei’s return from Shaolin Temple, his parents were delighted to see his transformed physique, thinking the trip to the temple was worth it.
However, did things actually turn out as they had hoped?
In a place like a monastery, Xu Zhoulei couldn’t eat to his satisfaction, but there was no way out.
Surrounded by hills and barren land, there was nothing to eat, and the monks in the temple weren’t his parents; they eventually relented to his demands.
Under such circumstances, Xu Zhoulei did lose a lot of weight.
A year later, when his parents brought him back home, he completely let go of his inhibitions.
Eating openly every day, consuming whatever he desired, he put on weight again.
His parents tried to advise and discipline him, but to no avail, as Xu Zhoulei continued to hide and sneakily eat.
His weight issues also led to him being unpopular at school, with classmates often teasing him behind his back.
After being mocked once, Xu Zhoulei’s young self-esteem was hurt, and he made up his mind to lose weight.
But before two days could pass, he gave up on his own accord.
At just 10 years old, Xu Zhoulei weighed 180 pounds, surpassing many adults.
Unable to cope in school, he had to drop out and stay at home.
Every day after work, Mr. Zhou would come home to find his son either eating or playing video games, which infuriated him.
So, he sent him to a well-known online weight loss institution for training.
Life at this weight loss institution was not much different from the Shaolin Temple, and indeed, Xu Zhoulei lost over 60 pounds.
But once he stopped training and returned home, his appetite and weight rebounded, even more strikingly than before.
Being young, Xu Zhoulei didn’t see the severity of the situation; as long as he could eat, what did being fat matter?
However, the death of someone pointed out the seriousness of his situation to Xu Zhoulei.
This was “China’s No. 1 Fattie” Sun Liang, who died at the age of 22 due to multiple organ failure caused by his obesity.
The reality that being overweight could lead to death frightened Xu Zhoulei.
But losing weight was indeed too difficult; starving was unbearable!
At this point, those around Mr. and Mrs. Zhou also suggested that their child’s obesity might not stem from mere overeating.
So, what was the underlying cause of Xu Zhoulei’s obesity?
An “illness” inherited from the womb
Dr. Chen from the Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University also heard about this chubby child from Jiangxi.
Based on years of medical experience, Dr. Chen suspected that there might be some hidden illness in this chubby child.
Seeing the almost 300-pound child, he was startled upon arrival.
Xu Zhoulei now not only had trouble walking but even getting up was difficult for him.
Dr. Chen collected Xu Zhoulei’s genetic sample for comprehensive testing and indeed discovered an issue.
Xu Zhoulei often felt hungry not because he was greedy but because he had a rare condition known as “Small Fatty Willy Syndrome.”
This condition had been documented before, as it was caused by a genetic defect on the 15th chromosome of the patient.
Despite the somewhat lighthearted name of this syndrome, it could indeed lead to fatal consequences.
It could make patients feel unsatisfied with fullness, have an exaggerated appetite, and even exhibit compulsive eating behavior.
Furthermore, this condition could lead to irritability, emotional instability, and more in patients.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou also noted that their son was indeed more impatient and emotional than other children before.
But until then, they had always thought it was just a simple behavioral issue.
For children with this condition, hormone intervention is needed from an early age, but Xu Zhoulei had missed the optimal treatment period.
Therefore, conventional methods were no longer effective for treatment.
When this was revealed, it was like a bolt from the blue for Mr. and Mrs. Zhou.
They never suspected any problems with their child; they had completely overlooked it and it was now too late.
The most important thing now was to control Xu Zhoulei’s weight to prevent other health problems due to obesity.
Based on the assessment by the expert team, Xu Zhoulei was prepared for gastric bypass surgery.
To facilitate a smoother surgery, he needed to control his weight.
Dr. Chen took Xu Zhoulei back to the hospital and devised a weight loss plan for him.
Initially, Xu Zhoulei was cooperative, knowing the doctors were trying to save his life.
Even though he felt constantly hungry and miserable, he was willing to persevere.
But on a dark night, his hunger became unbearable.
All he could think of was food; hunger had taken over his reasoning.
He somehow managed to gather 18 packets of instant noodles from somewhere and devoured them all.
This condition could erode a person’s willpower time and time again, even adults would struggle, let alone a 14-year-old child.
Nevertheless, Xu Zhoulei managed to reach a weight suitable for safe surgery.
The medical team decided to remove half of his stomach and a large portion of his small intestine to control his appetite.
Post-surgery, Xu Zhoulei did eat less, and his weight maintained at around 220 pounds.
However, his “greed” didn’t spare him; in 2019, his appetite and weight returned, even more dramatically, shooting up to 400 pounds.
On April 12, 2021, Xu Zhoulei passed away due to obesity-related complications, leaving this world.
Conclusion
Xu Zhoulei’s short life was tormented by his insatiable appetite.
What’s heartbreaking is that this wasn’t his intention, but a consequence driven by the condition he suffered from.
Therefore, we must always be vigilant about our own and our family’s health in daily life.
Don’t let temporary neglect lead to prolonged suffering.
