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“Doctor Li, have you heard of the ketogenic diet? I’ve been hearing about this ketogenic weight loss these days. Everyone says it’s very effective. What do you think?” At the end of the street, just after a day of hustle and bustle, Aunt Wang and Doctor Li walked side by side, carrying the vegetables they had just bought.
“Doctor Li, have you heard of the ketogenic diet? I’ve been hearing about this ketogenic weight loss these days. Everyone says it’s very effective. What do you think?” At the end of the street, just after a day of hustle and bustle, Aunt Wang and Doctor Li walked side by side, carrying the vegetables they had just bought.
Doctor Li smiled, pushed his glasses on his nose, and said, “The ketogenic diet has been quite popular recently. Indeed, many people have successfully lost weight through this, but the pros and cons must not be ignored.”
The story begins a few months ago. At that time, Aunt Wang’s neighbor, Uncle Zhang, who is the main character of our story, decided to start the ketogenic diet. This middle-aged Uncle Zhang was overweight, with high blood sugar and lipid levels that worried his family.
The doctor had advised him to control his diet and exercise more, but Uncle Zhang always thought he could still hold on, and as a result, his weight kept increasing.
Until one day, Uncle Zhang saw a program on TV talking about how to lose weight quickly through the ketogenic diet. He was intrigued and decided to give it a try.
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Dear readers, the author has limited income and has to include a short 5-second ad in the article, watching it will allow you to read the full content for free. I know this may be slightly annoying, but it does help me increase some income, so I can continue to write. Your understanding is my greatest motivation, and I will strive to bring more quality content!
What is the ketogenic diet? At first, Uncle Zhang didn’t know. He searched online and found that this diet mainly involves reducing carbohydrate intake, causing the body to enter a “ketosis” state, relying on fat breakdown to provide energy.
Uncle Zhang slapped his thigh, thinking this is exactly what he needed. So, he decided to give up staple foods like rice and noodles, and instead started consuming a lot of meat and fat.
In the first few days, Uncle Zhang enjoyed his meals. Stir-fried meat, stewed ribs, big pieces of beef steak, he could eat them all heartily. Fried eggs in the morning, beef for lunch, roast duck in the evening, life suddenly became rich.
Uncle Zhang thought to himself, “This isn’t weight loss, this is enjoying life!” However, after a few days, he started to feel something was off.
“Why do I feel dizzy these days?” Uncle Zhang was puzzled. He thought it might be because of the hot weather and didn’t pay much attention. However, days later, the dizziness not only didn’t ease off, but worsened, accompanied by thirst and palpitations.
Uncle Zhang began to question the reliability of this diet, but when he thought about how long he had been sticking to it and that his weight had indeed decreased, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
So, Uncle Zhang persisted for almost half a month, and indeed, he lost a considerable amount of weight. Every time he stood in front of the mirror, watching his loosening belt buckle, he felt secretly delighted.
However, months later, Uncle Zhang felt that his body was starting to struggle. He began to feel physically weak, listless, and often fatigued.
What worried him most was that although his blood sugar and lipid levels had decreased, he began to frequently feel discomfort in his stomach and sometimes even experienced unexplained diarrhea.
At this point, he finally realized the seriousness of the issue and decided to go to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up. When the doctor saw the test results, he frowned and said, “Uncle Zhang, indeed, your weight has decreased over the past six months, but your liver and kidneys have been affected to varying degrees.
These are the side effects of the ketogenic diet; your body has been functioning at an overload.”
It turns out, the ketogenic diet can indeed lead to rapid weight loss in the short term, but relying long-term on a diet high in fat, protein, and low in carbohydrates can burden the liver and kidneys.
The liver needs to metabolize a large amount of fat, and the kidneys need to eliminate the accumulated ketones. Over time, various body indicators are likely to have problems, especially for people like Uncle Zhang who are aging and whose organ functions are not as good as when they were younger. Casual changes in dietary structure are highly likely to backfire.
The doctor also told him, “The ketogenic diet is essentially a special metabolic mode and is not suitable for everyone, especially for those with liver and kidney function issues or metabolic syndrome, as it may increase the body’s burden.”
After hearing the doctor’s explanation, Uncle Zhang finally realized his past mistake. He began to readjust his diet structure, add an appropriate amount of carbohydrates, reduce fat intake, and slowly return to a more balanced diet.
Although his weight did increase slightly, his physical condition gradually improved, and Uncle Zhang no longer believed in “quick weight loss methods” but chose a more healthy and sustainable approach.
At this point in the story, Aunt Wang couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Li, do you think weight loss still needs to rely on both diet and exercise, can’t be too extreme, right?”
Doctor Li nodded, “Exactly. Weight loss cannot just focus on immediate results; long-term health must be considered. In situations like Uncle Zhang’s, being hasty can backfire. The key to healthy weight loss lies in scientifically sound diet and moderate exercise.”
The story leads us to a thought-provoking question: besides the ketogenic diet, what other seemingly effective but potentially risky weight loss methods do we need to be wary of?
First and foremost, we have to mention the “very-low-calorie diet” weight loss method. This approach advocates extremely low daily calorie intake, usually less than 800 calories.
Indeed, weight loss can occur rapidly in the short term, but due to the body being in a prolonged state of starvation, the basal metabolic rate will rapidly decrease. More importantly, very-low-calorie diets often fail to provide adequate nutrients, leading to a lack of essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
This weight loss method is highly prone to malnutrition, dizziness, fatigue, and, in severe cases, can lead to anorexia and other psychological issues. Once returning to a regular diet, weight often quickly rebounds, creating a vicious cycle.
Another widely praised weight loss method is “fasting therapy,” which involves periodic fasting. The theoretical basis of this method is to induce weight loss by fasting and allowing the body to burn fat.
Although studies show that intermittent fasting can have certain metabolic health benefits in certain situations, for the average person, prolonged fasting may lead to blood sugar fluctuations, hypoglycemic reactions, and even gastrointestinal function disturbance affecting daily life.
Let’s talk about “detox weight loss methods.” This method usually involves drinking specific “detox drinks” or undergoing “colon cleansing” to achieve weight loss goals. These detox drinks may contain laxative ingredients, causing rapid weight loss by eliminating water and intestinal contents, but this type of weight loss is usually temporary, and weight quickly rebounds.
Additionally, overusing laxatives or colon cleansers can disrupt the balance of intestinal flora, leading to digestive system disorders, and in severe cases, it can damage intestinal function, affecting long-term health.
Looking back at these weight loss methods, while they may appear to yield quick results, the potential risks behind them are not to be ignored. As Uncle Zhang’s experience illustrates, weight loss is not an overnight process, nor is it a goal that can be achieved on a whim.
In the pursuit of health, we need to choose carefully, treat our bodies scientifically and rationally, and avoid falling into the fallacies of “weight loss myths.”
In the pursuit of health goals, be sure to choose carefully, do not blindly follow trends, and treat your body scientifically and rationally. Because health is the greatest wealth, weight loss is for a better life, not to sacrifice health for short-term results.
What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to discuss in the comments section!
Reference
[1] Wang Xueying, He Yixuan, Wang Ying, Zhang Jing, Chen Hui, Shi Meimei, Sun Lijuan. Clinical Application of the Ketogenic Diet in Weight Loss. Chinese Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2024, 31(1): 55-59
