Nowadays, if you randomly pick 10 people, maybe five of them are trying to lose weight, while the rest might be planning on how to slim down, indicating the importance everyone places on weight management.
Although everyone knows that losing weight is about “controlling your diet and getting moving,” there are still differences in outcomes. Some succeed in losing weight, while others stay thin despite feeling hungry. Why is this so? Below, we will share some lesser-known weight loss information.
Cool fact one:
Eating only vegetables and avoiding meat won’t necessarily lead to weight loss.
Many people attempting to lose weight fear eating meat, believing it is the source of obesity. However, this is a misconception. Meat is a source of protein, and moderate fatty meats can also increase satiety. Eating only vegetables daily may result in low energy intake but can lead to hunger, making it difficult to get motivated for exercise. In the end, the efforts may not yield the desired results. People who successfully lose weight often include some meat in their diet. However, it is essential to remember to consume less red meat and more lean meat to gradually slim down.
Cool fact two:
Burning the midnight oil and not sleeping doesn’t help with weight loss.
“Staying up late can speed up metabolism, burn more calories, and enhance weight loss effects.” If you think this way, you’re mistaken. People who frequently stay up late and sleep poorly often cannot resist hunger and end up seeking something to eat. In states of extreme hunger, individuals tend to instinctively choose high-calorie foods, particularly sweets. Additionally, the body secretes a hormone called leptin at night, and its purpose is evident from the name. Research has shown that staying up late affects leptin secretion. Therefore, it’s better not to justify staying awake at night. As the saying goes, “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Cool fact three:
There is a law of energy conservation; don’t believe in negative-calorie foods.
There is a belief that foods like celery, bok choy, etc., have very low calories and require energy for digestion and absorption, which in turn burns more energy, aiding in weight loss. In reality, all foods supply nutrients and calories. While vegetables aren’t the primary source of energy, they still have calories. Picking the wrong varieties can result in a considerable calorie intake, such as cherry tomatoes and purple sweet potatoes. The key to weight loss is regulating calorie intake rather than relying solely on foods with minimal calories that get expended during digestion and absorption. It is better to take a hundred steps than depend on minimal energy expenditure through digestion.
Cool fact four:
Eating slowly can make you feel full more quickly.
The amount of food consumed during a meal depends not only on how much our stomach can hold but also on how much our brain wants us to eat, as feelings of hunger and fullness come from the brain. Therefore, people who eat quickly generally consume more than those who chew slowly. Thinking that slow chewing will result in better absorption is a misconception; even when gobbling food down, weight gain can still occur. It takes around 20 minutes from the start of eating to feel full. With a fixed duration, the faster the eating rate, the greater the total consumption.
Cool fact five:
Does cooling rice reduce its calorie content? Cold or hot, it’s the same.
Some believe that cooled rice produces resistant starch that cannot be digested and absorbed, resulting in lower energy in cold rice. While this is partly true, the content of easily retrograded starch in rice is low, around 20%. Thus, the energy difference between cold and hot rice isn’t significant. There’s no need to eat hard and cold rice daily for weight loss. Moreover, eating cooled rice can lead to higher consumption. So, it’s better to avoid forcing down cold rice.
Cool fact six:
Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain; eat a bit more for dinner.
Breakfast is the longest fasting period between meals. When one skips breakfast and eats less for dinner, it’s like having only one main meal a day. Under the influence of low blood sugar, we tend to consume more food. Additionally, the body increases its absorption rate accordingly, so many people find that despite skipping breakfast and eating less at dinner, weight loss progress is slow. The best approach is to have a fulfilling breakfast, a good lunch, and a smaller dinner to achieve quicker and more stable weight loss.
Cool fact seven:
Sweating doesn’t equal weight loss; it’s mostly just water and salt.
Many individuals trying to lose weight mistakenly think that sweating indicates fat burning and calorie expenditure. In reality, sweat comprises mainly water and salt, with minimal urea at most, and has no direct relation to burning fat or losing weight. Sweating is the body’s mechanism to regulate body temperature by dissipating heat. Therefore, sweating can occur in high temperatures or during physical activity. However, sweating profusely doesn’t guarantee weight loss; it usually signals the need to rehydrate.
Cool fact eight:
The importance lies in the amount consumed, not in high or low calorie content.
If all obesity were attributed to high-calorie foods or excessive meat consumption, it would be incorrect. In reality, many individuals become overweight even without consuming any meat or sugary foods. Therefore, the root cause of obesity remains in the enjoyment of eating and lack of physical activity. Overeating any food type, regardless of its calorie content, leads to obesity, just as cows consuming grass or rabbits eating vegetables. Consuming less high-calorie foods can also prevent weight gain. The key to weight loss lies in adopting the right methods.
Source:
Published by People’s Medical Publishing House: “Effective Methods to Help Children Lose Weight”
Editors:
National Health Science Expert Database Expert: Zhang Yu, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention
National Health Science Expert Database Expert: Tang Qin, Chinese Medical Association
