Several beautiful women in the office gather to discuss how to lose weight. Some suggest going to the gym, some say avoiding carbs, some mention using meal replacements, but the most debated topic is still about dieting. Suddenly, the lovely Xiao Q is unhappy, “You guys are fat because you eat a lot, but I eat so little, why am I also overweight?”
When it comes to losing weight, we’ve focused too much on how to lose weight, but we’ve overlooked the root cause of why we gained weight. Most overweight people are not born that way; they were once slim and then inexplicably started gaining weight at some point, becoming uncontrollable. In the end, it’s all about issues with our “digestive” system.
Let’s separate “digest” and “metabolize.” The stomach’s function is to “digest.” When the food we eat reaches the stomach, it grinds the food into chyme through peristalsis and the action of stomach acid, but the stomach doesn’t absorb it. The ground-up food is then transported to the small intestine, where the function is to “metabolize.” The pancreas and bile secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine, where in the warm environment, these enzymes work to help the small intestine convert the ground-up food into nutrients. These nutrients are then absorbed by the small intestine and transported to other body organs to sustain life. Useless residues are expelled from the body through the large intestine.
The digestive and metabolic functions should be balanced. If the food we eat can be completely absorbed and converted while meeting the body’s needs, our body should be in a healthy state, neither too fat nor too thin. However, if the ground-up food reaches the small intestine but the temperature there is low, inhibiting the proper function of digestive enzymes, some food may not be converted as it should. Regardless of the conversion, the small intestine still needs to absorb and transport it.
Understanding the difference between digestion and metabolism, the first question arises: does eating more necessarily lead to weight gain?
However, in modern life, food is abundant, and everywhere is filled with the temptation of delicious food, often we eat not just to maintain life but for the enjoyment of our taste buds. Eating a bit more is normal; for adolescents in the growth stage, with high demand, eating a lot is typical, and these young people usually are not overweight.
The problem arises with age, as our needs decrease while overeating and lack of exercise become common reasons for weight gain among modern people. In this case, weight loss is straightforward: control your diet, get moving, and usually, the results are significant.
The second issue: is being overweight always the result of overeating?
Not necessarily, many people maintain the same lifestyle and diet habits before and after gaining weight. So where does the problem lie? It’s in being “strong in digestion but weak in metabolism.” The stomach functions well, but the small intestine’s function diminishes, causing it to become colder. The small intestine’s temperature is inadequate for the digestive enzymes to function properly, resulting in some food not being converted as intended. Whether refined or murky, the small intestine still absorbs it, leading to accumulation among the body’s organs.
Why does the small intestine become cold? Often, it is due to a habit of consuming cold drinks, milk, fruits, seafood, foods with a cooling nature. Aren’t fruits good for weight loss? From a health perspective, having a bit of fruit after meals can aid digestion, but excessive consumption or as a meal replacement will strain the small intestine.
The most common example is the “beer belly.” Did it expand from drinking beer? Not exactly, consuming ice-cold beer in summer hurts the stomach and cools down the small intestine, causing the body to accumulate fat in the abdomen to keep the internal organs warm – a natural response. This condition, often seen as a “damp-cold” constitution, leads to central obesity, notably around the waist and abdomen.
In this scenario, dieting or exercising might initially yield weight loss, but rebounding is common because the underlying “cold” issue remains unresolved. Once the weight-loss efforts cease, burnt fat rapidly returns to its original places – an instinctual response.
What can be done then? Reflect on your dietary habits, avoid foods with cooling properties, and promote blood circulation through warmth. Also, the most effective approach is moxibustion – to warm up the small intestine and eliminate the bloated belly.
The third question: why do some gain weight despite eating less?
If the first two reasons are self-inflicted, feeling unjustly overweight despite eating so little can be quite disheartening. This situation indicates being “weak in digestion and weak in metabolism.” People who eat less often don’t feel hungry because their stomach’s efficiency is low, consistently not emptying, hence never experiencing hunger but feeling full quickly. Simultaneously, poor absorption in the small intestine results in a state of “qi and blood deficiency,” causing those overweight individuals to appear overweight but feel “falsely fat,” with soft flesh when pinched, lacking strength, struggling to climb stairs, and sweating from mild exertion.
For individuals in this condition, what’s required is not weight loss but a proper regulation of the spleen and stomach.
On the weight-loss journey, many individuals yo-yo back and forth, losing weight and regaining it, making minimal progress, and subjecting their bodies to stress. Some weight-loss centers even advertise slogans like “drink big, eat big, and still get slim,” leaving people astonished because it seems to cater to the unhealthy lifestyles of many, promising weight loss without changing habits.
Regarding weight loss, self-reflection and self-restraint are crucial. Reflect on bad lifestyle habits and restrict desires for unhealthy yet delicious foods. Achieving these goals in today’s materialistic society is undoubtedly challenging. However, just as “premium ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods,” the healthiest body often necessitates the simplest lifestyle.
