Scientific Weight Management: Understanding the Truth About Weight Loss Through Negative Balance Diets, Basal Metabolic Rate, and Lifestyle Habits

The reason for weight gain is simple: the saying goes, "Less is more flavorful, more leads to weight gain." If you consume too many calories each day, those calories will turn into fat, causing you to gain weight. However, obesity can also be caused by other factors. If the cause of weight gain is solely due to excessive calorie intake and unrelated to other factors, it's called "acquired obesity." To avoid acquired obesity, it's essential to maintain a balanced diet and avoid excessive calorie intake. To gain one pound (0.4536 kg) of fat, you need to consume approximately 3400 kcal. If you exceed your daily calorie intake by 500 kcal, you will automatically gain one pound in a week.

Actually, eating too much fat is very easy. If you like to eat and usually eat a little more than others, or have an extra meal, then congratulations! You are likely a prime example of acquired obesity. Don't assume that stopping high-fat foods will automatically lead to weight loss. Because obesity is related to a high-fat diet, stopping it only puts your body into a state of dietary balance-meaning that calorie intake and calorie expenditure are roughly equal. It doesn't lead to weight loss, only weight stabilization. To lose weight, you need to adopt a negative energy balance diet.

A "negative calorie balance diet" refers to a diet where the body consumes fewer calories than it burns. For example, a negative calorie balance diet of 500 kcal per day can result in a weight loss of approximately one pound after a week, and so on. However, it's best to understand your body's condition before starting a negative calorie balance diet. First, know how many calories you need each day and avoid consuming more than that. Then, assess whether you can sustain a negative calorie balance diet. If your health condition does not permit it, do not embark on a rapid negative calorie balance diet, as insufficient nutrient intake can not only harm your health but also cause a range of symptoms.

To avoid the future struggles of obesity, one must practice moderation in eating. Some people may misunderstand dietary control, believing that eating less or not eating at all equates to dietary control, leading to the widespread adoption of methods like reduced food intake, dieting, fasting, and abstinence. However, dietary control is not about blindly reducing food intake, dieting, fasting, or abstinence, as these methods, if performed improperly, can result in insufficient nutrient intake. For obese individuals, dietary control refers to a balanced diet, or a mildly negative energy balance diet. A balanced diet means a diet that is nutritionally adequate, with calorie intake roughly matching the body's calorie expenditure, thus helping to stabilize weight.

To lose weight, a balanced diet alone is not enough. To achieve true weight loss and slimming, a mild negative balance diet is necessary. When following a negative balance diet, at least two things must be considered: First, calorie intake must not be less than the body's basal metabolic rate (BMR). Basal metabolism refers to the energy expenditure of the body at rest. Simply put, the BMR for an adult male is approximately 1,000 calories per kilogram of body weight per hour. If a man weighs 60 kilograms, his BMR is approximately 60 x 24 = 1440 kcal. Therefore, this man should consume at least 1440 kcal per day.

Secondly, when following a negative energy balance diet, it's essential to calculate the body's total calorie expenditure. To calculate the minimum total daily calorie intake, you can refer to the following formula: Minimum Daily Total Calories = Standard Weight × [25 kcal (light physical labor) or 30 kcal (moderate physical labor) or 35 kcal (heavy physical labor)]. For example, for a person with a standard weight of 60 kg: light physical labor requires 1500 kcal, moderate physical labor requires 1800 kcal, and heavy physical labor requires 2100 kcal. Do not blindly reduce your food intake; consult a professional if necessary.

In theory, controlling your diet can control your weight. But why does weight still increase even with strict diet control? People strictly control their diet to regain a slim figure, hoping to get rid of their overweight bodies. However, after a period of time, the big belly remains, the thick waist and wide hips are still there, and the weight on the scale hasn't decreased at all. Even if some people can lose a little weight, it's contrary to their wishes; they find that they haven't lost weight in the places that should be thinner, while the places that should be fuller have become much thinner. This is especially true for office workers, drivers, cashiers, or computer workers who sit for long periods, who find it extremely difficult to slim down their waist and abdomen.

Some people eat very little, but immediately feel bloated after drinking water. Drinking a glass of water before bed can cause swelling in the body, feet, face, and eyes upon waking. In fact, even if each organ is functioning normally, imbalances or disharmony in organ function can lead to obesity and edema! Theoretically, controlling diet can control weight and obesity, but some people, despite strictly controlling their diet, still cannot lose weight. This is because imbalances or disharmony in organ function can indeed cause obesity and edema.