Side effects of dieting, food choices, and the relationship between water intake and weight loss.

105. How can you avoid side effects when dieting to lose weight?

While dieting can be effective for weight loss, its side effects should also be noted.

In recent years, there have been increasing reports of weight loss leading to anorexia nervosa, which has become a social problem.

Of course, the main reason for its occurrence is that obese girls are ridiculed by their families or peers, which creates a kind of pressure. In this case, social factors, psychological factors and physiological factors can all lead to the onset of the disease.

Anorexia nervosa mainly occurs in young women aged 15 to 23 who are obsessed with physical beauty, resulting in extreme food deficiency and significant weight loss.

In the later stages of the disease, most patients develop an aversion to food, and even when relatives and friends try to persuade them to eat, they experience nausea and vomiting.

This is a psychological reaction, not caused by organic diseases of the digestive tract or other systems in the body, and it does not have the characteristics of hysteria. The patient himself never admits that he is sick.

Although these patients are young, they appear very old, with dry and inelastic skin and a large amount of vellus hair.

Due to low metabolism, symptoms may include bradycardia, low blood pressure, hypothermia, cold intolerance, cyanosis of the hands and feet, abdominal pain, constipation, and in some cases, diabetes insipidus and edema.

Female patients may experience amenorrhea due to uterine atrophy and decreased ovarian function.

The main symptoms are a weight loss of more than 25% or less than 30% of the original weight, and amenorrhea for more than three months.

The key points of treating this disease are to first understand the patient's psychological state, eliminate any adverse psychological factors, provide meticulous care, observe closely, and conduct psychological counseling and guidance.

At the same time, provide emotional support, persist in encouraging the patient to eat more, and give chlorpromazine 400 mg/day to patients with severe conditions, along with nasogastric feeding. Additionally, lowering blood sugar through small doses of insulin can also be effective.

How should obese people choose their food?

The main nutrients in food include protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals (trace elements), fiber, and water, of which the first three provide energy.

In the Chinese diet, carbohydrates make up the largest proportion, followed by fat, and protein is the least.

From a nutritional perspective, however, it should be high in protein, moderate in carbohydrates, and low in fat.

Carbohydrates, also known as sugars, are mainly provided by grain products, while vegetables contain very little carbohydrates.

Fat is mainly provided by meat and cooking oil, while protein content is relatively high in eggs, meat and beans.

After these three substances enter the human body, through digestion, absorption and utilization, each gram of protein or carbohydrate produces 16.7 kilojoules (4 kilocalories) of energy, while each gram of fat produces 37.7 kilojoules (9 kilocalories) of energy.

Under the principle of a low-calorie diet, obese patients should mainly choose vegetables, soy products and melons and eggplants, appropriate amounts of eggs, a small amount of grains, and little or no cooking oil.

Fish are high in protein but low in carbohydrates, so they can be eaten alternately with eggs.

Among meats, only beef, mutton, and poultry have relatively low fat content, but they should still be consumed in equal amounts with eggs.

Fruits and beverages can be combined appropriately, and low-sugar varieties should be chosen.

Minimize or eliminate sugar intake, and limit salt consumption to reduce the increase in blood volume caused by obesity and reduce the burden on the heart.

While providing low-calorie foods, attention should be paid to the total volume of the food. Vegetables and gourds are relatively larger in volume and are more likely to alleviate the "satiety problem" of obese patients than grains of the same calories, which helps patients gradually adapt and cooperate better.

Fiber in food is difficult for the body to digest and utilize, and is mostly excreted intact. Therefore, vegetables rich in fiber are a good choice.

Based on the calculated total daily calories, refer to the following calorie exchange tables for various food types to select food varieties.

Generally speaking, one serving of staple food (836 kJ), one serving of meat and fish (418 kJ), and one serving each of vegetables and fruits (418 kJ each).

Fish and meat can be substituted for eggs; dairy products can replace grains; vegetables and fruits can be substituted for each other; and fats should be avoided as much as possible.

(The following table content has been deleted)

Can you restrict water intake when trying to lose weight?

Water is a nutrient, but it is often overlooked when discussing various nutrients.

Water is actually the most abundant component of the human body and is an important substance for maintaining normal bodily functions.

Practice has shown that people can live longer without food than without water.

When a person goes without food for a long time and loses most of their glycogen and all of their fat, and even half of their protein, they can still barely survive. However, once they lose 20% of their water, they will die.

Water is an indispensable building block in all human tissues. All tissues contain water, such as blood (90%), muscle (70%), fat (20%), and bones (22%).

Water plays an indispensable physiological role in the human body. Processes such as digestion and absorption, metabolism, blood circulation, body temperature regulation, and the excretion of metabolic waste and toxic substances all require water.

If the body is not adequately hydrated, normal physiological functions will be impaired, affecting health.

The goal of weight loss is to reduce excess fat, not water weight.

Reducing water intake can actually decrease the effectiveness of weight loss.

This is because the body needs more water to metabolize fat than carbohydrates, and dehydration will affect fat metabolism.

Some people believe that drinking too much water can lead to obesity.

In fact, obesity is caused by excess body fat, not excess water.

Among the various tissues in the body, fat has a relatively low water content, so drinking water will not increase the body's fat content.

When the human body is not functioning properly, it has a very precise water balance function. The amount of water excreted each day is basically equal to the amount of water ingested, maintaining a dynamic balance. No matter how much water you drink, it will be excreted from the body.

Therefore, drinking water will not cause actual weight gain.

However, when a person is dehydrated, part of the water intake is used to replenish the body's original deficiency. In this case, weight may increase, but this is a normal phenomenon and is actually weight recovery.

Of course, this doesn't mean you can drink more water, because drinking too much water can increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, heart, and kidneys, and it's not good for your health. So you should drink more water appropriately.