Recently, a news about Jia Ling losing 100 pounds through plastic surgery has sparked heated discussions. She mentioned in her Weibo article that this year has been really hungry and tiring, like a lifetime. She has become a role model, bringing the motivation to slim down and hope for hard work.
"Jia Ling's weight loss of 100 pounds was achieved through more than a year of continuous efforts, with an average monthly weight loss of less than 10 pounds. Through scientific weight loss, it is completely possible to achieve this," said Dr. Ye Yanbin, Chief Physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University. Mr. Liu, who has been practicing weight loss plans in the nutrition weight loss clinic of the hospital recently, is a representative case of losing 10 pounds per month.
Sitting more and moving less, his weight keeps skyrocketing
Mr. Liu, who came for the initial diagnosis, is an engineer. He is 42 years old, 193cm tall, and has a large physique with a tired face. During the consultation, he continuously yawns and can also hear heavy breathing sounds. He has been suffering from sleep apnea syndrome for the past year. Poor sleep quality at night, poor mental state during the day, prone to drowsiness, wheezing, palpitations, etc.
Two years ago, his weight fluctuated between 90-100kg. Due to a lack of moderation in daily diet, work is mainly sedentary, and there is very little leisure exercise. He used to be a basketball player, but as his weight increased and his joints were damaged, he was also prone to gout attacks after exercise. He stayed away from exercise for a long time.
His family was worried about his health issues and urged him to seek medical attention as soon as possible, but Mr. Liu always used busy work as an excuse until the harm caused by obesity made him have to face it seriously. On the recommendation of a friend, he sought out the professional nutrition and weight loss team led by Dr. Ye Yanbin, Chief Physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University. Mr. Liu said that he had used various methods to control weight before, but all of them had little effect and were prone to rebound. During weight loss, he was so hungry that he felt anxious and unable to persevere.
After on-site physical examination and nutritional assessment by Ye Yanbin, it was found that Mr. Liu, aged 42, weighed 145.6 kg and had a BMI of 39.1 kg/m2 (normal BMI index between 18.5 and 23.9) at the time of his visit. Mr. Liu is classified as Grade III obese, with a visceral fat level of 21 (recommended optimal visceral fat level of 5-8).
As Mr. Liu has not undergone a physical examination for a year, according to the standardized weight loss management process, the doctor team must first understand the patient's comprehensive disease situation, and then develop a personalized weight loss plan based on it.
Mr. Liu underwent a series of health examinations based on the doctor's advice. The test results showed that his blood fat, uric acid and blood sugar were high, and he was diagnosed with a series of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, severe fatty liver, moderate sleep apnea syndrome, reflux gastritis and esophagitis.
Most obese individuals suffer from varying degrees of fatty liver. Ye Yanbin emphasized that if not intervened in a timely manner, moderate fatty liver can progress to severe fatty liver, and in severe cases, it can transform into cirrhosis or even liver cancer, threatening the patient's life. Obesity is also an important risk factor for diabetes. According to Ye Yanbin, it is not uncommon for overweight patients to weigh over 200 pounds in outpatient clinics, ranging from teenagers to middle-aged and elderly people. Failure to intervene in obesity in a timely manner will cause irreversible damage to health.
Steadily losing weight and embracing a healthy life again
According to the consensus of weight management experts for overweight or obese individuals, Mr. Liu's obesity situation can be considered for surgical weight loss. At the same time, endocrinologists suggest using medication to regulate blood sugar and assist in weight loss. They also informed Mr. Liu that surgical weight loss surgery can be considered, but he expressed his desire to first observe the effect through lifestyle interventions.
Based on the patient's feedback and various indicators, the doctor provides a comprehensive plan of medication treatment and lifestyle adjustment: the diet adopts a progressive approach of reducing energy and high protein, and the team doctor and nutritionist closely follow up.
In the first week of intervention, Mr. Liu lost 2.6 kilograms of weight, and the overall speed was relatively fast.
Mr. Liu intervened for a month and came for a follow-up visit. He compared his condition with before the intervention: weight loss of 11.3kg, fat loss of 3.2kg, visceral fat grade decrease of 3 levels, and BMI decrease of 3 units.
Mr. Liu's ultimate goal is to achieve continuous weight loss and not rebound after weight loss, and to lose weight in the first month
The quick result is that Mr. Liu's muscle loss is relatively high. The nutrition team adjusted the diet and exercise intervention plan for the second month, supplementing protein and strengthening exercise. However, during this period, there were two instances of gout attacks caused by excessive exercise. The team promptly adjusted their diet plan, reducing total protein intake and food choices. After two days of adjustment, the gout situation improved significantly, and they continued to follow the weight loss plan.
Under the guidance and adjustment of the team, Mr. Liu gradually adapted to the entire intervention process. During this process, Mr. Liu's weight also continued to decline and gradually entered the third month. While following up in the nutrition department, Mr. Liu also continued to follow up in the endocrinology department. The medication was used continuously without any adverse reactions, and the dosage of the medication was also the smallest, with good blood sugar control. From the weight curve of these three months, it is evident that Mr. Liu's weight has been consistently decreasing, and the downward trend is good.
