National Dietary Guidelines for Weight Management

The core logic of the "National Dietary Guidelines for Weight Management" is never to make you so hungry that you quit this or that, but to create a reasonable negative energy balance on the premise of ensuring adequate daily nutrition. All adjustments must be adapted to your life rhythm. There is no universal weight loss recipe that suits everyone.

To be honest, I have seen too many people come up and ask if there is a general recipe for losing 10 pounds in 7 days. Then they turn around and copy the homework of 16+8 fasting and vegetarian meals from Internet celebrities. They are so hungry that they feel dizzy and their aunt runs away, blaming their own lack of willpower. A little while ago, a young girl who just graduated came to me for consultation. She said that she had lost 8 pounds after eating boiled vegetables for half a month with a blogger. However, she gained 10 pounds after eating hot pot with a colleague last week. She cried and said that her "fat-prone body is hopeless." In fact, what is her problem? It is that she has not grasped the core of the guideline - sustainability is the first priority.

There is a lot of quarrel about weight loss diets on the Internet now. Some people say that low-carbohydrate is yydS, some people say that the Mediterranean diet is the gold standard, and some people insist that low GI is the code for not rebounding. In fact, these statements are correct, but the people they are suitable for are completely different. For example, a low-carbohydrate diet can indeed help people who have a large body weight and usually like to eat high-sugar foods to see results quickly, and they can gain confidence if they fall off the scale quickly in the early stage. However, if you are a programmer who has to fix bugs and write solutions every day, don’t join in the fun. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates and can’t think straight, and you stare at the code at three o’clock in the afternoon, the salary you lose is much more valuable than the two pounds of meat you lost. If you usually spend a lot of time cooking at home and like to eat fruits, vegetables and seafood, it is certainly comfortable to follow the structure of the Mediterranean diet. But if you eat takeout every day and don’t even have the conditions to boil an egg, and you are stuck in the ritual sense of the Mediterranean diet, aren’t you asking for trouble?

Don’t think it’s difficult to implement the requirements of the national guidelines. You really don’t need to eat brown rice and boiled chicken breasts every day. I used to help a 996 Internet user make adjustments. I didn’t let him cook a meal. I just asked him to make two more remarks when ordering takeout: half the rice, more blanched vegetables, less oil and salt, and the sauce should be packed separately. His favorite braised chicken before was eaten with soup and rice, but now he only eats the meat and vegetables, and eats half a bowl of rice with the sauce. He has lost 20 pounds in more than three months. In the meantime, he often went to barbecue and drink beer with his colleagues, and he did not regain it. Don’t underestimate this adjustment. It’s much more effective than if you were hungry for three days and turned around to eat a 2,000-calorie hot pot meal.

The topic that everyone has been arguing about the most recently is "Can we eat carbohydrates?" In fact, both sides of the argument make sense. From the perspective of abstaining from carbohydrates, refined sugar, white rice and white flour raise blood sugar quickly, and it is indeed easy for people to accumulate fat. The effect of controlling refined carbohydrates in the short term to reduce weight is visible to the naked eye. ； But from the perspective of the opposition, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the brain. Long-term insufficient intake can lead to endocrine disorders, memory loss, and even amenorrhea in women. The energy supply ratio of macronutrients given in the guide is 50%-65% of carbohydrates, 10%-20% of protein, and 20%-30% of fat. This gives everyone enough room for adjustment. If you have high blood sugar and want to lose weight quickly, reduce the proportion of carbohydrates to 50% and replace it with more grains. ； If you have to prepare for exams and meet clients every day, increase your carbohydrate intake to 65%. Only when you are full can you have the strength to work. Don’t make yourself groggy every day just to lose two kilograms of meat.

You really don’t need to worry too much about the small details. I didn’t have time to make a whole grain breakfast before catching the subway in the morning, so I bought unsweetened boiled corn with tea eggs at the convenience store, which completely met the requirements. ； There is no need to hide when having a dinner with friends. First use two chopsticks to stir-fry vegetables or boil shrimps to fill your stomach. Change the drink to sugar-free tea instead of cola milk tea. Even if you can't help but eat two pieces of cake, don't feel guilty. Just eat normally the next day. It's better than showing off at a buffet. I have a sales client who has to eat with her every day. She lost 12 pounds in a year just by relying on this method. No one around her noticed that she was losing weight, and they even commented on how she was getting better and better. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to drink 1500-1700ml of warm water every day. Many people become fat not because they eat too much, but because they drink milk tea and cola as water. A 500ml bottle of cola has the same calories as two bowls of rice. If you drink it every day, it will be difficult to lose weight even if you eat boiled vegetables every meal.

In fact, to put it bluntly, weight management is never a painful practice. You don’t have to force yourself to eat things you don’t like, and you don’t have to count calories every day until you get a headache. Follow the general direction of the guide, slowly adjust your eating habits, and find a rhythm that you can stick to for a long time. This is more reliable than any short-term quick fix method. After all, we lose weight to be healthier and happier. If we make ourselves anxious every day, then we are putting the cart before the horse, right?