"If you don't lose weight in March, you will be sad in April", the weather is getting warmer, this sentence is remembered by many young people. In fact, topics such as obesity and aesthetics have always attracted much attention.
On the one hand, the impact of weight on health needs to be paid attention to. According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Obesity (2024 Edition)" issued by the National Health Commission, the overweight and obesity rates of residents aged 18 and above in mainland China have reached 34.3% and 16.4% respectively, and the obesity rate of residents is on the rise.
On the other hand, under the coercion of the aesthetic standard of "white, young and thin", many young people have body anxiety. In May 2023, the death of a 15-year-old girl in Shenzhen due to excessive weight loss sparked discussion. Some media launched a survey on "Do you have body anxiety", 36,000 people participated in the vote, and nearly 30,000 people thought they had body anxiety.
So, how should we treat weight loss correctly? Can we meet a better self only by losing weight? Is society tolerant and adaptable enough for obese people?
To control your weight, gritting your teeth and running to compete with your appetite
Sun Dongai is a junior in college and has been suffering from obesity since adolescence. She felt that she was "suddenly fat", and she gained more than 20 pounds in a vacation in high school. Since then, she has embarked on a long road to control her weight.
Sun Dongai, who is 161 cm tall, weighed nearly 140 pounds when he was the fattest. In her opinion, losing weight is a battle with herself, she has always struggled with her appetite, in order to lose weight, she has tried various methods, "I haven't eaten a full meal for a while", but with little effect.
Fu Yuxin, who works in a bank, has never let go of his weight. He has been obese since he was a child, and after going to college, he has "lost weight" by dieting many times, but in the cycle of weight loss and rebound, he has gained 310 pounds.
For health reasons, Fu Yuxin deliberately went to the bariatric department of the hospital to consult medical experts. After examination, it was learned that obesity caused him to suffer from type II diabetes, high blood pressure, nocturnal apnea and other diseases. Doctors recommended that he undergo sleeve gastric surgery, commonly known as "gastric incision".
Fu Yuxin said that ordinary people do not need to have gastric surgery, but some people who are overweight and suffer from metabolic diseases such as diabetes need to achieve weight loss and treatment through this means.
Through surgery, Fu Yuxin's stomach was reduced by 3/4. However, it is not a one-and-done operation after surgery, he needs to undergo long-term recuperation, cannot eat indigestible food, and only returns to normal life after half a year. Fu Yuxin said: "Only I can experience the pain in this. ”
"Losing weight and losing fat is a solitary process. Zhang Xin is a music teacher, and in order to achieve his ideal figure, he spent 4 months brushing fat. In order to burn fat, he gritted his teeth and ran 5 kilometers a day. Zhang Xin said: "To brush fat, aerobic exercise is the most effective, so I have been insisting on running, running a little more every day, and every little progress will make me very happy." ”
It's not just about being trapped in the body's obesity
Young people who insist on losing weight have different ideas and purposes.
Li Boer, who was born in the 90s, lost weight in order to find a better job. Previously, Li Boer's weight had been maintained at about 100 pounds, and when he was the fattest, he reached 138 pounds. The weight gain not only brought physical trouble, but also made her feel the inconvenience in her life. "I'm a person who likes to be relaxed, and when I get fat, I find that travel is not friendly to a fat person: when I take the high-speed train, the seat is very crowded, and when I take a plane, I have to squeeze my body into a narrow seat, which is very uncomfortable. ”
Fu Yuxin has also felt such inconvenience. One year, on a flight to Hainan, he was 310 pounds and couldn't fasten his seat belt in a narrow seat, "I had to ask the flight attendant to give me an extension belt, and I was so anxious that I was sweating and embarrassed."
Media worker Chen Xiaole (pseudonym) has repeatedly suffered setbacks on blind dates due to weight problems. Weighing 150 pounds, she didn't care about this, but there were always friends around her who said to her, "If you are thinner, it will be more perfect", Chen Xiaole also laughed it off. It wasn't until multiple blind dates said that Chen Xiaole was "not in good shape" that she realized that "society has such strict requirements for women's figures".
Sun Dongai's parents often urged her to lose weight, constantly emphasizing that her figure was not perfect, "Once, my mother asked me to cut my stomach, and I thought I was just a little fatter, not to the point of cutting my stomach." We had many heated quarrels about this."
The pressure from her parents made Sun Dongai doubt herself, she didn't like to look in the mirror, she didn't like to wear colorful clothes, and she used to hide herself in black clothes, "because black looks thin". Walking on the road, she was also dodging the eyes of passers-by, and she didn't even know if someone was looking at her.
Shi Mao, associate professor and deputy chief physician of Jilin University of Medicine, has been paying attention to the topic of weight loss, and he has noticed that in recent years, there have been news that obese people have been rejected in recruitment, and obese people have encountered many inconveniences and problems in social life. He said: "We call on the public to pay attention to physical health, but also pay attention to the impact of social evaluation on the psychology of people who lose weight, and improve the adaptability and convenience from all aspects such as the social environment, so that they can better integrate into social life while coping with the problem of obesity, so as to avoid being troubled by career choices and marriage and love." ”
Health and self-consistency can meet a "more beautiful self"
In fact, behind the story of every dieter is inseparable from the psychological expectation and aesthetic pursuit of "hoping to meet a better self", but some people go to extremes because of this.
Li Haixia, who was born after 95, originally had a standard weight, but she felt that she would be more beautiful if she was thinner. In order to maintain her weight, she does not eat staple foods all year round, but because she does not consume carbohydrates for a long time, it affects the body's metabolism and endocrine system.
Li Haixia said that the society is full of various "beautiful and thin" aesthetic standards, "If I am fat, I will be very anxious, and the good-looking clothing bloggers on the Internet are very thin, constantly emphasizing that thinness is beauty." ”
Over the years, Sun Dongai has been swaying back and forth between disliking herself and accepting herself, although she does not agree with the current aesthetic of "thinness is beauty", but she can't step out of this circle, "I love to eat, but I feel guilty when I eat more, I can't eat enough every day, and my heart is very tormented." ”
In view of the current weight loss boom, Shi Mao believes that young people should first look at the weight problem correctly. "In fact, many people are not obese in the medical sense, but under the coercion of appearance anxiety, it is inevitable to have psychological anxiety. ”
Shi Mao suggested that young people refer to the "Expert Consensus on the Weight Management Process of Overweight or Obese People (2021)" to scientifically evaluate their figure, "Generally, we judge the weight of adults according to BMI, that is, body mass index, which is normal, and the index between 20-24 is normal, more than 24 is overweight, and more than 28 is obese." Adults who are within the normal index do not need to worry about weight, and inner fullness and abundance are more important."
In Chen Xiaole's view, the excessive pursuit of "white, young and thin" is a manifestation of unconfidence, catering to the public's aesthetics, in order to be affirmed by others. "We need to be strong in our hearts and really know what we want, not conform and follow. ”
Today, Chen Xiaole still maintains the habit of exercising, but her purpose has changed, "I used to want to lose weight through exercise to make myself thinner, but now I enjoy the process of exercise and enjoy the happiness brought by dopamine secretion."
Zhu Shu, born in the 90s, has the same feelings as Chen Xiaole. Zhu Shu said that she is what others call a "big skeleton" girl, and she has always looked strong. As her heart continues to grow, she reconciles with her weight, no longer paying attention to the changing numbers on the scale, and no longer deliberately controlling her appetite, "I respect my heart more, eat when I want to, and actively exercise when I want to exercise." I feel more and more that the body is a delicate instrument, and the more you care for and cherish it, the more positive energy your body will give you."
In Zhu Shu's view, some people are keen on losing weight, and some people like a slightly chubby body, which are all personal choices and should be respected by relatives, friends and society, "I think a better self is 'health and self-consistency', accepting other people's views and respecting their own choices." No matter what kind of self you are, you can express yourself confidently."
Sun Dongai believes that a better self should be strong enough to correctly understand and accept oneself, rather than pursuing to become a "better person" in the eyes of others. She tried to reconcile with her weight, "I want to be stronger and less internally comple, although it will take some time".
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