02 - Conservation: The First Principle of Scientific Weight Loss

 Hello, welcome to the "Scientific Weight Loss Course." I am Jessica.

In the last lecture, we clarified the most important goal issue of

scientific weight loss. Logically, having a goal means having

direction. Next, we should practice various weight loss methods in the

right direction.

But what's the reality? Various weight loss methods like "accelerated

fat burning," "energy blocking," "substance non-absorption," etc.,

flood media platforms and streets. Some wear the cloak of science, some

boast effective track records, some come from certain international

research institutions - all methods claim to be healthy and effective.

How do we judge? Which ones to choose and which to avoid?

At this point, we need a universally applicable basic theory to help us

identify the authenticity of all weight loss methods. Does such a

theory exist? The answer is yes. It's the law of energy conservation.

Energy conservation is the first principle of scientific weight loss.

All scientific weight loss methods are built upon this theory.

Understanding this point means you've grasped the underlying laws of

scientific weight loss.

Weight Loss Means Creating an Energy Deficit

You're certainly familiar with energy conservation. It states that

energy can neither be created nor destroyed out of nothing, and the

change in total energy of a system can only equal the difference

between energy input and output. This is one of the fundamental laws of

nature. "Fundamental" means it applies not only to the physical world

but equally to life sciences.

Actually, our human body is an energy conservation system.

For easy understanding, you can imagine the human body as a large water

tank with three water taps above for inflow and five taps below for

outflow. The water in the tank is like the energy stored in the human

body.

Specifically, the three inflow taps are the channels through which the

human body obtains energy - they can only come from carbohydrates,

proteins, and fats in food, medically called "macronutrients." Once

these foods are eaten, they're recognized as energy and, after being

absorbed in certain proportions, are broken down and converted for body

use. The five outflow taps are the five channels through which the

human body consumes energy, including daily metabolism, exercise

consumption, etc.

In summary, one large water tank, a bunch of taps, with water flowing

in on one side and draining out on the other. We can imagine - ideally,

the water flowing into the tank should match the water flowing out, so

the water level in the tank remains within a reasonable range, and a

person's weight stays stable. But if the inflow is particularly large

and the outflow particularly small, the water in the tank will

increase. In other words, if you eat a lot every day but consume very

little, the excess energy will be stored in the body, and you'll

naturally become heavier. So, there's no other reason for being fat -

it's just too much excess energy.

Okay, now you're too fat and want to lose weight? It's like saying

there's too much water in the tank and you want to lower the water

level. What do you do?

You can certainly think of it - create an energy deficit between intake

and consumption. Either reduce the incoming water or increase the

outgoing water. Gradually, the water level will drop, and you'll lose

weight.

Direction One: Increase Outflow, Increase Energy Consumption

Are these two methods feasible? Let's look together.

First, let's talk about the first method - increasing outflow, i.e.,

increasing energy consumption. As mentioned earlier, in the human body

water tank model, there are five outflow taps. Let's examine them one

by one.

The first is basal metabolism - the energy your body consumes to

maintain normal function even when you're completely still. This is the

largest outflow tap, much more than the energy you consume through

daily exercise. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for us to increase

it.

Everyone's basal metabolic rate is different, related to our age,

gender, height, body temperature, genes, weight, and body fat

percentage. Among these, age, gender, height, body temperature, and

genes are fixed and unchangeable. Only weight and body fat percentage

are controllable.

But the problem is that weight and basal metabolic rate are positively

correlated - to increase basal metabolic rate, you need to increase

weight. Obviously, this goes against weight loss and is completely

unworkable.

Of course, if you go to a gym, fitness trainers will tell you,

"Building muscle can reduce body fat percentage and increase basal

metabolic rate." Is this really true? We can calculate: each additional

kilogram of muscle in the human body only consumes an extra 13

calories, equivalent to half a cookie or a few sips of milk tea. But to

gain one kilogram of muscle requires at least two to three months of

intense training. It's too cost-ineffective, so give up on this idea.

The second outflow tap is the heat consumed by the human body to digest

and absorb food. Unfortunately, this can't be increased much either.

Because this consumption is related to food intake - the more you eat,

the greater the consumption. To rely on this for weight loss, you'd

have to eat more, which obviously goes against weight loss goals.

What about the third outflow tap - energy consumed by the human body to

maintain body temperature? The answer is also no.

Indeed, due to environmental temperature differences, we need to

consume energy to maintain constant body temperature. When cold, the

body generates heat to warm up; when hot, it cools down through

sweating. Both heat generation and sweating consume energy. But the

question is, how do we utilize this? We can't keep freezing in snow or

hugging a stove in summer, right? You see, this doesn't work either.

The fourth outflow tap is related to sleep reduction.

Research has found that when not sleeping, human metabolism does indeed

increase. In other words, sleep reduction can increase energy

consumption.

But at the same time, staying up late causes excessive activation of

the sympathetic nervous system, increasing secretion of various

appetite-related hormones, making people eat more. On the ranking of

reasons for increased eating, staying up late can rank in the top

three. Moreover, the body's fat breakdown activities need to occur when

insulin concentration is lowest, i.e., at night. In other words, if you

stay up late and don't sleep, your body can't even break down fat.

So, trying to lose weight by reducing sleep is also impossible.

After searching, there's only one outflow tap left - exercise and daily

physical activities. This is indeed something we can control, and it's

the only controllable one. We can move more and exercise more, opening

this tap wider to increase consumption.

Here, we can briefly summarize:

To increase energy consumption for weight loss, things like improving

basal metabolic rate and sleep reduction don't work. Our biggest

opportunity lies in focusing on exercise and daily physical

activities.

Direction Two: Reduce Inflow, Decrease Energy Intake

After discussing increased consumption, let's try another direction -

can we reduce the water flowing into the tank, i.e., lose weight by

reducing energy intake?

As mentioned earlier, in nature, only carbohydrates, fats, and proteins

can serve as energy sources for the human body. Let's examine whether

these three taps can be adjusted.

The first inflow tap to discuss is carbohydrates. The staple foods we

eat, grains, and snacks made from them all belong to carbohydrates.

Everyone knows this. But what you might not know is that various fruits

and vegetables also contain different components of carbohydrates.

When it comes to carbohydrates, it's a love-hate relationship:

We love them because they're our main daily energy source and the

brain's only energy source. Each gram of carbohydrates contains 4

calories. Moreover, carbohydrates include a type that cannot be

absorbed by the human body - fiber. This is found in various fruits and

vegetables we eat. Fiber not only doesn't convert to any energy but

also reduces the body's absorption of sugars and fats, making it a

weight loss tool.

We hate them because most carbohydrates can be absorbed by the human

body, with an absorption conversion rate of about 70%. When they're

excessive in the body, they easily convert to stored fat. This problem

is particularly prominent for us Chinese. Many people now completely

avoid meat for weight loss, cutting off almost all fats, but still gain

weight, possibly mainly because they eat too many staple foods.

So for weight loss, completely avoiding carbohydrates won't work, and

eating too much won't work either. What we can do is two things:

First, appropriately reduce staple food intake, turning down the

carbohydrate tap; second, eat more vegetables to supplement

non-absorbable carbohydrates, i.e., fiber.

What about the second inflow tap - fats?

As the second major substance providing energy to the human body, each

gram of fat carries 9 calories, more than twice that of sugar or

protein per gram, making it an energy bomb. Moreover, fat has the

highest absorption conversion rate, reaching 96%. So don't have any

illusions - once eaten, if not consumed, it will basically all be

stored. Easy absorption aside, the key is that fat consumption is

particularly difficult. Only after the body's sugar is consumed will

the body use fat.

Therefore, fat's metabolic characteristic is "fast in, slow out," most

suitable for energy accumulation, making it our most direct enemy on

the weight loss journey. To lose weight, we must strictly control total

fat intake, turning this tap down very, very small.

Finally, there's protein.

Each gram of protein can also provide 4 calories, same as

carbohydrates. But protein is so useful. It's the most important

substance for maintaining cell tissue growth and repair, so our body

generally doesn't store protein as energy but uses it as a tool. We

need protein to build muscle; burning fat also requires protein

participation.

So even during weight loss, not only can't we turn off the protein tap,

but we also need to supplement more - 1-1.5g of protein per kilogram of

body weight daily.

Here, we discover:

By reducing energy intake - eating fewer carbohydrates, strictly

controlling fat intake, and appropriately supplementing protein - we

can indeed help reduce inflow and ultimately achieve weight loss

goals.

Of course, here you just need to understand this big logic. As for

specific eating methods, we'll discuss them in detail later.

Key Points

1. The human body is an energy conservation system; weight loss must

create an energy deficit.

2. There is no mysterious substance or method that can consume fat

beyond energy conservation.

3. To increase energy consumption, only exercise and daily physical

activities are controllable.

4. To reduce energy intake long-term, remember twelve words: reasonable

carbohydrates, strict fat control, protein supplementation.In the last lecture