01 - All Three Goals Are Essential

Destination: All Three Goals Are Essential

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

Most things in life reward hard work, but weight loss may be the only

exception. As mentioned in the preface, the failure rate of weight loss

is as high as 99.5%. Most of these people are very diligent, working

hard to diet or exercise, but still fail in the end.

Therefore, it is more important to ask why we fail to lose weight than

to ask how to succeed.

Why Do We Fail to Lose Weight?

Why do we fail to lose weight? I can responsibly say that most people

fail not because they don’t work hard enough, but because their goals

are set incorrectly.

At first glance, you might think this is a joke. Isn’t the goal of

weight loss simply to lose weight? But in reality, to win the battle of

weight loss, it’s not just about reducing the number on the scale. If

you define the goal of weight loss as merely losing weight, you may

lose the battle before it even begins.

Why is that?

Because focusing solely on weight loss is too one-dimensional. We know

that any single-dimensional goal contains a tendency to become

distorted in the opposite direction. When someone focuses too much on

one thing, their actions become distorted, eventually leading to the

opposite of their intention.

Weight loss is the same. If the only goal is to lose weight, people

will resort to extreme exercise, then to extreme dieting, and if that

fails, even to liposuction... The entire process is only about the

number on the scale, ignoring everything else. This leads to two

unfortunate outcomes.

The first is weight rebound and failure. Once the weight drops, the

goal is lost, and previous behavioral changes cannot be sustained.

Rebound is inevitable.

The second, even worse, is losing health while losing weight. Physical

discomfort, hair loss, weakness, stomach issues, frequent constipation

or diarrhea—all become tormenting.

So, if you define weight loss solely as losing weight, you are almost

destined to fail.

Therefore, before starting to lose weight, we must clarify the goal. As

the saying goes, plan before you act. Spend ten minutes to clarify

this, and no matter what you do later, you won’t end up gaining weight

instead. The only difference will be how fast and how much you lose.

The "Three-Body Goal" of Scientific Weight Loss

If weight loss is not just about losing weight, what is the scientific

goal?

The "Three-Body Goal": weight, body fat, and body shape. Whether

for health or aesthetics, all three are indispensable.

Some may think: If I can’t even lose weight, how can I control body fat

and manage body shape? Isn’t that too hard?

Don’t think that way. As mentioned, focusing only on weight seems

simple but leads to failure. The "Three-Body Goal" may seem complex,

but it actually leads to a smoother path and is easier to implement.

Let’s break it down.

The first "body" is weight.

People have different professions, lifestyles, and preferences, so

weight varies. As long as it’s within a reasonable range and doesn’t

affect health, it’s normal and doesn’t need intervention. So, we need a

healthy weight range to judge if our weight is normal.

What do we use for this range? The Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is

calculated as weight divided by height squared.

For Asians, the standard is: men’s BMI should be between 18.5-24,

women’s between 18.5-23. Calculate yours; if it’s above this range,

you’re overweight and should consider losing weight.

But weight alone isn’t enough. Some people have normal weight but high

body fat, which is neither healthy nor attractive. So, besides total

weight, we must look at composition—specifically, body fat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the second "body" in the goal.

According to current standards, men’s body fat should be 15%-18%,

women’s 20%-25%, with some flexibility as age increases. Staying within

this range is normal.

If it’s outside this range—too high or too low—it’s unhealthy. Too low

affects basic functions (e.g., amenorrhea in women); too high leads to

high blood lipids, hypertension, diabetes, etc.

Why do people with similar height and weight look so different? The

difference is in body fat percentage.

For example, a woman with visible "abs" likely has about 20% body fat,

which is normal. Victoria’s Secret models, who are tall and thin, have

only 14%-17%, below normal. If someone has a loose belly with no

visible muscles, their body fat is likely 28%-30%. Now you have a

concept of normal body fat. You can estimate yours, but professional

measurement is more accurate.

Is controlling weight and reducing body fat enough? Not quite. The

third "body" is body shape.

Medically, body shape is assessed by waist circumference and

waist-to-hip ratio. Waist circumference is self-explanatory;

waist-to-hip ratio is waist divided by hip circumference. Common body

shape terms like "pear-shaped," "apple-shaped," "beer belly" all refer

to these indicators.

For Chinese men, waist should be under 85cm, waist-to-hip ratio under

0.9; for women, waist under 80cm, waist-to-hip ratio under 0.8.

For example, Marilyn Monroe, the famous American actress, had a waist

of 62cm and a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.69.

You might ask: Is body shape about looking good? Isn’t it just for

aesthetics?

Actually, no. From a health perspective, body shape is very

important.

Body fat is divided into subcutaneous and visceral fat. Subcutaneous

fat is the main energy store. More subcutaneous fat means more fat is

stored, reducing blood lipid concentration and making the body

healthier.

If fat can’t be stored subcutaneously, it accumulates in organs or

blood. This is called "abdominal obesity," which is very harmful,

leading to liver and gastrointestinal dysfunction, and greatly

increasing the risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke.

Thus, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio means a proper proportion of

subcutaneous fat and minimal visceral fat.

In summary, only when weight, body fat, and body shape all meet the

targets can weight loss be truly scientific.

Live for Health, Slim Down Along the Way

You may have noticed that the "Three-Body Goals"—weight, body fat, and

body shape—all point to one word: health. Healthy living is our guiding

principle and the ultimate goal of weight loss. Many people fail

repeatedly because they don’t have the right mindset.

I like a saying online: "Strive for your ideals, and wealth will

follow." Weight loss should be the same: Live for health, and slimming

down will follow.

Modern medicine tells us that if you stick to the "Three-Body Goals"

and live healthily, becoming more attractive and losing belly fat are

just side effects. Conversely, if you violate the ultimate principle of

health, results will be short-lived or ineffective, and weight loss

will remain a dream.

As mentioned in the preface, weight loss is for health, but also to

enhance attractiveness and competitiveness.

Social research shows that by embracing healthy living, we not only

achieve weight loss and health, but are also more likely to have family

happiness and career success.