16 - Conclusion: Why Is Weight Loss Not a Personal Issue?

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

In all the previous lessons, we've discussed various weight loss

methods and helped you understand all aspects of weight loss. But

reflecting on the days of accompanying people through weight loss, I

cannot tell you that "this is a very simple thing." To be honest,

weight loss is indeed a test that almost certainly involves

experiencing hunger, irritability, and ubiquitous temptations that make

it difficult to persist.

Today, obesity has become a public health issue. Data shows that

currently, more than 2 billion people worldwide are overweight or

obese. This means that one in every three people in the world is being

troubled by health problems caused by being overweight or obese.

So in this final lecture of the course, I want to expand our thinking

together. Let's stand at a higher dimension and see where humanity's

way out in fighting obesity lies. Are we only able to fight obesity

through individual efforts, or can we unite to do something together?

Obesity Is Not a Personal Issue

First, please imagine a scenario: a 300-pound heavyweight appears

across from you at the dinner table. What would your first impression

of him be?

Probably many people would involuntarily think, "He must eat a lot,"

"He must be lazy and rarely exercise," "He should be a very

undisciplined person," etc., and then kindly suggest he "eat less and

move more."

Indeed, the word "fat person" has been stigmatized today, often

associated with negative impressions like "gluttonous,"

"undisciplined," and "lacking self-management ability." Those who are

obese, on one hand, have to struggle with their own bodies, dealing

with a series of discomforts and even diseases brought by obesity; on

the other hand, they have to deal with pressure from people around

them, enduring negative criticism like "undisciplined."

Few people have thought about whether obesity is really entirely a

personal issue. Is it really just because individuals are

"undisciplined" and "can't manage themselves"? With just a little

analysis, you'll understand that things are far from that simple.

First, from the perspective of biological evolution, obesity may be

rooted in human genes.

Throughout the long evolutionary history, human ancestors were

accustomed to the kind of life of hunting or gathering wild fruits

where they had meals irregularly. To survive, they had to find every

possible way to store energy for emergencies. Now you know why we can't

walk away when we see "energy bombs" like ice cream and cakes, right?

In the past, this was certainly a survival advantage that allowed our

ancestors to survive hunger and endure famines. But in today's era of

energy surplus, this survival advantage immediately becomes a big

trap—clearly we don't need that much energy, but the result of millions

of years of evolution still makes us store all the excess energy in our

bodies. No wonder there are more and more fat people!

Second, commercial society, while satisfying people's needs, is also

objectively exacerbating the obesity problem.

Just look up at the bright lights and wine in restaurants of all sizes,

the dazzling array of snacks in supermarkets, and the takeout platforms

that are so convenient you can order with just a finger tap, and you'll

know how fragile our ability to act for health is.

At the same time, extensive research has found that repeated exposure

to the taste of a food makes people like it more and eat more of it.

Medicine calls this phenomenon "food preference." We all like the taste

of our hometown and the food our mothers make—this is actually the same

principle.

It's this food preference that leads to a vicious cycle—millions of

years of evolutionary results make us like high-fat, high-sugar foods;

to make money, merchants cater to people's tastes and produce these

ultra-processed foods; and long-term exposure to these unhealthy foods

changes people's dietary preferences, making them like these tastes

more; this then stimulates merchants to produce more... Such cycles

drag more and more people into the quagmire of obesity.

Do you understand? Obesity is not one person's business at all, but a

product of long-term human evolution. Entering modern society, the

energy surplus brought by industrialization and the behavioral

inducement of commercial environments on people have made this problem

even more prominent.

Just in early March 2020, a multidisciplinary panel of 36 international

experts published a scientific statement on eliminating obesity

discrimination in the world's top scientific journal "NATURE." They

believe that only by eliminating prejudice and generating new public

awareness can the global obesity problem be alleviated.

Acting Together to Change the Obesity Problem

Since obesity is a public health issue, what can we individuals do?

In the past, weight loss was indeed not a big consensus, and many

people even thought being fat was prosperity, a symbol of status. But

today, this need for weight loss and small trend has gradually been

noticed by some enterprises.

On takeout platforms, there are more and more stores specifically

selling weight loss meals; in supermarket beverage cabinets,

sugar-free, calorie-free drinks are often placed in prominent

positions; even when "Dedao" previously ordered meals for employees,

they would tell restaurants to make sure to provide two low-oil,

low-salt dishes every day at lunch...

Indeed, individual power is weak, and we cannot directly change the

entire social environment, but we can look at this problem from a

different angle.

The profit-seeking commercial environment is a stumbling block on our

weight loss journey. If we are used by it, we will fall into the abyss

of getting fatter and fatter, at its mercy. But conversely, can we use

the profit-seeking characteristics of merchants to transform it and

make it serve us?

This is not empty talk. Every time we buy one more weight loss meal,

every time we buy one less sugary drink, every time we eat one less

serving of fried chicken and fries..., it's equivalent to adding a

stone to one side of a seesaw, stimulating merchants to provide more

healthy food. Over time, when we all take action, as more and more

stones are added, the position of the seesaw will reverse.

So, everyone can contribute to solving obesity, this public health

problem. Every time we order food, every time we shop, every time we

consume, we are doing something different, injecting our own strength

into this big environment.

More Changes Are on the Way

Of course, besides individuals, the entire society and the entire

public health system can also play a greater role.

Currently, society has recognized the harm of obesity and defined

obesity as a disease. The subsequent improvement actions should all be

on the way. From this perspective, governments, schools, and weight

loss institutions all have great potential.

First is the government—governments of various countries can fight

obesity through formulating national policies.

For example, Samoa is one of the countries with the highest rates of

overweight and obesity in the world, with 85% of Samoans deeply

affected by obesity. So the Samoan government banned the import of

turkey tails, making people eat less of this high-calorie food. The

Turkish people also love turkey tails, so the Turkish government

imposed high tariffs on imported turkey tails...

China, like many countries, has adopted a very effective measure—food

labeling. You'll find that since 2013, our country has mandatorily

required all packaged finished foods to clearly mark nutritional

substance ratios and ingredient components. This can also help us

choose food correctly to a large extent.

Of course, governments of various countries have more policies to

consider. For example, taxing unhealthy foods, prohibiting the sale of

high-sugar drinks to children, organizing schools to provide more

nutrition courses for students...

Schools play an important role in children's growth and can do much

more.

Currently, many schools around the world are already taking action. In

the book "Nudge," there's an interesting experiment: the school simply

moved the position of desserts in the cafeteria display case from eye

level to a place where you have to bend down to reach them, which

greatly reduced the probability of students eating desserts. This is a

simple yet effective change.

More changes in schools will certainly happen in the near future. In

the future, schools should develop more courses related to food and

health, teaching children to read food labels and correctly select

foods; at least 1 hour of exercise classes daily, ensuring children get

no less than 30 minutes of exercise that reaches target heart rate; for

overweight children, they should also provide weight management courses

together with families, as well as guidance manuals. These should all

be on the way.

Of course, professional weight loss institutions are also

indispensable.

Experience from European and American countries tells us that weight

loss with professional institution participation is more effective,

safer, and has significantly lower rates of weight rebound. In these

weight loss institutions, commercial, that is, for-profit institutions

account for 90%, while public hospitals account for less than 10%. But

regardless, they all have one characteristic—professionalism. They not

only have qualified weight loss coaches and standardized weight loss

processes, but also have quality control systems that can effectively

communicate with medical institutions.

And these are exactly what our country urgently needs to improve.

Currently, China has no shortage of numerous weight loss institutions

or medical professionals who understand weight loss. What we lack is

precisely the bridge in between. We can't let medical professional

technology leave hospitals to empower more weight loss institutions,

thereby serving more people.

However, gratifyingly, change is happening.

Just in May 2020, we established a Lifestyle Medicine Center at the

National Cardiovascular Disease Center, which is precisely an

organization that can train weight loss coaches and weight loss

institutions.

It can not only alleviate the enormous pressure on hospitals in

preventing obesity and related diseases, but also bring technical

momentum to the health service industry. And these professionally

trained coaches, weight loss institutions, and even domestic services

can solve your weight loss problems in your gym, your community, and

around you, which can be said to kill three birds with one stone.

Conclusion

In summary, obesity is definitely not one person's business, but a

serious public health problem. Fighting obesity requires efforts from

schools, weight loss institutions, and governments of various

countries, as well as contributions from each of us.

Whether you are losing weight yourself, or family and friends are

engaged in the weight loss business, whether you are a consumer in the

food industry chain or a merchant producing food, you can take action

to fight against obesity, this big problem, both for ourselves and for

our children.