Overweight and obesity are two terms that are frequently used to define abnormal and excessive fat on individuals that then increases the individual’s risk of specific conditions and health problems.
In 2017-2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey showed that two-thirds of Australian adults were overweight or obese. These stats add up to be 67.0% of the population, which then calculated to be 12.5 million people.
Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of physical and mental health issues which may include;
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure and cholesterol
- Risk of having a stroke
- Joint problems – gout, arthritis and joint pain
- Reproductive problems
- Low self-esteem and depression
- Social isolation
Causes Of Overweight And Obesity
The number of calories an individual should intake per day depends on the individual’s age, height, current weight, activity levels and metabolism. There needs to be a balance between eating and participating in physical activity. If an individual is consuming more calories than they are burning off, they will put on weight as this extra energy is being stored as fat. When an individual eats few calories and burns them off by exercising or moving around, the weight will be lost. This, therefore, results in the most common causes of obesity: overeating and lack of physical activity. Although there are still many other reasons why.
Many factors have contributed to the increasing rates of overweight and obesity, which include:
- Food choices – Eating unhealthily, such as foods that are high in fat and sugar
- An inactive lifestyle – Not being physically active and travelling more by car compared to walking
- Genes – Genetic factors may increase a person’s risk of being overweight or obese
- Prices – Unhealthy food is less expensive and more convenient to access in the modern world
- Misinformation – People are misinformed about health and nutrition
Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective On Weight Loss:
From a TCM perspective, there are many possible reasons for the inability to lose weight, but easily the most common is what the Chinese call, spleen qi deficiency. This means having a weak digestive system, therefore, resulting in not allowing the body to absorb and transport food effectively.
Side effects of a spleen qi deficiency result in feeling tired, unenergised and hungry more often, which makes weight loss hard. Even when you are eating healthy, eating less and smaller portion sizes is essential. Otherwise, weight loss will become harder.
Chinese medicine believes that weight loss is important, and obesity can lead to a range of other illnesses that will alternately affect other organs in the body and possibly the individual’s mental health.
Signs Of Spleen Qi Deficiency
The usual symptoms of a ‘spleen qi deficiency’ include bloating, sugar cravings, low or no energy, bowel irregularities, obesity, sagging or pale skin, low immunity, irregular period problems, dizziness and anxiety.
Sweet flavours relate to the spleen and stomach in TCM, therefore when the body craves sugar when it is not receiving enough energy from the food you are eating. Cravings for sugar typically stop when the stomach energy is strengthened again.
If you experience these symptoms regularly, our TCM practitioners can assist, and support your weight loss goals.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Advice On Food To ConsumeTo Promote Weight Loss And A Healthy Diet:
Foods To Eat:
- Organic vegetables
- A reasonable serving of – Beef, chicken, turkey and ham.
- Grains – rice, quinoa and oats.
- Yams, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.
- Cherries, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, and shiitake mushrooms.
- Eat fruits with nuts, helps keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Advice On Food To Avoid:
Foods To Avoid:
- A large quantity of cold foods such as ice cream or iced beverages – From a TCM perspective, your digestion is seen as a fire or oven, things need to be cooked things to break them down and digest.
- Dairy products – The lactose and sugar found in milk and other dairy products make it hard for the body digest.
- Carbohydrates such as white pasta or bread.
- Sugar and sugar substitutes including honey and maple syrup.
- Avoid fruit juices, eat only whole fruits. Juice spikes your blood sugar as it lacks fibre. If you want fruit juice now and again, dilute it with half water.
General Traditional Chinese Medicine Advice To Help Lose Weight
There are several different ways to assist with weight loss, although most of them will make you hungry and unsatisfied, you need strong willpower and mental capacity to stick to the tips provided.
There are hundreds of modern diets that can help drop kilos in days, but few to none work long term. In addition to eating a healthy balanced diet, participating in physical activity, at least 30 minutes a day, is essential. Studies have shown that to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight, it’s 80% of what you consume and 20% physical activity that makes the difference.
Below are some simple tips and advice to assist with losing weight.
- Avoid cold beverages, only drink room temperature
- Chew your food thoroughly
- Avoid drinking too much with your meals, instead drink more between meals. Water dilutes the stomach acid, and saliva contains enzymes that help you get more nutrition from your food, especially from grains
- Avoid sweet and greasy foods
- Try a green apple, red currants, dark chocolate, or a kiwi fruit if you want something sweet.
- Only eat until you are 80% full
- Eat your most substantial meal between 7:00 am, and 11 am
- Ensure you eat breakfast every day, this is practically your fuel
- Spleen and stomach are at their weakest between 7:00 pm to 11 pm; it is better to have the last meal of the day before 7:00 pm
- Half an hour of exercise a day is critical
- Set yourself realistic weight loss goals and plan how you will achieve them
- Perform meditative techniques to help relieve the mind of undue worry
How Can I Lose Weight?
Any change in behaviour can be difficult, starting physical activity and eating clean can be even more challenging. To lose weight, changing bad habits, and maintaining them is fundamental. Things such as having a balanced diet, eating smaller portions and participating in physical activity will help drastically in losing weight.
Consuming Smaller Portions
A portion is how much food you decide to eat at one time. Your portion size and calorie intake to lose and maintain weight depend on your age, weight, metabolism, gender, and how active you are. Measuring and counting everything you eat or drink is not something to do forever, just do it long enough until you learn serving and portion sizes. It is better to have the last meal of the day before 7:00 pm
Be More Physically Active:
Participating in at least 30 minutes of physical activity doesn’t have to feel like a chore, there a variety of different ways that incorporate moving your body, such as;
- Moving more throughout the day, sit less, move more
- Park your car further away from your destination
- Join a gym
- Find a hobby or activity that you love, such as a sport or yoga
- Participate in physical activity with younger children
- Walk your dog’s or go for a bike ride
- Find another individual to be active with, motivate one another
Will The Keto Diet Make Me Lose Weight Quick?
A ketogenic, also known as keto is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. People on this diet eat a tiny amount of carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein and a high amount of fat per day. The keto diet aims to force your body into using a different type of fuel, and it relies on ketone bodies, which is a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored fat.
Foods you can eat on the keto diet consist of meat, fatty fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds, healthy oils, avocados and low carb vegetables.
Before beginning a new diet, it is essential to research the pros and cons, as well as to speak to your doctor about whether it is an ideal diet for your specific body type. The keto diet can be an effective and fast way to lose weight and burn body fat but has many advantages as well as potential risks as well (like most diets).
Advantages Of The Keto Diet:
Weight loss – when you restrict carbohydrates, your body will begin burning fat to use for energy instead.
Reduces Acne – Acne can be brought on by an individual’s poor diet and blood sugar, and healthy fats can improve overall skin health
Potentially reduces seizures – Ketosis is an elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, which can lead to a reduction in seizures for people with epilepsy.
Lower blood pressure – keto seems to decrease blood pressure, a small to no carbohydrate diet that incorporates healthy fats will be the best diet for lowering blood pressure.
Potential Keto Diet Risks
Nutrient deficiency, if you’re not eating the suggested amount of servings from the five food groups, you will lack the nutrients your body needs to function
Liver problems, with so much fat to digest, the diet could potentially make any existing liver conditions worse
Kidney problems, the kidneys help break down protein, and the keto diet may overload them
Fuzzy thinking and mood swings, the brain needs sugar from healthy carbohydrates to function, this low-carb diet may cause confusion and headaches
Before starting this diet, ensure that you talk to your doctor or one of our practitioners before attempting. We may even be able to recommend another alternative more suitable for your body type and goals.
How Evolution Medical Care Assists With Weight Loss
Acupuncture
During the acupuncture process, the needles that are inserted act to stimulate the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural “feel good” hormones. Acupuncture regulates metabolism and promotes a calming and relaxing effect, which can then result in avoiding excessive eating, which is brought on by stress, frustration or anxiety.
Ear Acupuncture
When clients seek acupuncture treatment to help assist with weight loss, in between weekly treatments, small ear seeds are placed in the individual’s ear to provide the client with weight loss support between visits. Additional points are also used to help the patient maintain mental focus on their goal and reduce food cravings.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
During a consultation, our experienced practitioners will be able to prescribe and produce herbal formulations best suited to the individual. Weight loss herbs are selected specifically to:
- Increase energy
- Improve stamina
- Boost immune system
- Suppress appetite
- Stimulate metabolism and burn fat
- Overall relax and calm your body
