A two-month weight-loss program has helped people lose 5kg on average and reduce waistlines by 5cm, Taiwan University Hospital told a news conference in Taipei on Friday.
The program, which has 17 specialists, has treated 117 people so far, hospital dietitians told the news conference.
The average participant reduced their body mass index to 29.1 from 30.9, lost 2.61 percent of body fat, and their blood pressure, lipids and sugar levels indicated a return to health, the dietitians said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
People who want to lose weight should rely on scientifically proven and sustainable strategies, not the latest fad, such as GLP-1, hospital deputy superintendent Lo Pei-jen (婁培人) said.
The program’s core mission is to help people lose weight and keep it down long-term, Lo said.
Obesity is tied to eight out of Taiwan’s 10 leading causes of death, said Chen Pei-hung (陳珮蓉), the director of the hospital’s dietetics department.
The program revolves around imposing a calorie deficit via diet, exercise and psychological support, conditioning the body to maintain leanness, Chen said.
People do not need to be famished to lose weight, said Chen Hui-chun (陳慧君), deputy director of the dietetics department.
Routine exercise and a diet of high-quality proteins, unrefined carbs, “good” fats, and a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables are enough to achieve and maintain leanness, she said.
People should eat and hydrate before exercising to increase the efficiency of fat burning, she said.
Participants in the program range from people wanting to be prettier to people weighing more than 100kg, said Hsiao Ching-ju (蕭靜如), an instructor in the hospital’s health resource center.
The program uses a menu of 28 healthy meals to avoid tedium and unpalatability associated with dieting, Hsiao said.
The optimal rate to lose weight is 0.5kg to 1kg per week, she added.
The hospital’s team of exercise and physical therapy specialists selected 12 exercises that people in the program can choose from and do at home, health resource center director Yang Chih-wei (楊志偉) said.
The routines include arm strength training, elastic band exercises and yoga stretches that are introduced gradually to habituate participants to physical activity and change their metabolism, Yang said.
Losing weight is not a matter of willpower, but incrementally introducing tangible and sustained changes to everyday routine, said Lai Jin-shin (賴金鑫), director of the hospital’s physical medicine and rehabilitation department.
Keeping a healthy weight is a life-long process and not one that can be rushed through, Lai added.
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