The principles of protein and vegetable intake, and regular and quantitative timing in a weight loss diet.

To ensure adequate protein intake, obese individuals should force their bodies to burn as much fat as possible during diet-based weight loss. At the same time, the body's functional tissues and stored protein will also be depleted.

If you don't get enough protein in your diet, your body's resistance will decrease, making you more susceptible to illness.

Therefore, it is essential to increase both the quality and quantity of protein during weight loss, with high-quality protein making up half of the protein intake.

Since most of the high-quality protein we consume daily is from animal-based foods, which are also high in fat, we should choose meats with low fat content, such as rabbit, fish, poultry, and moderate amounts of lean pork, beef, mutton, and animal offal, and eat more soy products.

The recommended daily intake is 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight.

● Ensure an adequate supply of vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories, making them ideal foods for obese individuals.

Fresh vegetables and fruits, in particular, are not only low in calories but also rich in vitamins and fiber, which are very beneficial for obese people.

Adequate fiber intake can prevent constipation caused by reduced calorie intake.

When fruit and vegetable supplies are insufficient during the off-season, one can eat more whole grains, beans, and marine vegetables such as kelp and seaweed.

There are also some foods that can absorb a lot of water but do not produce heat or are low in calories, yet give people a feeling of fullness, such as agar and konjac, which are especially suitable for obese people.

Vitamin supplements should be taken when consuming these types of foods.

● People who are obese often have an overactive appetite and should eat three meals a day at regular times and in fixed quantities. To prevent overeating, they should not eat whenever they feel hungry, but should eat until they are full.

Eating three meals a day at regular times and in fixed quantities, and exercising self-control, are effective ways to prevent overeating.

The amount of food to eat at each meal depends on the individual's degree of obesity, and once determined, it should be strictly followed.

After implementing it for a period of time, observe the results. If necessary, adjust the amount of food consumed at each meal, but do not change the quantity at any time based on your own feelings.

● Eat less for dinner and avoid late-night snacks. As the saying goes, "Breakfast should be substantial, lunch should be good, and dinner should be light." Among these, "eating less for dinner" is particularly important for weight loss and preventing weight gain.

If you eat too much at dinner or have a late-night snack, the energy from the food cannot be fully consumed and will be stored in subcutaneous fat, leading to weight gain.

● Limit spicy and stimulating foods and seasonings such as chili peppers, mustard, and coffee. These foods can stimulate increased gastric acid secretion, which can easily increase hunger, appetite, and food intake, leading to weight loss failure.

Salt intake should also be limited, as it can cause thirst, stimulate appetite, and increase weight. Daily salt intake should be controlled at 3 to 6 grams.

● Eat less snacks. Many girls are very strict about controlling their daily food intake, but they have no restraint when it comes to snacking, and as a result, they still gain weight.

Although you may not eat as much as you would a regular meal, it is easier to gain weight from snacks.

For example, if you eat peanuts while watching TV, two handfuls of peanuts contain 3381 kilojoules of energy, which is almost equivalent to three bowls of rice.

Therefore, to lose weight and prevent obesity, one must have the willpower to resist the temptation of delicious food and change the habit of snacking.

● A light diet is recommended. Salt can retain water and cause weight gain, so it is important to limit salt intake.

In addition, the amount of oil used when cooking should be controlled, with a daily oil consumption of less than 20 grams and less animal fat.

A boiled egg contains 336 kilojoules of energy, but if it is fried in oil to make a poached egg, the energy content can increase to 714 kilojoules.

● Control your eating speed. Eating too quickly is often a cause of weight gain.

Slowing down your eating pace allows time for your blood sugar to rise, triggering a feeling of fullness through nerve reflexes and thus controlling your appetite.

In addition, controlling your eating speed when dining with others can prevent overeating due to politeness or inconvenience in leaving the table too early.

[Food to Eat and Foods to Avoid]

Controlled food

Foods high in carbohydrates include sucrose, candy, various candied fruits, pastries, rice, refined flour, noodles, lotus root starch, coarse sugar, biscuits, dried mixed beans, vermicelli, dried rice sheets, water chestnut starch, dried fruit, dried sweet potato, rice wine, steamed buns, baked flatbread, bread, raw noodles, wheat bran, rice, yellow rice wine, mushrooms, lilies, dried radishes, fresh dates, hawthorn, crabapple, potatoes, taro, lotus root, water chestnuts, apples, bananas, yams, pears, fresh lychees, beer, tangerines, grapes, persimmons, peaches, plums, mandarins, and fresh daylilies.

High-fat foods include cooking oil, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sesame paste, pork belly, ham, dried cheese, butter, roast duck, fried chicken, braised pork belly, red-braised pork, stir-fried liver tips, pork kidney, and various fatty meats.

●Recommended high-quality protein foods include soybeans, soy flour, dried bean curd sticks, dried tofu sheets, evaporated milk powder, meat floss, beef jerky, fermented bean curd, lean meat, heart, liver, poultry eggs, poultry meat, tripe, tofu, soybean sprouts, soy milk, tofu pudding, fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish, etc.

Low-calorie foods include fresh mushrooms, konjac, mung beans, Job's tears, oats, buckwheat, bok choy, spinach, lettuce, pea sprouts, Chinese cabbage, asparagus, celery, cattail shoots, radish, lettuce, orchid, cucumber, pumpkin, bitter melon, winter melon, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, mung bean sprouts, fresh bean pods, water spinach, leeks, rapeseed, shepherd's purse, daikon radish, cabbage, scallions, garlic chives, winter bamboo shoots, loofah, squash, watermelon, green peppers, bamboo shoots, cilantro, radish, water chestnuts, spring bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, garlic, toon sprouts, and garlic chives.

Appendix: Example of a daily diet plan for obese patients

Breakfast: 400g soy milk, steamed bun (50g flour), cucumber salad (50g cucumber).

Lunch: Steamed buns (50g flour), cornmeal porridge (25g cornmeal), sliced ​​pork and green peppers (25g lean pork, 25g dried tofu, 50g green peppers), and cold tomato salad (150g tomatoes).

Dinner: Rice (75g), poached meatballs (50g lean pork, 100g winter melon), stir-fried amaranth (150g amaranth).

Use 25 grams of cooking oil throughout the day.

The above recipe contains 5.04 × 10⁶ joules of energy.