Hanoi Before each meal, Linh, 37 years old, drinks a glass of water to fill her stomach, then eats green vegetables, meat, fish, and finally rice to lose weight.
With this regimen, Phan Ha Linh eats a lot in the morning and noon and reduces it in the evening. Because indicators such as blood fat, liver enzymes, and cholesterol are at alarming levels, he combines both reverse eating and intermittent fasting to lose weight faster.
Linh is 1.76 m tall, with muscular arms from working out at the gym. He regularly exercises and maintains his weight at 75-80 kg. However, due to the nature of his work, he neglected to exercise and consumed processed foods without control, causing his weight to increase to 110 kg. From wearing XL size clothes, he increased the size 4 times, and his clothes are mostly custom-made. Linh prefers to wear black to look slimmer.
At first, Linh could not control his meals due to the nature of his job, which required him to leave early and come home late, and drink a lot of alcohol and beer. Eating a lot of vegetables helped the young man not feel bloated or gassy even though he had consumed a lot of protein-rich foods before.
To avoid boredom, Linh eats a variety of vegetables and fruits, prioritizing seasonal foods. At the drinking table, he avoids eating meat or greasy dishes, and drinks more moderately. "When you're hungry, eating vegetables will make you feel full quickly, not want to eat much, and make it easier to control the amount of food entering your body," he said.
He still eats all food groups, limiting starch but not cutting it out completely. Instead of three main meals, he eats 5-6 meals a day and does not eat too much. For snacks, he fills his stomach with fruit to make it quick but still feel full, avoiding cravings. He chooses fruits with low sugar content such as cucumber, jicama, grapefruit, dragon fruit, apple, pear, orange, tangerine and limits mango and durian.
Phan Ha Linh before losing weight. Photo: Character provided
According to experts, one of the most important factors in weight loss is a calorie deficit, which means that the amount of calories taken into the body must be less than or equal to the amount of calories consumed. Calories taken into the body (calories in) in a day include food and drinks. Calories consumed (calories out) are metabolism, normal activities (including breathing or sleeping) and exercise.
Water plays an important role in the whole process. The first reason is that water contains absolutely no calories. Therefore, using filtered water instead of other drinks such as soft drinks, fruit juices or hot drinks is an effective way to reduce the amount of calories consumed each day. Using drinks that increase the feeling of fullness also helps reduce the amount of food consumed daily, thereby reducing calories. Thus, drinking a lot of water at the beginning of meals has helped the young man lose weight effectively.
Similarly, Dr. Nguyen Van Tien, National Institute of Nutrition, said that the reverse diet is a scientific way to lose weight and regain shape, ensuring adequate nutrition without starving. People who are losing weight should increase their intake of high-fiber, low-energy foods such as vegetables, low-sugar fruits, fish, and tofu to stay full longer. The habit of eating vegetables first is also beneficial for the digestive system, helping the body metabolize more easily. Dividing meals into smaller portions is also a way to lose weight, instead of eating less but with more food. You should eat according to your usual menu but with reasonable adjustments. In addition, people who are losing weight need to ensure adequate amounts of meat, fish, protein, and starch, only reducing high-energy foods such as fatty or sweet foods.
To help her get back in shape, Linh decided to skip breakfast and fast intermittently. This is a cyclical diet and fasting regimen that allows the body enough time to fully digest food while strictly limiting the amount of calories consumed. There are two forms of intermittent fasting: restricting the time of eating during the day (eating for 6-8 hours and fasting for the remaining 16-18 hours) or fasting continuously for 16 to 24 hours, twice a week.
During the first week, Linh often felt hungry, leading to cravings, uncontrolled eating, feeling frustrated, and always feeling uncomfortable. Many evenings after work, when he saw the dinner tray, he wanted to dive right in and eat. When working, he felt distracted, tired, and always thought about eating. The thought "why don't I eat a little, taste a little" kept going through his mind, but looking at his obese body, Linh didn't dare to pick up chopsticks.
After losing weight, Linh confidently wears bright clothes, enjoys taking photos and has a healthier, more active body. Photo: Character provided
In addition to diet, Linh combined exercise and cycling every day to burn more calories. In the first two months, he lost 12 kg, but his body did not change much. His weight was stagnant, and he had no appetite. Sometimes when he went out drinking, he had to force himself to vomit because he drank too much and ate too much protein. This was the most difficult stage of losing weight.
To improve, he chose one day a week to binge, which meant eating whatever he wanted, then continuing to binge and fast intermittently. When he went out for coffee, he preferred unsweetened fruit juice to avoid feeling bloated. Three months later, he lost another 7 kg.
Currently, Linh maintains a weight of 75 to 77 kg. After losing weight, Linh shared his experience with everyone, saying that 70 to 80% of success is due to diet. However, he said that losing weight is a journey, there is no secret and no common denominator.
"Only when you realize that losing weight is good for your health and no longer feel constrained when it's time to eat will you lose weight successfully and safely," Linh said.
Minh An
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