Don't Just Reduce Calories for Weight Loss: Doctor Warns Against Muscle Loss Leading to "Puff Pastry Person" Syndrome
Many people focus on scale numbers during weight loss, but doctors warn that most individuals needing to lose weight have a mix of visceral and subcutaneous fat. Simply reducing calorie intake can lead to muscle loss, resulting in a "puff pastry person" physique. Dr. Chou Chien-an advises prioritizing metabolic health and sufficient protein intake over just weight numbers.
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TAIPEI (CNA) – Many people are very concerned about changes in their weight during the weight loss process, but doctors remind that most people with weight loss needs have a mixed accumulation of visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. If they only rely on reducing calorie intake, they may fall into the trap of "puff pastry person" due to muscle loss.
There was a female office worker in her 30s who disliked exercise but wanted to improve her body shape. She repeatedly used meal replacements and extreme diet control as weight loss methods, with daily calorie intake even less than 600 calories during the weight loss period. Although she lost nearly 15 kilograms in 3 months, she quickly regained weight as soon as she resumed normal eating, and even experienced fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails, and irregular menstruation. Finally, she had to seek help at a clinic.
Dr. Chou Chien-an, an endocrinologist and weight loss specialist at a private clinic who treated this woman, stated in a press release that after evaluation with a body composition analyzer, it was found that this case had a body fat percentage as high as 46%, with a large accumulation of fat in the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs, while limb muscles were severely lost due to long-term insufficient calorie intake, becoming a typical "puff pastry person." Therefore, even if weight decreased, the most troublesome small belly remained largely unchanged.
Dr. Chou Chien-an pointed out that most people with weight loss needs have a mixed accumulation of "visceral fat" and "subcutaneous fat." People can make a preliminary judgment through a simple "3-second identification method." Taking the abdomen as an example, if a soft layer of excess fat can be easily pinched when the abdomen is tensed, it is mostly "subcutaneous fat," which easily affects appearance (such as loose arms and thick waist), and although it poses a lower direct threat to health, it is the most difficult body fat to eliminate.
If the abdomen is bulging and feels hard, and it is not easy to pinch excess fat, Dr. Chou Chien-an said that it is mostly visceral fat, such as the common "beer belly." Because it accumulates around organs, it is closely related to the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
To combat mixed-type fat, weight loss strategies cannot rely solely on a single method. Dr. Chou Chien-an pointed out that a systematic review study analyzed 732 overweight or obese individuals. Compared with exercise alone, diet alone could reduce weight by an additional 2.57 kilograms; after observing for more than 12 weeks, it was found that diet combined with exercise could reduce weight by an additional 2.85 kilograms compared with exercise alone, and a significant reduction in visceral fat was also found.
Regarding the stagnant dilemma of "weight loss, but no obvious change in body shape," Dr. Chou Chien-an suggested returning to the principle of "diet first, exercise second," and grasping the key points of prioritizing the treatment of visceral fat and avoiding muscle loss. This includes adjusting the dietary ratio to stabilize insulin and metabolic status, first improving health, and then further adjusting body shape; and supplementing sufficient protein is the key to maintaining metabolic rate, otherwise, even if weight decreases, it is easy to regain weight quickly.
Dr. Chou Chien-an reminded that weight loss should focus on improving metabolic health, rather than just pursuing weight numbers. If weight loss occurs but body shape does not improve, or if there is a long-term stagnation during the weight loss process, it is recommended to undergo body composition and fat distribution assessment through medical professionals, and then adjust diet and lifestyle strategies according to individual conditions to truly maintain health in the long term and say goodbye to stubborn fat. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun)1150414
There was a female office worker in her 30s who disliked exercise but wanted to improve her body shape. She repeatedly used meal replacements and extreme diet control as weight loss methods, with daily calorie intake even less than 600 calories during the weight loss period. Although she lost nearly 15 kilograms in 3 months, she quickly regained weight as soon as she resumed normal eating, and even experienced fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails, and irregular menstruation. Finally, she had to seek help at a clinic.
Dr. Chou Chien-an, an endocrinologist and weight loss specialist at a private clinic who treated this woman, stated in a press release that after evaluation with a body composition analyzer, it was found that this case had a body fat percentage as high as 46%, with a large accumulation of fat in the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs, while limb muscles were severely lost due to long-term insufficient calorie intake, becoming a typical "puff pastry person." Therefore, even if weight decreased, the most troublesome small belly remained largely unchanged.
Dr. Chou Chien-an pointed out that most people with weight loss needs have a mixed accumulation of "visceral fat" and "subcutaneous fat." People can make a preliminary judgment through a simple "3-second identification method." Taking the abdomen as an example, if a soft layer of excess fat can be easily pinched when the abdomen is tensed, it is mostly "subcutaneous fat," which easily affects appearance (such as loose arms and thick waist), and although it poses a lower direct threat to health, it is the most difficult body fat to eliminate.
If the abdomen is bulging and feels hard, and it is not easy to pinch excess fat, Dr. Chou Chien-an said that it is mostly visceral fat, such as the common "beer belly." Because it accumulates around organs, it is closely related to the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
To combat mixed-type fat, weight loss strategies cannot rely solely on a single method. Dr. Chou Chien-an pointed out that a systematic review study analyzed 732 overweight or obese individuals. Compared with exercise alone, diet alone could reduce weight by an additional 2.57 kilograms; after observing for more than 12 weeks, it was found that diet combined with exercise could reduce weight by an additional 2.85 kilograms compared with exercise alone, and a significant reduction in visceral fat was also found.
Regarding the stagnant dilemma of "weight loss, but no obvious change in body shape," Dr. Chou Chien-an suggested returning to the principle of "diet first, exercise second," and grasping the key points of prioritizing the treatment of visceral fat and avoiding muscle loss. This includes adjusting the dietary ratio to stabilize insulin and metabolic status, first improving health, and then further adjusting body shape; and supplementing sufficient protein is the key to maintaining metabolic rate, otherwise, even if weight decreases, it is easy to regain weight quickly.
Dr. Chou Chien-an reminded that weight loss should focus on improving metabolic health, rather than just pursuing weight numbers. If weight loss occurs but body shape does not improve, or if there is a long-term stagnation during the weight loss process, it is recommended to undergo body composition and fat distribution assessment through medical professionals, and then adjust diet and lifestyle strategies according to individual conditions to truly maintain health in the long term and say goodbye to stubborn fat. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun)1150414