Can you lose weight by eating hamburgers, fries and cola all day? It's true! You just need to...

Recently, there was a news report abroad that a man named Kevin Maginnis, 57 years old and weighing more than 200 pounds, only ate McDonald's for 100 consecutive days and actually lost 52 pounds, even his beer belly disappeared!

Isn't a hamburger + fries + cola a "junk food"? How can it be a diet meal?

Image source: Internet

In fact, this news is a bit of a headline, because the man actually ordered a normal meal but only ate half, saving the remaining half for the next meal. In addition, he did not eat any other snacks or drink any beverages (except water) throughout the day.

The human body is very honest. If the energy consumed is greater than the energy consumed, you will gain weight, and vice versa. So the principle of weight loss is very simple, which is to create an "energy gap", or in layman's terms, it is still based on hunger.

If you only eat half full for three meals a day, you can lose weight by eating any food, whether it is a Western hamburger or a Chinese roujiamo.

In contrast, many years ago there was a documentary called "Supersize Me". The protagonist also ate McDonald's every day, but he had liver problems after only half a month of eating it. After a month, he gained 20 kilograms and had to end the test.

The difference between him and Kevin is that the protagonist of the documentary does not control his food intake, but eats only when he is full, and he does not refuse a large glass of sugary drinks.

So what you eat is important, and how you eat (how much you eat) is also important. Many people care about nutrition and health, and like to label different foods as "healthy" or "unhealthy." But in fact, nutritionists often don't have so many taboos. Nutritionists who occasionally eat hamburgers and drink cola are not overweight or obese.

Under the premise of controlling the total amount and frequency, any food can be enjoyed in moderation . How to achieve "total amount control"? It is also very simple. Focus on the two indicators of weight and waist circumference . If these two indicators are relatively stable, it is basically enough.

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Some people on the Internet questioned that Kevin's hamburger meal is not nutritionally balanced, so it is not a healthy way to lose weight. The hamburger meal contains carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, but less fruits and vegetables, and the nutritional structure is indeed imperfect. However, for people who are overweight and have already experienced obvious adverse reactions, the negative impact of short-term nutritional imbalance is far less than the benefits of quickly losing weight.

For a fat man weighing more than 200 pounds, losing weight is the priority. In fact, Kevin also monitored various physical indicators during the weight loss process and found that blood lipids, blood sugar and other indicators were improving, indicating that reducing the amount of food to lose weight is still beneficial to his health.

In addition, it should be noted that Kevin loses about 3-4 catties per week, which is a fast speed. For those who are not obese and do not suffer from physical discomfort due to excessive weight, it is generally recommended to lose 1-2 catties per week. Don't complain about the slow weight loss. If you stick to it for a year, you can lose 50-100 catties!

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Obesity is caused by eating one bite at a time, and it can also be reduced one bite at a time. Even if you can eat one bite less at each meal, it will have a very impressive effect if you stick to it.

Losing weight is not the hardest thing, but maintaining the results is. Some people who are eager for quick success like to try "tricks" to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. In fact, these quick weight loss methods often lead to muscle loss and dehydration. If they are not accompanied by good nutrition and exercise support, it is easier to rebound to a new high.

After Kevin successfully lost 50 kilograms, his subsequent plan has become to maintain a healthy weight, specifically, to eat three-quarters of the amount he previously ate, supplemented by exercise. So in the end, there is only one truth in weight management: "balance between eating and moving" and "control your mouth and move your legs."

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Zhong Kai, Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Reviewer: Zhang Na, Associate Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University School of Public Health