Sit less and move more, have a regular work and rest schedule, and eat less high-protein, high-fat, and high-sugar foods! Consensus among Chinese weight management experts

Controlling weight requires science. Recently, academic organizations such as the Chinese Medical Association's Health Management Branch released a consensus on weight management.

Consensus suggests that a body mass index (BMI, the ratio of weight to height squared) over 24 is overweight and over 28 is obese.

Central obesity refers to waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women. Body composition test results indicate that visceral fat area >100 cm2 refers to visceral obesity.

At the same time, the consensus also divides overweight or obesity into four stages:

Stage 0: Overweight, no obesity-related diseases or pre-diseases;

Stage 1: overweight or obese, with ≥1 obesity-related pre-disease;

Stage 2: overweight or obese, with ≥1 obesity-related disease;

Stage 3: Overweight or obese, with ≥1 severe complications of obesity-related diseases.

The consensus is that weight management also includes adjusting diet, exercise and psychological behavior, and reshaping lifestyle to achieve the goal of improving health.

1. Management goal: It is recommended to reduce body weight by ≥5%~15%.

2. Sit less and move more, maintain a regular work and rest schedule, eat less high-sugar, high-fat, and high-salt foods, eat out less often, do not overeat, drink more water, eat slowly, drink enough water, seek support from family and social circles, and receive professional guidance when necessary.

3. Control total daily energy intake.

4. Aerobic + resistance exercise

It is recommended to develop a reasonable exercise plan under the guidance of a professional physician or sports coach.

If necessary, cardiopulmonary function tests and exercise treadmill electrocardiograms can be performed to help determine the maximum tolerable heart rate.

Increase exercise gradually to achieve 3-5 days per week, a total of ≥150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and increase the intensity by 5% every 6 training sessions until the maximum load is 65%.

Perform resistance muscle strength training every other day for 10 to 20 minutes each time.

High-intensity interval training is also a proven weight loss strategy.

5. Psychological guidance suggestions: increase self-confidence, relieve stress, depression and anxiety, and improve weight loss results and quality of life.

6. Recommendations for weight loss drug treatment: Orlistat is the only weight loss drug approved for clinical use in China.

Lifestyle intervention including diet, exercise and behavior is the first choice for treatment of overweight or obesity.

7. Recommendations for weight loss surgery: Patients with BMI ≥ 32.5 kg/m2 and comorbidities, or patients with BMI ≥ 35.0 kg/m2 regardless of whether they have complications, who have not responded to long-term weight loss methods such as lifestyle intervention and medical treatment, and are willing to undergo weight loss surgery, may consider it.

8. Follow-up recommendations: Weight loss will improve metabolic indicators (such as blood sugar, blood pressure, blood lipids, etc.), and you should go to relevant specialists to adjust medication. The recommended frequency of follow-up is once a month, and follow-up should be timely when metabolic indicators or disease conditions change.

In short, the consensus points out the need to integrate resources and establish a joint management team inside and outside the hospital to achieve patient-centered, full-process weight management online and offline, inside and outside the hospital.

Reprinted from: China Circulation Magazine