So Fat They're Getting Sick: Health Check Red Flags Spur Weight Loss Trend Among Young Adults

The Era of Slimming Injections 4 (Central News Agency Reporter Shen Peiyao, Taipei, June 21) A white-collar worker in his 40s, armed with last week's dining-out records, attended a weight loss class to ask a nutritionist for advice on how to avoid pitfalls at all-you-can-eat buffets. He exchanged weight training tips with an older "classmate." He's a bit plump and has several red flags on his health check-up report, with his waistline getting thicker and thicker.

This is a scene from the weight loss class at Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Nutritionist Lin Yichen, president of the Keelung Nutritionist Association, points out that the current students are mostly office workers around 40 years old, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 24 and 27, which is considered mildly overweight. They usually have a certain level of knowledge.

Lin Yichen has observed that the structure of weight loss class students has quietly changed over the past 10 years. Most are young and middle-aged, possess health literacy, and are not necessarily obviously obese. They proactively seek dietary management and exercise guidance, aiming to shed fat and prevent weight regain, and improve the red flags on their health check-up reports through personalized meal plans and exercise programs.

As for women in their 50s entering menopause, they are frequent attendees of various weight control courses. Lin Yichen states that women of this age often face the dilemma of "eating the same as before but constantly gaining weight," and are eager to learn how to adjust their diet to adapt to metabolic changes.

Take Ms. Xiao Tao (pseudonym) for example. Following online advice, she made green smoothies daily, brewed various grain powders, and chose whole foods. After entering menopause, her weight approached 70 kilograms. She finally decided to spend NT$5,000 per month to seek help from a nutritionist and managed to lose weight. It turned out that the fruits she loved were too sweet, the grain powders caused her blood sugar to spike, she overate whole foods, and she disliked exercise that made her sweat, leading to her anti-cancer and wellness efforts turning into fat gain and muscle loss.

Clinic-based nutritionist Zhang Yiting also notes that in the past, most patients' motivation was "to lose weight." Now, more people seek help due to "negative motivations," such as red flags on health check-ups, high body fat percentage with concerns about diabetes risk, excessive visceral fat, or feeling easily fatigued and hormonal imbalances. This indicates that the public has linked weight management with reducing future disease risk.

In the experience of Lin Yichen and Zhang Yiting, individuals who have tried various meal plans or exercises without significant results, those who have undergone traditional Chinese medicine treatments or cosmetic laser body contouring without success, and patients who regain weight as soon as they stop medication and wish to try other methods, will seek out a nutritionist.

In recent years, the so-called "slimming injections" have become popular in the market. Zhang Yiting admits that she has indeed encountered many cases currently using or having used them, but blind medication without professional assessment can lead to muscle loss due to insufficient protein intake.

"Weight loss should become easier and easier, not cause mental or physical suffering," says Zhang Yiting. While medication can suppress appetite and regulate hormones, if correct dietary and lifestyle habits are not cultivated during the period of medication assistance, rebound eating often occurs after stopping the medication, leading to rapid weight regain.

Lin Yichen shares a positive case of "slimming injections" where medication was used as an "opportunity to restart a healthy life." Weight was first reduced through medication, followed by establishing exercise and dietary habits with the help of a nutritionist. "The time you spent gaining weight is the time you should be determined to spend losing it." Especially for those who do not wish to resort to "injections and medication," this is the only way to truly keep "slimness" with them for life.

Facing diverse weight loss needs, Zhang Yiting points out that unlike Western medicine, which approaches from disease diagnosis and physiological mechanisms, the core of nutrition science is "You are what you eat." Nutritionists focus more on "reversing the situation," deeply understanding the underlying difficulties that lead individuals to choose certain foods, and combining medical examinations and diagnoses to tailor dietary strategies.

Zhang Yiting has also seen extreme cases, including one individual with a BMI of only 17 who still suffered from "number anxiety" about their weight, leading to menstrual irregularities due to excessive exercise and dieting. There was also a case of an individual over 100 kilograms who experienced rapid weight regain after attempting "water fasting." She describes the role of a nutritionist as more of a "life companion" and "counselor," assisting individuals in clarifying the psychological factors and life difficulties behind their eating habits.

For those who are already underweight but are still fixated on "losing another 3 kilograms," Lin Yichen shifts the focus of consultation to "muscle gain," emphasizing that blind weight loss often leads to muscle loss. Many people overlook this, making them more prone to weight regain.

Lin Yichen suggests that the public can judge the professionalism of a clinic or institution by its level of care. A professional medical team does not solely pursue short-term numbers like "how many kilograms lost" but is dedicated to guiding individuals to learn how to choose their food in daily life and assisting them in reshaping sustainable lifestyle habits.

Lin Yichen and Zhang Yiting both urge the public to be discerning and to recognize professional nutritionists with national examination certifications. They also call for the government to strengthen public education to cultivate the public's ability to make informed choices, which is the only way to maintain a lifelong healthy physique. (Editor: Chen Qingfang) 1150621

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