Article 116: Why I Can't Lose Weight and Why Do I Keep Failing at My Slimming Attempts

Fatty tissue, which exists between human organs and tissues, may appear to the average person as nothing more than a sponge-like, lifeless filler. However, one type of fat is a "lightweight energy storage device" for human life activities.

Based on their morphology and function, adipose tissue can be divided into two main categories: white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue. The majority of fat in the human body is white adipose tissue, a relatively static energy storage tissue that can be broken down to release energy for life activities. A smaller portion of adipose tissue is light brown, metabolically active, and easily influenced by neurohumoral factors to release energy, thus maintaining a constant body temperature. Maintaining a constant body temperature is essential for normal physiological and biochemical activities. It's no wonder that some people compare the human body to a comfortable, warm, and well-equipped air-conditioned room, and brown adipose tissue to a "lightweight energy storage device" that ensures the normal operation of this room.

Brown fat cells also have a unique morphology, adapted to the needs of human function. They contain a large number of neutral fat droplets, which, like kindling or gasoline, are regulated by neurohumoral mechanisms and thrown into the "furnace" (mitochondria within the cell) to "burn," quickly generating heat. This heat is transported away by the rich network of capillaries between cells, supplying energy to the entire body. The fat droplets constantly being consumed in brown cells can be replenished by white fat cells.

When stimuli such as cold, activity, and eating act on the human body, the excitability of the sympathetic nervous system increases, enhancing the activity of brown fat cells and consequently increasing the heat generated. The amount of heat produced by brown fat cells largely depends on a special protein in the mitochondria that regulates the crossing of protons across the inner membrane. The amount of this special protein directly determines the heat-generating capacity of brown fat cells, and the function of this special protein is influenced by many factors, including the nervous and endocrine systems.

Brown adipose tissue belongs to the category of "small but highly efficient" and "shrewd and powerful." It accounts for only 0.5% to 5% of the total body weight, yet it spreads rapidly, working alongside white adipose tissue, the sympathetic nervous system, and hormones to participate in the body's energy storage, energy supply, and heat production, regulating energy utilization and bodily functions. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in influencing the body's energy metabolism. However, its location is rather remote, mainly distributed between the shoulder blades, in the back of the neck, armpits, mediastinum, and around the kidneys.

Some obese individuals, despite adhering to strict diets and engaging in considerable physical activity, remain "strong and overweight," their weight increasing despite various weight-loss methods, causing them considerable distress. The root cause of this obesity is a malfunction in the thermogenic function of brown adipose tissue, preventing it from producing heat properly and consuming energy from fat. This is primarily due to a slowing down of a "transfer pump" called sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphate (ATPase) embedded in the membranes of brown adipose cells. Because the "pump" slows down, the heat-generating machinery, which primarily burns fat, cannot operate normally, leading to a decrease in basal body temperature and reduced energy consumption. Such individuals appear to be in a state of low-energy consumption, similar to a semi-hibernation state, where low energy expenditure prevents weight loss. If an individual with a small appetite remains obese, an intramuscular injection of ephedrine can be performed; insufficient thermogenic function indicates a diagnostic symptom of thermogenic dysfunction in brown adipose tissue.

For modern women, weight loss is arguably the most attractive and desirable activity. In our living and working environments, there are many reasons why girls become overweight, and it's easy to lose your perfect figure and unknowingly become obese. Desperate to regain their former graceful figure and achieve a healthy physique, many girls are eager to lose weight and will try any method. After a while, they are surprised to find that the excess fat in their bodies not only doesn't disappear but actually accumulates. This makes them feel very sad and frustrated. So, what exactly causes them to fail to lose weight as desired?

Many foreign medical experts have conducted in-depth research on the above phenomenon, providing factual answers to these girls' questions. It turns out that the stumbling block preventing the "burning" of excess body fat (such as thigh fat, calf fat, and buttock fat) is none other than the factor of mental stress within the body. Normally, girls have an invisible, automatic system for regulating and relieving internal and external mental stress. For example, mental laborers (white-collar women, female teachers, and female lawyers, etc.) experience fatigue when they overuse their brains. At this time, going to bed for a nap or resting will relieve the fatigue and allow them to work with renewed energy. However, if the body experiences significant mental stress and fatigue without timely rest, the girls' nervous system will be stretched, and their endocrine metabolism will be disrupted. Specific symptoms include headaches, stiff shoulders, irritability, and poor sleep quality. Worse still, under intense mental stress, girls' bodies secrete large amounts of a hormone called adrenaline. Analysis and observation show that fat cells are very sensitive to this hormone; the higher the amount, the more active the fat cells in the abdomen, legs, and buttocks become. They gather together and clump together, unwilling to disperse, thus leading to obesity with abnormal body shape. To completely eliminate and prevent obesity, doctors advise women to:

(1) You must eat three meals a day properly. There is no such thing as food that will make you fat. You should have a reasonable combination of meat and vegetables and strictly avoid excessive dieting. Weight loss activities should be carried out over a long period of time, with a goal of losing 1 kilogram of weight per month.

(2) It is important to balance work and rest. Outside of work, you should participate in more cultural and recreational activities to relieve mental stress and maintain the balance of adrenaline secretion. You should also set a regular bedtime and wake-up time every day.

(3) Soak your body in hot water at around 35 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes every night. This will promote blood circulation throughout the body, eliminate fatigue, and relieve stress.

(4) Establish a variety of hobbies, such as stamp collecting, photography, raising flowers and birds, and chatting with friends. Doing so can prevent the rise of repressed emotions and form a healthy dynamic balance.