Extreme cabbage diet causes weight regain and knee surgery for woman

Choi Myeong-ok, a woman in her early 60s, suffered worsening arthritis and required artificial joint surgery after an extreme cabbage diet led to binge eating and a yo-yo effect. Following a 10kg weight loss, her visceral fat levels rose to 1.5 times the normal level, necessitating an urgent reduction of 7kg.

A diet that successfully resulted in a 10kg weight loss in just six months has ultimately turned into a health hazard. Choi Myeong-ok, who is in her early 60s, lost weight through an extreme diet consisting only of cabbage, but her health has deteriorated rapidly due to subsequent binge eating and the yo-yo effect.

"I was pretty when I lost weight"... Yo-yo effect and binge eating caused by cabbage diet

Through her cabbage diet, Choi once maintained a slim figure after losing 10kg. While she expressed satisfaction looking at the clothes she wore at that time, her weight has since increased to the point where those clothes no longer fit. The extreme dietary restriction eventually led to unbearable hunger; despite her efforts to satisfy her hunger with vegetables every night, she failed to control her appetite and ended up eating snacks, causing her weight to return to its previous level.

These weight fluctuations went beyond mere appearance and directly impacted her physical health. Due to obesity, Choi's arthritis in both knees worsened, requiring artificial joint surgery. Additionally, the weight gain was accompanied by various health issues, including edema, fatigue, hyperlipidemia, and high inflammation levels.

Visceral fat 1.5 times the normal level... "Weight loss is urgent"

An abdominal ultrasound performed to check Choi's health revealed that her visceral fat levels were approximately 1.5 times the normal level. The excessive visceral fat had accumulated to the point of obscuring major organs such as the pancreas, which increases the risk of diabetes, fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease.

The examination diagnosed Choi as being obese beyond being overweight. Currently weighing 74kg with a waist circumference of 89cm, she was diagnosed as needing an urgent reduction of at least 9cm in waist circumference and approximately 7kg in body weight. Her total cholesterol, triglycerides, and internal inflammation levels all require improvement.

"The body perceives it as an emergency"... The danger of one-food diets

An expert attributed the cause of the yo-yo effect experienced by Choi to the "body's defense system for survival." One-food diets that insist on only specific foods or excessive restriction of food intake cause nutrient deficiencies in the body. In such cases, the body perceives this as an emergency and develops a tendency to store energy as fat rather than consuming it.

An internal medicine specialist warned that this method actually changes the body into a constitution that gains weight more easily. This is because when food is consumed in a state where nutrients are not sufficiently supplied, the body minimizes energy use and accumulates all incoming nutrients as fat. Ultimately, extreme fasting results in hindering long-term weight loss and damaging health.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)