Extreme dieting leads to 23kg weight yo-yo effect and stage 2 fatty liver

Hyeon-ju faces urgent health management after extreme short-term starvation diets caused a 23kg yo-yo effect and stage 2 fatty liver. Her recent medical tests also revealed triglyceride levels of 180 and abnormal fasting blood glucose.

Extreme short-term dieting can cause a yo-yo effect that serves as a major cause of collapsing the body's metabolic system. Hyeon-ju, the subject of this case reported by TV CHOSUN LIFE, had previously attempted short-term starvation diets, resulting in a 23kg yo-yo effect and a change in her constitution that makes her prone to gaining weight easily.

A cycle of eating habits created by irregular meals and work stress

Hyeon-ju's daily life involved a combination of irregular meals and her work environment. As an operator of a workshop that makes natural cosmetics and soap, she had to work standing up at all times due to the nature of her work, which involves moving heavy ingredients and undergoing delicate production processes. Because she had to manage both production and sales simultaneously, she frequently skipped meals and often had to eat hurriedly whenever she found a moment.

In an effort to diet, she tried to regulate her diet by having only one meal a day consisting of bibimbap centered on vegetables without protein, but she also showed a tendency to rely on snacks, such as eating cheesecake instead of dinner to relieve work fatigue. It was found that her tendency to relieve the hunger and stress felt when working while starving intensified her unbalanced eating habits.

Stage 2 fatty liver and high triglycerides: "Urgent management required"

The results of the abdominal ultrasound, body composition, and blood tests conducted to check Hyeon-ju's health status were at a concerning level. The ultrasound results showed that her fatty liver level, where the white part of the liver appears in contrast to the black part of the kidney, was confirmed to be at stage 2 or higher out of 3 stages. This indicates that fatty liver is progressing.

Blood tests also captured signs of decreased carbohydrate metabolism. Her triglyceride level was recorded at 180, which is higher than the normal range in the 150s. The body composition test also measured very high body fat, which was diagnosed as a state that could lead to increased visceral fat and cause long-term complications in the future. Her fasting blood glucose and liver enzymes were also outside the normal range, creating a situation that requires systematic management.

"Eat slowly for 20 minutes, protein should be 1.2 times body weight": Solutions suggested by an expert

An expert pointed out four main problems in Hyeon-ju's eating habits. First, the eating speed was too fast, leaving no time for the brain to feel satiety. To improve this, it was recommended to increase meal times to at least 20 minutes to eat slowly.

Specific guidelines for insufficient protein intake were also provided. In the case of a body weight of 70kg, approximately 84g of protein, which corresponds to 1 to 1.2 times the body weight, should be consumed per day. If divided into three meals, this is about 28g per meal, which means she should eat an amount of meat larger than half a palm at each meal. Facing her health status through this examination, Hyeon-ju expressed a determination for healthy dieting toward her target weight of 60kg.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)