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Hi, everyone and welcome back to Happy Hour. 欢迎回来酒馆. Hi, 安澜.

Hi, Lulu, hi, everyone.

So what are we gonna talk about today?

Well, I keep seeing everywhere this #grandma's diet food for me.（微博话题热搜#奶奶给我做的减脂餐）

Haha. Yeah, it's everywhere. People posting photos of their grandmother's idea of diet food, like 红烧肉 and fried dumplings with the side of “just eat less of this, dear”.

Well yeah. I’ve seen it around and I was wondering what it meant, particularly as nowadays, everything is about wellness culture, and accounting calories, eating a rainbow, etc. It just got me thinking, why is everyone so obsessed with weight loss at the moment?

安澜, to be honest, you really don't need to ask this question.

Last time I checked, you told me you wanna lose a bit weight.

Well yeah. Just like lose a kg or two. I did!

Oh, congratulations!

Thank you.

Yeah. I would say in the past couple of years, even the Chinese government is trying to run weight loss campaign. Nowadays the big internet companies like Alibaba and JD they have launched massive weight loss campaign, for example, like 蚂蚁 is trying to do the 1 billion Jin(斤) challenge of people collectively losing 1 billion Jin(斤).

Whoa, that's a lot of weight!

Yeah. But if you consider how many people we have.

I guess so, you know everyone just has to lose like half a kg or quarter of a kg I guess.

Could be, some of us lost more.

And the interesting thing is none of these campaigns are about like crazy diets or crash diets. They're all promoting what we call scientific weight loss, 科学减重or sustainable fat loss, 可持续减脂.

Yeah, I guess now because you have a lot of people going on the pen, so you have the weight loss drugs as well. So the idea of crash-diet in... pretty much people can lose weight very quickly by going on the pen or using weight loss drugs. So I can see how there's gonna be a much more of a trend about kind of sustained fat loss or sustained loss of weight.

Honestly it's with the pen, by the way, guys, the pen就是减肥针going on the pen is using that pen to, because it looks like a pen. I think with the pen it's easier for people to lose the weight. But the tricky part is trying to stay slim.

Yeah. So I think that's something we can talk about today, why this global obsession with weight management, because it's not just in China it’s also around the world as well, even in the UK, and why are we finally moving away from the crash-diet idea or the niche diet, like Atkins diet, Paleo diet and so on.

Keto diet.

Yeah, I remember that.

Yeah. That's not for me, really like生酮饮食really, that really isn't for me. I've tried. All I got was really bad temper.

Okay.

Let's get into it.

Let's start with the data first of all, because this isn't just a social media trend. It is a public health crisis.

Well, yeah, I mean obesity is not just a public health issue. It's a social issue. According to WHO, a global adult obesity has more than doubled since the 90s and also adolescent obesity has quadrupled.

Well, yeah. I remember back in the UK, I think the obesity figures are very very high. I don't have the figures to hand, but I think it's almost like half or even over half of the population would be considered to be overweight.

You don't even need data. You can just look around, right? And you notice that people are getting bigger. Yes! There is a fitness trend. You do see ultra fit people but you also see people in general putting on weight.

Yeah. And it's not just about looks. It's about the diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, sleep apnea.

Exactly.

Because, let's face it. Our bodies were designed to store fat. Even though our lifestyle is ultra modern, our bodies act like we are still caveman.

Hunter, gatherers.

Well, exactly. Our bodies still think that we've only just come down from the trees.

Exactly. This is why losing weight is actually a very unnatural thing because think about wild animals. They are lucky enough to just get enough to eat.

Well, yeah. Our entire bodies, the craving for sweet food, the craving for high calories is based on the idea that we are not gonna get enough food,

Exactly.

But now we get more than enough food in most cases.

Yeah, so I think the key-point the campaigns are making (is that) obesity is not just people being lazy or being greedy or gluttons. It's more a chronic medical condition, it's not a personal failing. The whole public opinion is shifting away from shame and blame toward treatment and management.

Oh, yeah. And that is the big refrain. You're not lazy or undisciplined. You have a condition that needs proper medical care.

Exactly. For example, if anyone gets an illness, nobody is going to shame him or her. They will try to persuade them to get treatment.

So why should obesity be any different.

Precisely.

Yeah. And this is why the quick fix approach is losing credibility. You cannot crash diet your way out of a chronic condition. You need sustainable lifestyle changes.

Well, yeah. So let's have a look at the messaging before, because for decades the weight loss industry was built on the idea as aesthetics. Looking good. You lose weight to look good, you get a bikini body. Your body is ready for summer, you’re beach ready.

Yeah, do you remember years ago? There was this whole UK Ad that really really pissed people off.

Mhm?

It’s the whole “is your body beach ready”?

Yeah, but that messaging is often toxic. Diet culture is the belief that thinness equals worth. So, the thinner you are, the more worthy you are. And that's been linked to eating disorders, low self esteem, etc.

Yeah, I think I've been through all of that. It's such a bad trend because when people are focusing on looking good, some people living with obesity will eventually give up and say “I don't care how I look. I'm not going to buy into that trend.” But being obese or even just being overweight is never primarily about looking good or not looking good. It's about your health.

Exactly. We need to stop, three, two, one, stop.

Yeah, So there are some major trends that I've noticed.

Yeah, I would say, for example, strength training is going mainstream.

Ah, 撸铁! Are you doing strength training? By the way?

I am! The past week has been rather busy so I've not had a chance to go to the gym, but nowadays I am doing kind of more strength training.

Whoa!

But it's more about, for movement and general health like muscle mass, bone density rather than you want to get a six pack or chiseled abs.

So instead of just looking good, you want the long term health benefits.

Yeah, exactly.

What other trends have you noticed?

I would say slow fitness, things like Japanese walking and even sort of Japanese running as well, like how to run wearing sandals.

LOL.

So basically, there was an influencer that was dressed like someone from the Shogun era(幕府时期）. So like 17th century, 18th century Japan, he was showing how people ran back then in sandals, because it's easy on the joints.

So basically people wanted sustainable.

Exactly.

Not going for the extreme workouts.

Precisely.

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文稿校对：徐一鸣 & Jenny

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