Couple fighting the flab for the sake of their baby
Xinhua, December 11, 2015
A couple, each weighing around 200 kilograms, are fighting to lose weight in preparation for their first child.
Lin Yue, 29, and his wife Deng Yang, 27, are undergoing weight loss therapy at a hospital in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.[Photo/Chinanews.com]
Lin Yue, 29, and his wife Deng Yang, 27, are undergoing weight loss therapy at a hospital in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.
Treatment started late last month and include a diet and exercise routine in addition to traditional Chinese therapy, such as acupuncture and massage. So far, Lin has lost 15 kilograms but Deng temporarily abandoned the plan due to her job in Sichuan, said Yu Shuzhong, a doctor working with the couple.
Yu said Lin and Deng could lose half their weight in 10 to 12 months if the plan goes well. However, Yu said losing the first pounds would be easy, but achieving the final goal would require "strong willpower."
A health check found they both had fatty livers, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, all symptoms related to obesity, the doctor said.
The couple, who were married five years ago, believe weight loss is essential to having a healthy baby. "We used to eat more than 1.5 kilograms of meat for dinner. We should not have indulged ourselves like that," Lin said.
The couple's weight nearly doubled in the past five years.
Lin lost his job as a welder because of increasing clumsiness due to his weight and Deng avoids shopping for fear of ridicule.
"If we want a hug, we have to bend down, or our bellies would bump first," Lin said.
A report by the National Health and Family Planning Commission in June showed that 30 percent of China's adults and nearly 10 percent of its children are overweight, with the growth rate of the overweight population higher than in developed countries.
