The biggest winner
Zhao Yiran does a running exercise routine he created to keep slim. Insert: Zhao Yiran didn't look very plump though he weighed 130 kilograms before he started the eight-month slimming project. |
About three years ago Zhao fell in love with a girl at first sight and trimmed down to 70 kilograms from 130 kilograms within eight months by following an unusual running exercise routine he created himself.
Although the girl refused him, he won the hearts of many others. The director of an advertising company now spends two hours on his own website every day, answering questions raised by those troubled by obesity and framing exercise plans for some of them based on their physical condition and daily menu.
The 182-centimeter-tall Zhao looks slender in a black T-shirt. The talkative young man seemed just like any other regular guy in the street. "Look at my legs, they are slim enough for ballroom dancing," he laughed, pointing at the black jeans.
However in 2004, before he started his weight-loss campaign, he would have never discussed his appearance.
Back then, Zhao studied production management at the Central Academy of Drama and met Yun, a girl three years his senior.
They became friends, and Zhao's feelings grew for her day by day. He said he would wear sunglasses each time they dined together, so that he could gaze at her without her noticing the passion in his eyes.
Once Yun talked about her ex-boyfriend and her comments became the catalyst for Zhao's future.
"He has perfect figure, just like a model," Yun said.
Zhao, whose nickname had always been piggy at school, could not forget these words and became determined to have a body like a model too.
Like many overweight people, he tried diet pills, but was stopped by his father. He turned to dieting, only to find it was too hard.
Exercise seemed the last straw. Every night he started running 1 kilometer around his local neighborhood. It was a lonely and painstaking practice. Most of the time he could only run 400 meters before stopping. He said local dogs started to chase him and this made him run faster. "I even cried once when the dogs ran after me again. I was feeling so frustrated about my hardship and loneliness," Zhao said.
The dogs made outdoor exercising problematic so he turned his attention indoors. He bought a door-mat, which is normally used to wipe shoes, and jogged on it to avoid making noise and disturbing the neighbors. As he watched his favorite TV shows, he would jog on the spot.
To lose weight from his waist, he started swaying his arms and also raised his head from time to time.
His diet also needed re-working and he abstained from oily foods and anything that could cause him to gain weight. After exercising he felt hungry but would only drank water. Within three months he lost an amazing 40 kilograms.
When the new semester began, his schoolmates assumed Zhao must have had an operation. Zhao proudly lifted his shirt to reveal his skinnier belly and there were no scars.
He kept running an hour every day. Even on a trip to Shanghai, he took his mat along. Five months later he shed another 20 kilograms.
He did not call Yun for eight months and wanted to give her a big surprise. When it came time to reveal his love, he was too shy to express his feelings face to face and posted an article on mop.com, a popular website for young people.
Towards the end of the story he mentioned he had lost 60 kilograms in eight months to be, what he thought, would be a perfect match for her.
Through a mutual friend, Zhao learned that his potential girlfriend had read the story but remained silent. His love for Yun was unrequited.
However the article attracted tens of millions of clicks.
Few cared about his love story. Instead, most people wanted to know how he lost so much weight.
Zhao patiently answered emails but there were too many. To cater to his growing army of fans he set up his own website, detailing the whole process of how he lost weight and kept fit. On his website he also opened a forum for overweight people to raise questions, share experience in exercising, and show their achievements.
Zhao is touched that his cyber friends are fighting for a chance to meet him. He has a busy schedule fully booked everyday for these friends. "I like communicating with plump people, because I know too well the embarrassment and discrimination," he said.
Zhao said he started becoming overweight about 7, an age when baby fat was considered cute. But as he grew up, he found it was not that nice to be fat.
Every semester's sports testing was a nightmare for the young man, who could seldom pass. When he entered high school he already weighed 90kg.
He envied boys who could carry their girlfriends on their bikes. He said his bicycle's rear tyre was flat by his own weight alone, and thought no girl would like to take a ride with him. Even though he has shed so much weight, he still keeps "mat" running up to 30 minutes every day.
"I cannot get fat again," he said. "Not only for myself, but also for those who have faith in me."
Wang Lu, director of the nutrition department of Beijing Hospital, said more exercise, and better eating habits, such as eating regularly or not eating too much, were the main ways of losing weight.
However, Wang said not everybody could lose the same amount of weight as Zhao did and those wanting to shed a few kilograms should be realistic.
"The man concerned in the report is a special example, whose experience, we don't think, applies to everybody," he said.
To lose too much weight in a short period without physical exercise could lead to harm to your health. For most people, a gradual loss of weight will last longer.
"Generally speaking, it's best to lose about one kilo a week, and losing two kilos a month is the best amount," Wang said.
(China Daily 04/18/2007 page20)
