Professor of Family Medicine at Kyung Hee University, YTN Interview
'Geupjin Sal' Impact of Glycogen Accumulation in the Body
Must Be Consumed Before Turning into Fat
If you gained 'geupjin sal' (rapidly gained weight) due to greasy food and alcohol during the Chuseok holiday, you need to lose it within 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the glycogen accumulated during the holiday period converts into fat, making weight loss more difficult.
On the 4th, Professor Park Jeong-ha of the Department of Family Medicine at Kyung Hee University Hospital emphasized on 'YTN News Rider' that the 2 weeks after the holiday are crucial for losing the weight gained during the holiday. The sudden weight gain is likely due to the accumulation of glycogen, a polysaccharide in the body, rather than fat, so it is better to consume glycogen before it turns into fat.
Professor Park said, "When you consume a lot of carbohydrates, they are stored in our muscles or liver as glycogen, a type of polysaccharide. This is a good energy source and can be quickly used during exercise," adding, "So, people who exercise often intentionally accumulate a lot of glycogen and then work out."
He continued, "Because it is such a readily usable energy source, if you exercise hard within 2 weeks and burn off all the glycogen, the rapidly gained weight will quickly come off," and explained, "After 2 weeks, glycogen turns into fat, so it is better to burn it off quickly before then."
Missing the 2-week golden window makes weight loss more difficult. Professor Park said, "Compared to glycogen, fat has a better energy storage efficiency even if it is the same 1kg," and added, "1kg of fat has about 7 to 8 times the energy efficiency of glycogen."
Regarding effective exercise methods for weight loss, he explained, "There is no one perfect exercise, but aerobic exercises like walking or running can burn a lot of energy," and added, "Basically, it is good to do aerobic exercise at a level that makes you breathless and sweaty for more than 150 minutes a week."
However, reducing food intake is more effective than exercise for losing weight. Professor Park said, "Even if you run for 30 minutes until you sweat and pant, you only burn about 230 kcal, which is just half to one bowl of rice, so ultimately reducing food intake is the most important way to reduce calories," and advised, "Rather than eating only one type of food or cutting out one thing completely, it is better to eat balanced, nutritious food in small amounts with low calories."
Additionally, sufficient sleep is also effective for weight control. Professor Park said, "Going to bed around 10 p.m. and sleeping continuously for about 8 hours greatly helps with weight loss," and added, "After returning from the holiday to daily life, avoid looking at your phone late at night and make sure to get enough sleep."
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