Chinese woman gains 20 kgs in one year because of work stress: Know more about ‘overwork obesity’
Overworking can cause ‘overwork obesity,’ where the sedentary workplace lifestyle results in rapid weight gain.
Overworking is a hazard to the health and when continued for a longer period is a major health risk. South China Morning Post reported that a 24-year-old Chinese woman named, Ouyang Wenjing, quickly put on weight when she started to overwork for one year. Due to the stress from overworking, she gained 20 kg within a year. She went from 60kg to 80kg quickly. This is called ‘overwork obesity.' Ouyang Wenjing said that it was a ‘disaster’ for her mental and physical wellbeing.
What is overwork obesity?
In China, sudden weight gain because of prolonged work hours, a sedentary lifestyle, and work stress is known as ‘overwork obesity’. Especially, when one overworks, well beyond the designated shift, the lifestyle changes and starts to become more unhealthy. Ouyang suffered because of overworking as it developed an erratic and dysfunctional lifestyle.
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Reasons for the weight gain
Ouyang opened up about her experience and recounted what led to the weight gain. In the one year of her job, she would frequently work overtime. Her irregular shift made it difficult to spare time for herself, to even prepare food. Very often, she would order food delivery, which slowly contributed to her weight gain. Expert Zuo Xiaoxia weighed in and reported that sleep deprivation, late dinners, and overeating were the key reasons behind her obesity. The practice of ordering out was because of work stress. The work stress was so much that it thwarted all her previous hardwork of losing weight. Back in school, she was 105kg, and over the next four years, with dedication, she lost 45 kg.
Slow and steady recovery
She quit her job and gradually started to see improvements, and she felt way better. Her overall wellbeing improved. She modified her diet by reducing oils and sugars and concentrating on balanced meals that included vegetables, grains, and proteins. As a result of these adjustments, she lost 6 kg within a month. Working now as a freelance weight loss influencer, she's inspiring people around her in similar situations to take charge of their health. Many resonated with her experience. Another 33-year-old woman who worked in Shanghai said she suffered from a similar stressful experience when she gained 3 kg over two months because she frequently ate late-night desserts due to stress.
Toxic work culture
China has a very toxic work culture that involves long working hours, despite China's labour laws. They clearly mandate that working hours should not go over 40 hours per week but rarely does any company follow these regulations. The widespread "996" work culture that involves working from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week, remains very common in tech companies across mainland China.
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