There's no time like the holiday season to pack on the pounds, but the extra pound the average American gains between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day pales in comparison to the trials of the morbidly obese. For some, hitting the gym or simply vowing to cut back on calories just isn't enough to get the job done. /span>
Alonzo Bland, and brothers David and Walt Anderson, have gone to extreme lengths to drop a combined 423 pounds in just seven months. They shed these pounds at AiminFatReductionHospital a facility in TianjinChina/st1 :country-region>, which combines acupuncture with other weight loss techniques, including exercise and a healthy diet. /span>
How did these three men wind up in China/st1 :country-region>? They won the "Winners in Life" contest sponsored by China Connection, a U.S./st1 :country-region> company that promotes traditional Chinese medicine (it has no relationship whatsoever with this "China Connection" blog). As the three winners, Bland and the Andersons have been living in the AiminFatReductionHospital/st1 :place>, receiving specialized treatments to fight the fat. You can see some of their before/after pictures here. /span>
Alonzo Bland, the largest patient ever admitted to the hospital, tipped the scale at 646 when he arrived at the clinic. His goal is to get down to 220, and has already made tremendous progress. He's lost 245 pounds already, but still only about halfway to his goal. (NPR and CNN both have great interviews with Bland.) /span>
The case of the Japanese patient Masaru Kato serves as an inspiration for him. When he checked into the hospital in 2003, he weighed 617, but slimmed down to 243 when he checked out./span>
While the AiminHospital/st1 :place> provides a comprehensive weight loss treatment, they also show their patients and perspective patients some tough love. If you were a Chinese man who was 6 ft and weighed 185 lbs, you would receive the following warning message according to their website weight calculator: /span>
"You need to watch your diet. Start making some lifestyle changes now! You are considered marginally overweight. Finding it hard to zip up your pants/skirts yet?" /span>
If you're over 25% of your ideal weight, you get another friendly reminder: "Are you starting to buy clothes in larger sizes already? Do something now before it gets too late."/span>
The site is a little less harsh for people of other nationalities with the same height and weight, giving non-Asians an ideal weight nearly twenty pounds higher than their Asian counterparts. It also gives less blunt advice for the severely overweight./span>
One of the greatest differences between Aimin and many Western weight loss centers is the emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine. The process includes detoxifying, acupuncture, and herbal medicine, which collectively stimulate the metabolic rate. /span>
It's still unknown whether or not these techniques will make their way into mainstream U.S./st1 :country-region> weight loss practices, but judging by the weight loss success of these contest winners, it might not be a bad idea to incorporate some of them into Western lifestyles.