Chinese man weighing 63kg believes online products could help gain weight loses 6.5kg

A Shanghai man who wanted to gain weight spent 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) on online health products he thought would do the job only to end up losing 6.5kg in a month.The man, surnamed Liu, has trended on mainland social media after his experience was reported by the Shanghai-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="137361" data-entity-type="organization">Shanghai Morning Post.Liu, a truck driver, who is 1.78m tall and weighs 53kg, always thought he was too thin.In March, he saw the social media account of an influencer surnamed Chen who shared her knowledge about helping people put on weight.Truck driver Liu, above, has always believed himself to be too thin. Photo: 163.comLiu instantly added Chen’s contacts. Chen told him that the products she sold were all derived from herbs and functioned by adjusting people’s digestive system, posing no side effects, said Liu.In a live-streaming session, Chen claimed that her customers would see their heavy metal discharge rate rise 76 per cent and their overall health status improve by 42 per cent after they consumed her products for just a month.It is not clear how Chen arrived at her health status measurements.An overweight man eyes a giant burger dish as he prepares to eat an apple. Photo: ShutterstockAt the suggestion of Chen, Liu sent her the photograph of his tongue coating for her to make a diagnosis.Chen concluded Liu had mixed symptoms of a strong inner heat and a cold body. She made an “adjustment plan” for him.Liu first paid 4,000 yuan (US$590) for a large quantity of packs of powdered drinks.After a few days, he had not become any fatter, but lost weight instead. He felt dizzy, had wind and urinated frequently at night.A fit man holds a white container filled with whey protein which is good for gaining weight. Photo: Getty ImagesWhen Liu complained to Chen, she said this was because he was “expelling inner toxins in a normal manner”. She urged Liu to buy more products.Further ReadingLiu later paid another 6,000 yuan. In late April, he was admitted to hospital with chronic gastritis.He presented the products he had bought to doctors who discovered they were simply probiotics and dietary fibre.Doctors said Liu had taken in an excess of the products which had led to his condition.An Asian man goes through his paces on a running machine at a gym. Photo: ShutterstockAfter receiving medical treatment for a month, Liu still kept losing weight, he said.He then reported the influencer at the city’s Songjiang District Health Supervision Station, accusing her of practising medicine illegally.The health authority is still investigating whether Chen is a qualified doctor, the report said.The story became a hot topic of discussion among internet users.“The influencer should sell weight-losing products,” quipped one user.Another person said: “Liu thoughtlessly found an influencer to consult about his own health issues. How careless.”