A meal tray with salad, boiled eggs, roasted sweet potatoes, and tomato soup with a meatball is served at a cafeteria in Shaoxing. [Photo/IC]

The weight-loss economy has been spreading across Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang province.

In Yuecheng district, the sports center is packed with people exercising in the evenings, reflecting the city's growing focus on healthy living.

Healthy weight loss relies on proper nutrition. Increasing numbers of restaurants on food delivery platforms now offer light, low-calorie meals, with menus showing calorie counts and the ratios of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Traditional restaurants are also embracing the trend, launching low-calorie dishes with local flavors. One restaurant on Shengli Road combines Shaoxing's signature drunken crab with fresh vegetables to create a salad that retains the original flavor while lowering calories.

Restaurant owners said light meals now account for about 20 percent of sales, becoming a new source of profit.

With policy support, scientific weight management has also expanded into the medical sector. According to the municipal health commission, 31 hospitals have set up weight-loss clinics, with daily visits of up to 100. Some hospitals have even opened Sunday clinics.

Yu Kelan, a doctor in the Nutrition Department of Shaoxing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, said weight-loss consultations have increased by 30 percent from previous years.