When I try to eat less
It's a situation where you have to live anxiously, feeling like you're being chased by marriage, and honestly, it's frustrating. Especially when you're stressed and your weight suddenly increases between meals, you want to lose weight even more.
But when you try to follow a diet that you've been told is good for you, you can't sleep at night and end up getting up to eat in the middle of the night, feeling like you're going to go crazy. Even if it's not intentional, when you see the scale not moving or even increasing, you might think, 'Can I keep eating like this?' and feel anxious.
Is the hunger I'm feeling now a signal from my body?
Many people who are actually dieting experience this kind of anxiety. Even though they're not eating much, they don't lose weight, and even if they try to eat less, they feel like their body will collapse, so they search the internet anxiously.
Even if you started a diet with determination, when you're starving at 3 AM and only have a thousand won in your pocket, it's really frustrating. In this guide, we'll look deeply into why this frustration occurs when many people try to diet, and how to control it safely to reach your target weight.
Which Groups Are Searching for This?
People searching for the side effects of diet/weight management medications are predominantly women in their late 20s to early 40s. Particularly, many are in their 30s working in high-stress jobs with irregular hours, such as in the advertising or IT industries.
The Pattern of 30-something Office Workers
A common characteristic among this group is that they often start their day with coffee (caffeine) and use food to cope with stress. Even though they're already tired, their bodies react as if they're addicted to sleep. Even with just one cup of coffee, those with sensitive constitutions may experience significant reactions when taking diet/weight management medications, making the side effects more pronounced.
The Concerns of 40-something Postpartum Women
Many women also search for these medications to lose the weight gained during pregnancy. However, when taking diet/weight management medications while juggling childcare and work, if the body perceives this as an 'energy deficiency' rather than a 'starvation situation,' it may show warning signs like hand tremors or muscle weakness.
Rather than being an issue of willpower, it's important to consider whether your current body's homeostasis is being compromised. Each time you examine this more closely, you'll realize how significantly the lifestyle patterns of modern people affect their reactions to diet/weight management medications.
Why Do Such Things Happen? — Key Points of Korean Medicine
From a Korean medicine perspective, the side effects of diet medications (appetite suppressants) are largely related to sympathetic nervous system excitation. The psychotropic drugs we commonly know, such as Phentermine, work on the hypothalamus to suppress appetite.
The Focus on Adrenaline and Norepinephrine
In this process, norepinephrine secretion increases, putting our body in a 'fight-or-flight' state. Blood pressure rises, anxiety increases, and the central nervous system becomes more sensitive.
- Heart palpitations: The heart feels like it's racing.
- Insomnia: It's difficult to fall asleep as the body maintains an alert state.
- Dry mouth: Saliva secretion is suppressed, making the mouth feel dry.
While this mechanism maximizes short-term weight loss, long-term use can cause damage to the cardiovascular system. Also, when stopping the medication, there's a rebound phenomenon where the suppressed appetite returns, or symptoms like lethargy and depression may occur. While caffeine or catechins may help with some side effects, their effects are limited, and many people end up seeking stronger medications, which can lead to a vicious cycle.
Why Do Such Symptoms Occur? — A Korean Medicine Perspective
In Korean medicine, the effects of diet pills containing Ephedra (Ma Huang) are explained through the concepts of fahanjiebiao (發汗解表) and xuanfeipingchuan (宣肺平喘). Simply put, it's a mechanism that opens the body's pores, disperses lung qi, and expels waste fluids to promote weight loss. However, if this mechanism doesn't match your body's condition, discomfort can arise.
Spleen-Stomach Deficiency and Digestive Disorders
Some people experience spleen-stomach deficiency (脾胃虛弱), where they often feel bloated after meals due to weak digestive function. If these individuals take strong weight-loss formulas, their stomachs may not be able to handle the energy, leading to indigestion, abdominal distension, or diarrhea.
Yin Deficiency with Internal Heat and Heart Palpitations
Those with yin deficiency with internal heat (陰虛內熱) constitution, where body fluids are insufficient and heat rises upward, need to be especially cautious about insomnia and palpitations when taking medication. Body fluids act like a car's coolant - when the coolant is insufficient, the engine (heart) overheats, leading to heart palpitations (心悸).
Liver Qi Stagnation and Menstrual Irregularities
People with liver qi stagnation (肝氣鬱結), where stress causes qi to become stuck, may experience abdominal pain, menstrual irregularities, or irregular bleeding when the medication's energy rises upward. This can be seen as a warning sign of blood stasis (瘀血) or temporary hormonal imbalance.
Ultimately, symptoms like gallstones (膽石) or food accumulation (食積) occur when the body's regulatory capacity is exceeded during the process of expelling waste fluids. This is why Korean medicine clinics first examine the patient's constitution and pulse to identify such qi-blood (氣血) imbalances before prescribing treatment.
Quick Start Methods and Their Dangers
Many people try 'extreme dieting' to quickly lose weight when they feel frustrated. However, without professional guidance, such extreme measures can actually harm your health.
Unconditional Fasting
Many people say, "Since I'm gaining weight anyway, I should just fast," and try extreme fasting. However, chronic malnutrition can lead to muscle loss along with the desired weight loss, leaving behind sagging skin. Ignoring your body's signals is the most dangerous choice.
Artificially Reducing Portions
Even if you try to artificially control your diet by eating only a few bites or one meal a day, your body's metabolism will slow down to conserve energy. When the yo-yo effect kicks in, you may end up with a body that's only gained fat.
Extreme Monotonous Diet
- If you continue this way when your body is already in a state of extreme fatigue, you risk sudden shock.
- If nutritional intake is insufficient, your body will enter survival mode, slowing metabolism and storing fat.
- You may experience side effects such as hair loss or menstrual irregularities.
You should also be careful about repeatedly starting and stopping your diet. If you repeat cycles of extreme dieting and overeating, you may experience side effects such as rapid weight fluctuations.
Approach to Baekrokdam
At Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, we don't view weight management as a 'painful ordeal to endure' but rather as 'data to be managed wisely'. This is achieved through Baekrok Gambi-jung, a prescription based on Tongjibang Paradigm, which adjusts the dosage according to the patient's condition.
Dosage by Stage and Recommended Diet
First, do not take strong medicine. Give your body time to adapt by progressing through early-mid-stable phases. If you experience stomach discomfort or nausea, stabilize your mind and strengthen your digestive system with appropriate dietary supplements to prevent physical strain. It's not just about using hemp yellow (Ephedrae Herba) alone, but also about applying the principles of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Fangfeng Tongsheng San) in a modern way to release body heat and promote sweating.
Scientific Formulation
Even when making pills or tablets, we consider the dissolution rate. To minimize gastrointestinal burden, we apply special techniques to ensure the medicine dissolves smoothly without irritating the stomach. Even those who have tried various diets can take it comfortably with a glass of water.
1:1 Customized Lifestyle Management
Don't just take the medicine and be done with it. When you feel hungry, use the hunger control guide, and if your weight plateaus, adjust the dosage timing. By checking your body's signals in real-time and adjusting the strength of the prescription accordingly, that's the safe weight management that Baekrokdam pursues.
Points to check and be cautious about
Is the weight gain I'm experiencing now a normal reaction, or is it a dangerous warning sign that requires immediate attention? Please check the list below to examine the symptoms.
These symptoms may be 'adaptive responses'
- Mild bloating during the first 1-3 days of taking Baekrok Gambi-jung
- More frequent urination than usual and reduced eye puffiness
- Slight improvement in mood with a feeling of well-being and energy
- Natural reduction in appetite and feeling of fullness
These symptoms require 'immediate consultation'
- Inability to sleep for more than 2 hours at night or frequent waking up
- Feeling of chest tightness even when resting, with a sense of something stuck in the throat
- Unexplained anxiety, sudden sweating, or severe breathing difficulties
- Difficulty holding a pen or buttoning clothes due to trembling hands
- Persistent nausea or severe dizziness
If you experience these symptoms, you should temporarily stop taking the medication and consult with your doctor. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry - don't ignore these signs just because you think they might not be serious.
Mamuri — A Small Piece of Advice
I fully understand that anxious feeling of worrying whether you'll lose your health while trying to lose weight. However, with accurate diagnosis and careful prescription adjustments, diet/weight management can become your most reliable ally.
Today, I'd like to share two things you can easily put into practice. First, replace coffee with decaf. If you must have caffeine, the side effects can be twice as strong. Second, drink one more glass of water. Even just supplementing the moisture lost through sweat can make a big difference in preventing constipation.
Please don't be too hard on yourself or feel anxious. If you feel unwell, always express your concerns through conversation rather than enduring it silently. We will find the most comfortable pace for your body together.