Reviewed by최연승대표원장
I keep gaining weight back after dieting. Is there a way to prevent the yo-yo effect?
To prevent the yo-yo effect, it's more important to check your constitution and spleen function than to restrict your diet drastically. The approach includes: 1) assess for spleen deficiency (biheo), 2) adjust diet according to constitution, 3) stabilize lifestyle habits, 4) restore basal metabolism with herbal medicine, and 5) maintain gradually. I learned this sequence after repeated failures myself.
In Traditional Korean Medicine, the yo-yo effect is not simply a matter of willpower but a sign of bodily imbalance. It often starts with spleen deficiency (biheo). When the spleen is weak, digestion and absorption of food become inefficient, energy metabolism slows down, and the body tends to store fat again even after losing weight — it becomes a constitution prone to rebound.
Step by step:
1) **Spleen deficiency diagnosis**: If you experience indigestion, loose stools, or fatigue, suspect impaired spleen function. Crash diets at this point do more harm than good.
2) **Constitutional diet**: For example, Soyangin types digest quickly but tend to have excess heat, so balancing cold and warm foods is important; Taeumin types have slow metabolism, so maintaining satiety with protein-rich foods helps. The 'safe foods' vary by constitution.
3) **Lifestyle habits**: Sleep deprivation further weakens the spleen. I personally gave up many diets because of dizziness from overtime work. Aim for regular meal times and 7 hours of sleep.
4) **Herbal medicine treatment**: Decoctions like Bobi-tang (Spleen-Tonifying Decoction) or herbs that boost qi and blood circulation help restore the metabolic foundation. The goal is long-term constitutional improvement, not short-term weight loss.
5) **Maintenance phase**: Even after reaching your target weight, gradually increase food intake over 2–3 months to allow the body to adapt. In TKM, intermittent acupuncture or herbal medicine during this period can support the transition.
All these steps are flexible, tailored to each person's constitution and condition. There is no one-size-fits-all formula — we work together to find what fits you.