Reviewed by최연승대표원장
How can I prevent yo-yo dieting? I gained all the weight back after starving myself last time.
In Traditional Korean Medicine, yo-yo dieting is seen as a result of Spleen Qi Deficiency (脾虛, bi heo). When the Spleen is weak, food is not properly digested or absorbed and instead accumulates as fat. The key is to strengthen the Spleen with herbal medicine and gradually restore a healthy eating rhythm. I personally struggled with yo-yo effects after fasting, so now I recommend a 3-month plan: Week 1 uses herbs to aid digestion; weeks 2–4 help stabilize appetite and weight; the remaining weeks focus on resetting the body's metabolic set point.
First, many people blame willpower for yo-yo dieting, but TKM views it as a disruption of the body's metabolic mechanisms. The concept of Spleen Qi Deficiency (脾虛) is central: the Spleen transforms food into vital energy (Qi) and blood. Repeated dieting or fasting weakens the Spleen, so ingested food fails to convert into energy and instead remains as pathological products like Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮, dam-eum) or Blood Stasis (瘀血, eohyeol), leading to easy weight gain, especially around the abdomen. At our Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, we use a phased approach: **Week 1 (Gut Adaptation):** Herbal medicine gently awakens the Spleen without drastic dietary changes; slight hunger or loose stools are normal signs of adjustment. **Weeks 2–4 (Appetite Stabilization):** As Spleen function improves, true hunger vs. stress eating becomes distinguishable; overeating naturally decreases, and herbs dissolve Phlegm-Fluid, making the body feel lighter. **Week 5 to 3 months (Maintenance & Reset):** This is crucial for preventing rebound. The goal is to train the Spleen to work independently while reducing herbal support. Intense exercise or extreme dieting during this phase can trigger a starvation response and cause weight regain. Instead, we advise patients to 'get comfortable' with the new weight, allowing the body to accept it as normal. Not everyone responds identically, but the TKM approach focuses not just on losing weight but on resetting the body's metabolic baseline, which greatly reduces yo-yo effects. Please visit our clinic for a personalized consultation.