Reviewed by최연승대표원장
After dieting, I always get the yo-yo effect. I'm wondering how to prevent it.
The approach to preventing the yo-yo effect depends on the diet method. If you lost weight through extreme calorie restriction, your basal metabolic rate drops, leading to a Spleen Deficiency (脾虛) state, which requires treatments to strengthen spleen function. If binge eating was due to stress or hormonal changes, focus on resolving Liver Qi Stagnation (肝氣鬱結) or Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮). Identifying your own pattern is essential.
Many people suffer from the yo-yo effect after dieting. I have also experienced it several times after extreme dieting. The mechanism can be largely divided into two types. First, rapid calorie restriction lowers basal metabolic rate as the body perceives a crisis; when normal eating resumes, weight rebounds easily. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this is viewed as Spleen Deficiency (脾虛), where weak digestion leads to accumulation of fat or fluids. Treatment involves herbal medicine to strengthen the spleen and a gradual increase in food intake. Second, stress or sleep deprivation causes appetite control failure, with increased cortisol and carbohydrate cravings. TKM describes this as Liver Qi Stagnation (肝氣鬱結) or Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮) accumulation, requiring treatments to soothe the liver and remove phlegm. Thus, prevention strategies must be tailored to the underlying cause, considering one's constitution and dieting method. Simply taking herbal medicine without addressing the root cause is ineffective—I learned this through trial and error.