Q. How can I maintain my weight without yo-yo effect after dieting?

Understanding why yo-yo occurs helps prevent it. During diet, drastically reducing food intake triggers the body's energy-saving mode, lowering basal metabolic rate. After resuming normal eating, excess calories are stored as fat. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this is seen as spleen deficiency (biheo)—the spleen's function weakens, impairing digestion and absorption, and increasing fat storage propensity. Those who used herbal medicine often have inherently weak spleen transportation and transformation, making dietary control alone insufficient. Conditional approach: ① Diet-only by food restriction → Aim to restore digestive function first. Strengthen spleen and stomach (biwi) with herbal medicine while gradually returning to normal diet. Post-yo-yo increased appetite may indicate stomach fire (wi hwa). ② Exercise-focused diet → Muscle loss is main cause. Gradual strength recovery and BMR-boosting exercises are key. Exercise prescription may be more effective than herbal medicine here. Personally, I used to eat one meal daily on a diet, then doubled intake after stopping. Unknowingly, my digestive function was already compromised during the diet. Ultimately, the same 'yo-yo' has different causes, so solutions differ. Please share your dieting method for tailored advice.