Q. Between a diet based on body fat percentage readings from a machine like InBody and a general diet, which is better?

When I was studying, I was quite fixated on numbers—weighing myself daily and checking body fat percentage, wondering why they wouldn’t drop. But after seeing many patients in clinic, I realized numbers aren’t everything. A body fat calculator only shows you the current 'result,' not the 'cause' behind it. The same high body fat percentage could stem from phlegm-fluid retention (痰飮, tan-eum) due to blocked qi and blood circulation in one person, or from spleen deficiency (脾虛, bi-heo) with poor digestive function and slow metabolism in another. Some people have severe edema from blood stasis (瘀血, eo-hyeol), which inflates the reading. Ignoring these internal causes and just chasing numbers leads to burnout and easy rebound weight gain. That’s why I recommend the following approach: | Aspect | Number-focused diet | General diet | TKM approach (Baekrokdam) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Pros | Provides objective indicators | Easy and accessible | Identifies individual constitution and root causes | | Cons | Psychological pressure, can’t identify causes | Vague ways to break plateaus | Requires clinic visits and counseling | | Focus | Body fat and muscle mass numbers | Diet restriction, exercise volume | — | | Perspective | Outcome-centered | Method-centered | Body homeostasis and functional recovery | | Recommended | When you want precise current status | For light weight management | For repeated failures or metabolic slowdown | Use numbers as a reference only. The key to healthy dieting is to also look into why your body’s functions have declined. If you’re curious about your current condition, please feel free to visit our clinic anytime.