Q. What exactly is a 'weight loss plateau' that everyone mentions, and why does it happen?

It can be incredibly frustrating when the scale stops moving despite your best efforts. However, this is not a sign of failure but a sophisticated defense system. In Western medicine, this is called 'Metabolic Adaptation.' As you lose weight, your body senses a crisis and adjusts hormones to lower your Basal Metabolic Rate, much like a car forcibly improving fuel efficiency to save gas. Traditional Korean Medicine identifies two main pathological causes for this. First is Spleen Deficiency (Biheo), referring to the weakened function of the Spleen, which is responsible for transforming food into energy. When energy is low, the 'metabolic fire' weakens, and combustion slows down. Second are Gi Stagnation (Giche) and Phlegm-Fluid (Dameum). Dieting stress can block the flow of Gi, causing metabolic waste (Phlegm-Fluid) to accumulate, similar to how water becomes stagnant when a stream is blocked. A plateau is a signal to replenish your energy. Rather than further caloric restriction, it is often more effective to use herbal medicine to tonify the Spleen and promote the circulation of Gi and Blood to restart the metabolic engine. Your body is simply working hard to adapt to its new weight, so do not lose heart.