Q. My abdominal obesity levels are high; what exactly does this mean, and why does it make it so hard to lose weight?

Many people experience a similar frustration where the belly remains stubborn despite effort. A high abdominal obesity reading means you have an excess of visceral fat. This fat is not just idle storage; it actively secretes inflammatory substances that interfere with insulin, the body's blood sugar regulator. When insulin resistance occurs, the food you eat is not converted into energy but is instead stored back as fat, creating a vicious cycle. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this condition is analyzed through the concepts of Dam-eum (痰飮, phlegm-fluid retention) and Eo-hyeol (瘀血, blood stasis). Dam-eum refers to unnecessary fluids and metabolic waste stagnant in the body, while Eo-hyeol refers to blood that has lost its normal flow and become clumped. When these wastes accumulate in the abdominal area, they obstruct the circulation of Qi and Blood, causing the metabolic rate to plummet. This becomes particularly problematic if you have 'Bi-heo' (脾虛), a deficiency in Spleen function. When the Spleen cannot properly transform and transport nutrients, metabolic debris accumulates, leading to a protruding abdomen and a feeling of chronic lethargy or dizziness. Therefore, overcoming abdominal obesity is not simply a matter of 'eating less,' but requires a process of clearing accumulated wastes and reactivating the body's metabolic switches.