Q. I'm sticking to my diet really strictly, so why am I the only one not losing weight? What could be the reason?

Many people try to lose weight through sheer willpower and extreme fasting, but at a certain point, the body perceives this as an 'emergency state.' You may experience bloating even after drinking water, or feel dizzy and lethargic. When caloric intake drops abruptly, the body aggressively conserves energy to survive. This metabolic slowdown is viewed in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) as 'Spleen Deficiency' (Bi-heo, 脾虛). When the function of the Spleen is weakened, the body's efficiency in converting food into usable energy plummets. Furthermore, if this is compounded by 'Phlegm-Fluid' (Dam-eum, 痰飮)—the accumulation of metabolic waste—or 'Blood Stasis' (Eo-hyeol, 瘀血)—the stagnation of blood flow—the metabolism slows down even further. It is like a traffic jam on a highway; the flow of energy is completely blocked. Therefore, rather than focusing solely on 'what you eat,' it is far more important to determine if 'your body is ready to burn it.' Instead of exhausting your body through forced starvation, the priority should be clearing the blocked Qi and flipping the metabolic switch back on. Let's examine your current bodily constitution together to find the right approach.