다이어트 기초·원인 이해
Q. I’m eating only chicken breast and salad to lose weight, so why is my body getting more bloated and the weight isn't coming off?
A.
It is frustrating when your hard work doesn’t yield results. Digestive enzymes require warmth to function optimally, but consuming only cold raw vegetables and dense proteins can chill the stomach and significantly slow your metabolism. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this condition is often attributed to 'Spleen Deficiency' (Biheo), which leads to the accumulation of metabolic waste known as 'Phlegm-fluid' (Dameum). Instead of burning energy, your body is essentially storing stagnant residue.
📝 Detailed Answer
It is quite common to feel perplexed when a standard diet doesn't work as expected. From a medical perspective, our body's enzymatic activity is most vigorous when internal temperatures are maintained at an optimal level. Consuming cold salads and hard-to-digest chicken breast forces the stomach to expend excessive energy just to process them, which eventually leads to a state of Spleen Deficiency (脾虛, Biheo)—a weakening of the digestive energy. In Traditional Korean Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach function like a 'hearth' (Agungi) that burns fuel; if the fire is weak, food cannot be fully metabolized and instead turns into a sticky waste called 'Phlegm-fluid' (痰飮, Dameum). This buildup causes bloating and a heavy sensation rather than weight loss. Furthermore, if you have 'Blood Stasis' (瘀血, Eohyeol), where blood circulation is stagnant, your metabolic rate drops even further. The key to a successful diet is not just restriction, but supporting your digestive fire by consuming warm, cooked foods. I recommend visiting for a pulse diagnosis (診脈, Jinmaek) so we can examine your specific constitution and metabolic balance.
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Expert Verified
Dr. Yeonseung Choe
Chief Director