Q. I start dieting after being motivated by photos of celebrities, but why do I always give up after just a few days?

Many people experience this cycle. Attempting to starve oneself based on an idealized image without considering one's actual physical condition is an inefficient approach. When food intake drops abruptly, the body perceives it as a crisis, lowering the metabolic rate to conserve energy for survival. In Western medical terms, stress hormones like cortisol spike, leading to muscle loss and a body that stores fat more easily. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this state is often viewed as 'Spleen Deficiency' (Bi-heo, 脾虛). When the Spleen is weak, the body cannot properly absorb and transport nutrients, leading to fatigue and exhaustion. If this is coupled with 'Phlegm-Fluid' (Dam-eum, 痰飮)—the accumulation of metabolic waste—and 'Blood Stasis' (Eo-hyeol, 瘀血)—stagnant blood flow—you will feel heavy and bloated even while eating very little. Ultimately, diets triggered by external stimuli fail because you are pressing the accelerator while the body's engine (metabolic function) is broken. Forcing yourself to endure hunger is not the solution. The priority should be creating an internal environment where your body can naturally burn energy efficiently. To achieve this, you must first assess the current state of your metabolic 'switches'.