Doctor, why do I keep hitting a weight loss plateau? Why has my weight stopped dropping?
Your body perceives the current low-calorie state as a 'crisis,' triggering a defensive mechanism to conserve energy. In simple terms, as you eat less, your basal metabolic rate drops and your body switches to 'storage mode,' clinging to fat. While Western medicine calls this 'adaptive thermogenesis,' in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), it is viewed as a state of Qi Deficiency (氣虛), where diminished metabolic capacity allows waste products to accumulate.
I’ve experienced this myself—trying to lose weight by fasting, only to have the scale stop moving entirely. It’s incredibly frustrating, but please understand that this isn't a lack of willpower; it is your body's survival instinct. When you suddenly restrict calories, your brain declares a 'state of emergency' and slashes your basal metabolic rate to survive on less. Consequently, the more you starve yourself, the more tenaciously your body holds onto fat.
From a TKM perspective, this state is often identified as Spleen Deficiency (脾虛). When the function of the Spleen is weakened, the body's ability to transform food into energy—its metabolic capacity—declines. This leads to the accumulation of 'Phlegm-Fluid' (痰飮), a type of metabolic waste that settles throughout the body. If this is coupled with 'Blood Stasis' (瘀血), where blood circulation is impaired, metabolic efficiency drops further, creating a constitution where weight loss becomes extremely difficult.
This is why simply eating less is not the ultimate answer. We must replenish your depleted energy to 'flip the metabolic switch' back on. By accurately diagnosing whether your plateau is caused by Qi Deficiency or an accumulation of Phlegm-Fluid, we can stop the guesswork and find a sustainable pace of weight loss tailored specifically to your body.
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