Q. I frequently eat diet lunch boxes and salads from convenience stores, but why am I not losing weight as expected?

Even as a practitioner, I have found that convenience store meals—while convenient—often leave one feeling bloated and lethargic. The primary issue is that these foods are highly processed. From a Western medical perspective, refined carbohydrates and artificial additives increase insulin resistance, shifting the body's metabolism to store fat rather than burn it. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), we categorize this as Spleen Deficiency (Biheo). When the Spleen—the functional 'engine' of digestion—is weakened, it loses its ability to transform food into clean energy. Instead, it produces a sticky metabolic byproduct known as Phlegm-fluid (Dameum). When Dameum stagnates in the body, metabolism slows down significantly, often leading to a constitution where you feel swollen or heavy even with minimal intake. Furthermore, frequently consuming cold salads or chilled meals can cause the abdomen to become cold, leading to Blood Stasis (Eohyeol). This stagnation of vital energy (Qi) and blood flow creates a vicious cycle that hinders weight loss. Before focusing solely on calorie restriction, it is essential to warm the body and restore digestive function to prevent the formation of Dameum and revive your metabolic vitality.