Q. I’ve heard that cutting calories is the only way to lose weight. How do calories actually affect weight loss from a medical perspective?

When I used to diet, I even weighed my chicken breast to track every calorie, so I know how exhausting it can be. (Laughs) In simple terms, calories are the 'oil' that keeps the engine of our body running. From a Western medical standpoint, the mechanism is clear: food is converted into glucose for energy, and any surplus is stored as body fat by insulin. The advice to 'eat less and move more' is ultimately about preventing this storage and using up existing fat. However, many patients in my clinic are frustrated because they don't lose weight despite eating very little. I truly empathize with that feeling because I have been there too. In TKM, we look closely at 'Spleen Deficiency (Biheo).' When the Spleen—the center of digestion—is weak, it fails to convert calories into energy and instead leaves behind a sticky waste product called 'Phlegm-fluid (Dameum).' Accumulated Phlegm-fluid blocks the circulation of Qi and Blood, significantly dropping metabolic efficiency. This transforms your body into a constitution that gains weight easily even with the same food intake as others. Furthermore, if 'Blood Stasis (Eohyeol)'—stagnant or impure blood—is present, chronic swelling can settle into permanent fat, creating a vicious cycle. Rather than struggling against numbers through starvation, it is more important to identify why your body's 'combustion system' is malfunctioning. At Baeknokdam, we focus on balancing the internal organs to create a state where your body naturally burns energy. Let's work together to check your metabolic status rather than worrying alone.