I always experience the yo-yo effect whenever I diet. How can I prevent the weight from coming back this time?
Preventing the yo-yo effect requires restoring your compromised metabolic capacity rather than simply eating less. You must improve metabolic efficiency tailored to your specific constitution to ensure long-term weight maintenance.
In many cases, the yo-yo effect is not a lack of willpower, but rather a result of the body's homeostasis. When you suddenly starve yourself or impose restrictive diets, the body perceives this as a crisis and attempts to hold onto energy more aggressively.
In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this is viewed not merely as a calorie issue, but as Bi-heo (Spleen Deficiency)—a state where the function of the Spleen is weakened, leading to a decline in metabolic capacity. When digestion, absorption, and transportation functions are impaired, the body becomes prone to gaining weight even with minimal food intake.
💡 Treatment Goals for Preventing Yo-Yo Effect
Instead of forced weight loss, we focus on restarting the 'metabolic switch' so that the body can burn energy naturally on its own.
- Maintaining Basal Metabolic Rate: Reducing muscle loss and increasing body temperature to promote energy expenditure.
- Removing Waste Products: Facilitating circulation by discharging Dam-jeok (phlegm accumulation), the accumulated metabolic waste in the body.
- Appetite Control: Curbing 'false hunger' in the brain and reducing blood glucose variability to prevent binge eating.
Ultimately, a process of repairing your body's 'engine' is necessary. Rather than indiscriminate fasting, we recommend identifying your specific constitutional issues first to determine the right approach.
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