Q. I keep dieting and then experiencing the yo-yo effect. Is there a way to succeed this time without failing?
A personalized prescription tailored to your specific constitution and metabolic state is essential. Rather than excessive fasting, you should focus on improving your constitution while maintaining your basal metabolic rate.
📝 Detailed Answer
It is physically and mentally exhausting to go through repeated cycles of dieting. From a clinical perspective, simply reducing caloric intake triggers a 'survival mode' in the body, where the system resists weight loss by refusing to expend energy.
In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this state is often viewed as Bi-heo (脾虛), or Spleen Deficiency, where the spleen's function is weakened, leading to inefficient nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. When this is combined with the accumulation of Dam-jeok (痰積)—phlegm-fluid accumulation or metabolic waste—metabolism slows down further, creating a constitution that gains weight easily even with minimal intake.
💡 Treatment Goals
The core objective is not simple weight loss, but restoring the broken metabolic balance to create a 'body that is less prone to gaining weight.'
- Improving Metabolic Efficiency: Normalizing the basal metabolic rate by treating Spleen Deficiency.
- Waste Elimination: Promoting circulation by removing Dam-jeok (phlegm) and Eohyeol (blood stasis).
- Appetite Regulation: Using prescriptions to suppress 'false hunger' rather than relying on sheer willpower.
Ultimately, the key is to accurately understand your body's current state and find the appropriate corrective measures. Rather than struggling alone, I recommend visiting the clinic to check your current metabolic status.
Expert Verified
Dr. Yeonseung Choe
Chief Director
Last reviewed 2026.04.24