Q. Is there a way to lose weight without the yo-yo effect? I've tried several times but always gain it back, and it's a concern.

In repeated yo-yo dieting, a common pattern emerges: most people focus solely on calorie deficits while ignoring why the body resists losing weight. In Traditional Korean Medicine, we first look at Spleen Deficiency (Pi Xu, 脾虛) — a weakened transformation and transport function of the spleen. The spleen generates Qi (氣) and Blood (血) from food; when impaired, nutrients are not properly converted into energy but instead accumulate as Dampness (濕) and Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮). Under such conditions, a low-calorie diet depletes muscle first while fat becomes stubbornly fixed. Weight drops initially but rebounds like a sponge when normal eating resumes. Another key factor is Blood Stasis (瘀血). Repeated dieting impairs blood circulation, especially in the lower body and abdomen, creating areas where fat breakdown is slow. Thus, treatments that improve blood flow — such as herbal medicine or acupuncture — often help more than simply increasing exercise. From clinical experience, obsessing over scale numbers can lead to adrenal fatigue, elevating cortisol and promoting abdominal obesity. To prevent yo-yo effects, it is essential to first identify why your constitution resists weight loss (e.g., Spleen Deficiency, Phlegm-Dampness) and then address those root imbalances. If any of the four checklist items apply, I recommend a professional pulse diagnosis (脈診) and tongue diagnosis (舌診) at a Korean medicine clinic to assess your body's actual state — not as a demand, but as a supportive suggestion from someone who has been through the same struggle.