Q. I need to go on a diet within a month, but I don't know how to start.

One month may feel short, but it is enough time to see changes in your body. However, the key is not just 'how' to lose weight but first understanding 'why' you are gaining it. In Traditional Korean Medicine, obesity is largely categorized into causes such as spleen deficiency (脾虛, biheo), phlegm-fluid (痰飮, dameum), blood stasis (瘀血, eohyeol), and qi stagnation (氣滯, giche). Spleen deficiency means weak spleen function leads to poor digestion and absorption of food, with blocked water metabolism causing bloating or weight gain. Phlegm-fluid refers to the accumulation of unnecessary waste in the body, while blood stasis is residue from poor blood circulation. These causes differ per individual, which is why the same diet method may work for some but cause yo-yo effects in others. I myself tried several 'quick one-month' programs before becoming a Korean medicine doctor, but ultimately lost muscle and energy, and couldn't sustain it. (laughs) So I always tell patients: 'Don't rush to lose weight; first find out why you gain it.' At Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, we diagnose the individual cause of obesity during the first visit through constitutional differentiation, abdominal diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, and pulse diagnosis. Based on that, we propose herbal medicine, moxibustion, acupuncture, and lifestyle guidance. You can certainly feel changes within one month, but importantly, that change is not just about weight loss but a process of rebalancing your body. Rather than extreme dieting, adjusting your diet according to your constitution and steadily correcting lifestyle habits will last longer. When you visit, we can create a detailed plan together through consultation.