In the past, I also relied heavily on calorie counters. However, I found that strictly following numbers eventually led to extreme fatigue and dizziness—a trial-and-error process that taught me an important lesson. Calorie tracking certainly has its merits; it provides an objective view of your intake and acts as a brake against overeating. However, the downside is that when you prioritize 'numbers' over 'nutrition,' you may miss essential nutrients your body needs, and the resulting psychological obsession can make the diet unsustainable. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), we focus more on 'how the body processes' rather than simply 'how little one eats.' For instance, those with Spleen Deficiency (Bi-heo, 脾虛) may struggle to utilize energy efficiently, leading to easy swelling and weight gain even with low intake. Additionally, if stagnant blood (Eohyeol, 瘀血) or phlegm-fluid (Dameum, 痰飮)—both forms of metabolic waste—have accumulated, your metabolism slows down, making weight loss feel frustratingly slow despite calorie restriction. The answer is that it depends on your individual condition. While keeping a food diary is a great habit, it must be paired with verifying whether your 'metabolic switch' is actually turned on. If you cut calories while your vital energy is already depleted, you enter a vicious cycle where muscle mass drops and your basal metabolic rate plummets. I suggest first determining whether your body is in a state where it can burn energy efficiently or if it is stalled by accumulated metabolic waste. If you visit our clinic, we can find the most effective direction tailored to your current constitutional state.