Q. I’m considering losing weight using commercial products like diet lattes. What approach would you recommend instead?

I once tried surviving on only diet drinks myself, but it only led to a sour stomach and a severe yo-yo effect from binge eating after work. It was quite a dizzying experience. Let me share what I learned through that process. These products are attractive because they are low in calories and easy to find. In a busy daily routine, the convenience of 'at least I'm drinking this' can be a relief. However, artificial sweeteners can disrupt insulin responses, and drinking only liquids often leads to hunger soon after. One must also be careful of the 'compensation psychology' where you end up craving more food because you feel you've been 'good' by drinking the latte. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this state is often associated with Spleen Deficiency (Biheo). When Spleen function weakens, the body cannot convert nutrients into energy, leading to the accumulation of waste products called Phlegm-Fluid (Dameum). Cold drinks, in particular, further cool down the Spleen and hinder metabolism. For those with Blood Stasis (Eo-hyeol), where blood flow is stagnant, drinking these beverages alone will rarely reduce swelling or edema. That is why I recommend first identifying your specific constitution. You need to know if the weight gain is due to Spleen issues or a constitution that fails to discharge waste. If necessary, using warm herbal medicines to assist the circulation of Qi and Blood is a much healthier path for the long term. Why don't we create a 'real' plan tailored specifically to your body together?