Q. I'm currently using a meal tracking app and a calorie counter to manage my diet. What approach does your clinic recommend?

Many people find themselves exhausted by the meticulous nature of counting every gram of chicken breast or every single calorie, often leading to burnout. While calorie tracking is useful for maintaining objective awareness of intake and preventing overeating, its critical flaw is ignoring the unique 'metabolic capacity' of each individual. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), we recognize that two people consuming the same 500 kcal will process it differently: one may convert it into energy, while another may store it as 'Dam-eum' (痰飮), which refers to the accumulation of metabolic waste and fluids in the body. For instance, if you are in a state of 'Bi-heo' (脾虛), meaning deficient Spleen function, you may feel heavy and bloated even when eating very little. In this case, the solution is not to further reduce calories, but to restore Spleen function to 'switch on' your metabolism. Similarly, the presence of 'Eo-hyeol' (瘀血), or blood stasis, can lead to weight-loss plateaus regardless of caloric restriction. Ultimately, the best strategy is a combination. We suggest maintaining your tracking habits for discipline, but pairing them with personalized TKM herbal prescriptions to optimize your specific metabolic state. Rather than relying on mechanical calculations, it is essential to listen to your body's internal signals.