Q. I'm planning to lose weight by eating only chicken breast. From a TKM doctor's perspective, what approach would you recommend instead?

I've actually been there myself—when I was younger, I wasted a lot of effort stubbornly eating nothing but chicken breast. At first, I was thrilled to see the weight drop, but eventually, my body felt heavy and I started experiencing dizziness. The benefits of a high-protein diet are clear: it provides prolonged satiety and minimizes muscle loss. However, there is a significant downside. If digestive efficiency drops, the body easily accumulates waste products known in TKM as 'Dameum' (痰飮, phlegm-fluid). Dameum refers to a state where unnecessary fluids and metabolic debris clump together in the body. When this accumulates, instead of losing weight, your body may become bloated and sluggish. Those with 'Bi-heo' (脾虛, Spleen Deficiency) must be particularly careful. This is a condition where the Spleen's function is weak, hindering proper digestion and absorption. Forcing high amounts of protein into such a system overloads the gastrointestinal tract, often leaving you feeling full yet completely devoid of energy. Ultimately, the answer depends on your current physiological state. If you have a robust digestive system and an urgent need for muscle gain, a high-protein diet may work. Conversely, if you typically suffer from slow digestion and frequent swelling, it is far more efficient to boost your metabolic function before restricting your diet. I recommend we first determine whether your body simply needs fewer calories or if we need to clear blocked 'Qi' (energy flow) to jumpstart your metabolism before deciding on a specific meal plan.