Q. I keep experiencing the yo-yo effect every time I diet. How can I prevent it this time?
The key is to restore your metabolic capacity rather than simply starving yourself. You must improve your body's energy efficiency to overcome weight-loss plateaus and maintain your results.
📝 Detailed Answer
Many people try extreme fasting, but this often leads to overeating later. When you push your body to the limit while feeling dizzy and fatigued, your body perceives it as an 'emergency state' and tries to hold onto energy more aggressively.
In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this condition is referred to as Spleen Deficiency (脾虛, Bi-heo). When the functions of the Spleen weaken, the body's ability to digest, absorb, and transport nutrients declines, lowering the basal metabolic rate and creating a constitution prone to the yo-yo effect.
💡 Key to Preventing Yo-Yo Effect
Instead of focusing solely on reducing weight, you should focus on restoring your 'metabolic power'—the body's innate ability to burn energy efficiently.
- Metabolic Decline: Excessive calorie restriction $\rightarrow$ sharp drop in energy expenditure efficiency $\rightarrow$ a body that gains weight even with small amounts of food.
- Waste Accumulation: Blocked Qi and Blood circulation due to Phlegm-Accumulation (痰積, Dam-jeok) $\rightarrow$ leads to edema and weight-loss plateaus.
- Recovery Phase: Using herbal medicine to replenish deficient Qi and remove Blood Stasis (瘀血, Eo-hyeol) to promote healthy circulation.
Therefore, rather than a restrictive approach that simply 'cuts' weight, I recommend an approach that restarts your body's internal engine to ensure long-term health and stability.
Expert Verified
Dr. Yeonseung Choe
Chief Director
Last reviewed 2026.04.24