Finding the Right TCM Weight Loss Method for You: A Targeted Approach to Obesity

Nowadays, girls who want to lose weight are gradually accepting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) weight loss methods. TCM classifies obesity into different types and provides targeted weight loss approaches. Let's take a look at which weight loss method suits you best. Obesity types: Spleen deficiency and dampness stagnation type [Clinical manifestations] Body obesity, heavy limbs, fatigue, abdominal distension, poor appetite, loose stools, pale tongue with thin greasy coating, and slow or slippery pulse. This type is commonly seen in clinical practice. [Health principles] Strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness. [Food choices] Lentils, broad beans, peas, red beans, mung beans, soybean sprouts, green bean sprouts, corn, winter melon, winter melon peel, cucumber, cucumber peel, watermelon, watermelon peel, cabbage, carp, etc. [Food recommendations] Mixed bean porridge, chilled three-skin dish, red bean carp soup, winter melon soup, cabbage vermicelli soup, etc. Spleen and kidney deficiency type [Clinical manifestations] Body obesity, floating swelling, fatigue, lack of energy, shortness of breath upon exertion, dizziness, aversion to cold, poor appetite, cold and painful waist and knees, loose stools or nocturnal diarrhea, male impotence, pale tongue with thin white coating, and deep thin pulse. This type is commonly seen in severe obesity patients. [Health principles] Warm yang, invigorate qi, and promote diuresis. [Food choices] Hyacinth bean, sword bean, wolfberry, goat milk, cow milk, goat lean meat, dog lean meat, sparrow meat, walnut, etc. [Food recommendations] Wolfberry drink, sparrow meat porridge, goat milk soup, ginseng and walnut soup, mixed hyacinth bean dish, pepper lamb soup, etc. Stomach heat and dampness stagnation type [Clinical manifestations] Body obesity, preference for fatty and sweet foods or good appetite but prone to hunger, halitosis, dry mouth, constipation, red tongue, yellow greasy coating, and slippery pulse. This type is commonly seen in middle-aged and young obese individuals with a strong constitution. [Health principles] Clear heat, eliminate dampness, and promote bowel movement. [Food choices] Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage, celery, lettuce, bamboo shoots, water shield, lotus root, bitter melon, red goosefoot, horsegrass, water chestnut, pear, etc. [Food recommendations] Chilled kudzu and lettuce, Chinese cabbage and kelp soup, five-juice drink, chilled lotus root silk, canned bamboo shoots, egg stir-fried red goosefoot, pork stir-fried bitter melon, etc. Qi stagnation and blood stasis type [Clinical manifestations] Body obesity, distension and fullness in the sides, epigastric stuffiness, irritability, dry mouth, dizziness, insomnia with vivid dreams, irregular or absent menstruation, dark spots on the tongue, and wiry or thin wiry pulse. This type is commonly seen in long-term obesity. [Health principles] Soothe the liver, regulate qi, activate blood, and dissolve stasis. [Food choices] Orange, tangerine peel, tangerine, hawthorn, corn silk, sorghum rice, sword bean, white radish, fennel, jasmine flower, hawthorn, eggplant, wine, vinegar, etc. [Food recommendations] Chilled Buddha's hand, garlic eggplant, white radish soup, sorghum noodles, jasmine tea, hawthorn drink, three-flower weight loss tea, fitness vinegar, etc. Kidney yin deficiency type [Clinical manifestations] Body obesity, dizziness, restlessness, five-center heat, sore and weak waist and knees, red tongue with little coating, and thin or wiry pulse. This type is less common in clinical practice. [Health principles] Nourish yin and tonify the kidneys. [Food choices] Tremella, black fungus, black beans, mulberry, soft-shelled turtle, lean pork, duck meat, duck eggs, sea cucumber, jellyfish, black sesame, pig kidney, etc. [Food recommendations] Chilled jellyfish skin, double fungus soup, soft-shelled turtle soup, black bean pork porridge, stewed sea cucumber with mushrooms, black sesame porridge, stir-fried pig kidney with Eucommia, etc.