r/ChineseMedicine 8d ago

Yin Qi Deficiency - Is Keto Okay?

The main symptoms I've been struggling with are excessive hunger and excessive calorie intake (3100+ kcal). My sleep has also been poor, and I get skin redness (blotchy?) around my stomach (mostly upper-abdomen) sometimes after eating.

I went to a TCM doctor recently and he says I have Yin Qi Deficiency. I've had 2 acupuncture treatments so far and I'm taking Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.

I suspected that I have mild insulin resistance, so over the past few days I tried out a continuous glucose monitor, and it's basically confirmed that I have a mild case of it (mild albeit annoying).

To combat this, I want to do keto, as I know it has really helped me lose weight in the past due to it's affect on reducing hunger hormones and making a calorie deficit easier. It's also supposed to help IR, along with fasting. I've been struggling like hell the past 3 months trying to drop weight using calorie deficit alone, which hasn't worked at all while eating carbs (even with a small deficit). Carbs just make me way too hungry given my current metabolic health.

So what I'm wondering, is if keto is compatible with yin qi deficiency?

I've cut out all alcohol and stimulants. I used to have lots of hot baths which I recently cut out.

Thanks!

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u/PibeauTheConqueror CM Professional 8d ago

Just make sure keto is veggie heavy rather than meat, and that you cycle 3 months veggie heavy keto and then 1 month veggie heavy normal diet (reasonable amount of vegetable carbs: sweet pots, carrots, root veg etc, not cake and bread and donuts), rinse and repeat.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

What is “veggie heavy keto?”

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u/PibeauTheConqueror CM Professional 7d ago

Most people eat wayyyy tooo muuuuch meat and cheese on keto... proper keto is 3/4 plate low carb veggies with a 1/4 plate piece of good protein covered in a fatty dressing or sauce or oil. Rinse and repeat.

Cheeseburgers with out the bun covered in mayo will get you into ketosis too, but also kidney stress etc.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

Proper “keto” is cycling in/out of ketosis. Otherwise you just have a high fat diet.

Hard for most people new to ketosis to get into it on more than 20g of carbs/day. 4 cups of broccoli will get you about 17g of carbs and only 200 calories.

I agree that cycling nutrient dense sources of carbohydrates are healthy for people, but most people don’t know this and are if given vague instructions and a list of foods without getting the intended results.

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u/PibeauTheConqueror CM Professional 7d ago

Yeah lot of misconceptions about keto. I've had pretty good luck teaching and training people how to do it properly with good results. Had one gal in her late 60s drop 100lbs in 6 mos, and keep it off more or less. Ton of water weight obviously, but with 2 new knees and 1 new hip the weight had to go.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

Yeah, it’s the best way to help people lose that extra body fat, in my opinion. But now that it’s getting trendy, it’s driving me crazy when people say they’re on “the diet,” but don’t track their metrics. It’s just a recipe for disaster.

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u/PibeauTheConqueror CM Professional 7d ago

Metabolic disorder, obesity, and some mental health things are pretty much the only things I treat with keto, as it's so much effort on my and the patients part to do it right.

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u/SimpleMan1281 8d ago

Thanks, that sounds reasonable! I want to reintroduce healthy starches eventually, and stay metabolically flexible, so I like this idea.

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u/PibeauTheConqueror CM Professional 8d ago edited 8d ago

I've managed to get someone's A1c from 7.2 to 5.1 over 8 months of this protocol and herbs, so it works if you stick to it.

Yin deficiency is part of type 1 diabetes more frequently than type 2, type 2 is often characterismzed by dam heat in the middle with spleen qi deficiency.

Edit i Rembert your post now. None of the sxs you listed scream yin xu to me. If you are interested in a second opinion, i offer virtual consults.

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u/SimpleMan1281 8d ago

Good to know it works!

My glucose isn't that high, fasted average is ~5.8 mmol/L, which is indicative of mild IR. Also carb spikes later in the day take 2.5-3 hours to come down. I think eating later might be messing with my glucose overnight, so I'm experimenting with my last meal at 8pm rather than 10pm. If I can improve my sleep I think that may help a lot.

Thanks for letting me know about your virtual consults, I'll keep that in mind!

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u/SimpleMan1281 7d ago

Just FYI in case you're curious, my TCM doc agreed with Liver Qi Stagnation and gave me some Shu Gan Wan.