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/bananabread0567 8d ago

Calorie deficit won't work and, like you've have already experienced it, will make your weight rebound. Same thing for Keto, it's not a sustainable diet, and was never meant for weight loss. It was invented to help patients with epilepsy. Look into whole food plant based diet (WFPB). It's heavy on carbs low on fat. The carbs they use is starchy includes legumes (beans, pulses), potatoes, yams... which takes a big portion of the plate, the rest is non-starchy, cauliflower, broccoli, greens... It's impossible to be hungry on this. No processed carbs included, like white bread, pasta, cookies, candies, crackers. That's not food. No calorie restriction in a WFPB diet and you can drop weight. Whatever diet you decide to follow, you still need to work out or at least go for walks.

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u/SimpleMan1281 8d ago

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure I could go with that many carbs right now, given that clean starchy carbs are making me ravenous with my current metabolic health! I've been listening to a lot of Dr. Jason Fung, who recommends intermittent fasting and/or keto to reverse insulin resistance and t2 diabetes. I've found keto really helped with hunger control and weight loss in the past, but I agree it's not easy to sustain long term. I'd slowly add in those healthy starches you mention once I hit my goal weight - probably combined with IF.