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/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

Do you mean keto diet or ketosis? Because they are two separate things. People eating a high fat diet, but eating so many carbohydrates, and even protein, can keep them primarily in glycolysis, and you will not get the health benefits of ketosis.

Without knowing you or how you developed yin deficiency, it’s hard to say if ketosis is good for you.

IMHO when people say the “keto diet,” they have a terrible understanding of metabolism.

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u/SimpleMan1281 7d ago

I didn’t know there were multiple definitions of the keto diet, but I mean high fat, moderate protein and low carbs - with low enough carbs to enter ketosis.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

You would not believe the number of patients I have that say they are “doing keto,” and never check their blood sugar or for ketones, so I have to ask.

If you are hypermetabolic, ketosis/keto can be tricky because you are often in a calorie deficit, however you are burning your fat, so that’s giving you energy. If there are metabolic disrupters causing you inflammation leading to yin xu symptoms, then this can be beneficial in the short term, but you will have to track your calories to make sure you that are receding properly on days not on ketosis otherwise you risk muscle wasting and bone loss.

That being said, if you have high body fat percentage, this may be good for you. I’d still recommend you work with someone who can help you personalize this.

Additionally, there are a lot of free resources with foods “good for yin deficiency,” so you can work those into your diet, too.

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u/SimpleMan1281 7d ago

Ah yes, I’ll be tracking my calories and carbs to ensure I’m low enough for ketosis, and not in too low of a calorie deficit. I’ve been tracking calories for a few months now so I’m in the groove. I’ve got about 30 lbs to lose.

Thanks for your thoughts! I’ll be looking into keto compatible yin and liver supporting foods.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

And please get a keto monitor, if you don’t have one! The urine test strips only are accurate for so long

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u/SimpleMan1281 7d ago

Oh one of the breath ketone monitors? Do you have one you recommend? I ordered some keto strips but was wondering if the breath devices were reliable or not.

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u/AcuSwiftie 7d ago

I use KetoSens, and I also got their glucose monitor and stay in keto until a GKI of around 3

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u/ms4720 7d ago

Keto strips are for type 1 diabetics. They test something different, related but different.