TCM views obesity in women as different from cold, heat, deficiency and blood stasis

Understanding your physical constitution means discovering the current imbalance in your body and being able to examine what bad lifestyle habits may be causing you to gain weight unknowingly. By choosing the seasonal ingredients or conditioning methods that suit you best according to the changes in the four seasons, you can improve your physical condition and lose weight at the same time. You can fully integrate weight loss into your daily life and lose weight anytime, 365 days a year.

Cold (spleen deficiency, cold and dampness type):

Edema, fatness, limp body, swollen muscles, especially the lower body. There is a big difference in the proportions between waist and hips, and the lower body hips and thighs are fat, making it difficult to find pants. The limbs are quite susceptible to swelling.

Common symptoms: feeling lazy and unable to get up in the morning. I often feel dizzy and occasionally feel lightheaded and heavy-headed. I like to eat sweets, and eating too much will easily cause phlegm in my throat. Eating raw or cold food can easily cause bloating and indigestion. The stool feels like it is not completely discharged, the stool is loose and soft, or diarrhea is easy to occur. The skin all over the body is prone to allergies, itching and eczema. Poor circulation in the limbs and cold hands and feet.

Gynecological characteristics: Obvious premenstrual edema, especially swelling and pain in the lower abdomen and calves. Premenstrual diarrhea. Usually there is a lot of leucorrhea. Pain in lower abdomen during menstruation.

Key points of maintenance during solar terms: The main reason why people with cold constitution gain weight is insufficient Yang energy in the body, especially in the spleen and stomach. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen and stomach play an important role in converting nutrients from food into qi and blood, and distributing these essence, blood and water to the internal organs throughout the body.

In spring, the climate characteristics that generate yang energy can make the yang energy in the body active; in summer, the hotter climate helps warm the damp and cold spleen and stomach, but you should also be careful to avoid drinking cold drinks to ensure smooth water metabolism; in autumn, you should avoid dry weather and cold weather in the mornings and evenings that will reduce your metabolism; after entering winter, you should especially warm and nourish the kidney energy to take the opportunity to improve your cold physique.

Heat (heat in the stomach):

This type of people are muscular, have a prominent stomach, and a straight waist with no waistline. The so-called "three-layer meat" or "tuna belly" refers to this type of people. The upper body is thick and has a broad back and strong waist. The muscles all over the body are swollen and hard.

Common symptoms: Very good appetite, as if never full, especially likes to eat barbecue and fried food with cold drinks. Very afraid of heat, sweat easily and have body odor. Constipation and hard stools. The gums are prone to swelling and mouth ulcers and sores. Frequent burping, bloating, and flatulence. Acne is easy to appear on the face or body, and the sebaceous glands secrete vigorously.

Gynecological characteristics: Menstruation comes early every month, with heavy menstrual flow, dark color, such as dark red or purple, and thick texture. Menstrual cramps and abdominal distension during menstruation. Usually the color of leucorrhea is yellowish.

Key points of maintenance during the solar terms: This type of people have food accumulation in the stomach and turn into heat due to overeating or eating too much at social gatherings. Traditional Chinese medicine says: "A hot stomach can digest food." Therefore, you may have a very good appetite and always feel hungry. However, over time, the spleen and stomach will be overburdened with the task of transporting and distributing nutrients. Some of the fine substances that cannot be transported will stagnate in the body and turn into phlegm and fat, causing you to gain weight.

Spring is the season for the liver and gallbladder, and clearing the liver and gallbladder meridians helps to eliminate internal heat; in summer, you should eat some heat-clearing foods to regulate stomach heat; in autumn, the season for appetite, you should pay special attention to balancing the yin fluid in the body to avoid the accumulation of heat and toxins, which makes fat metabolism difficult; winter is the season for nourishing the kidneys, and people with hot constitutions have consumed qi and blood throughout the year, which can be improved by eating a light diet and nourishing the kidney qi.

Deficiency (Qi and blood deficiency type):

Fatigue-induced fatness, loose body, sagging fat parts, loose belly, and obvious butterfly sleeves.

Common symptoms: easy palpitations and pale complexion. Feeling weak and out of breath when moving, anemia may cause dizziness. The limbs are cold and the hands and feet are numb. I feel bloating and have poor appetite as soon as I eat. Forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and absent-mindedness.

Gynecological characteristics: irregular menstrual cycle, small amount of menstruation and light color. There are cases where the menstrual period may be shortened or even amenorrhea may occur. The menstruation is not smooth at the end, and it is easy to be delayed with dripping. Dizziness or headaches worsen during menstruation.

Key points of maintenance during solar terms: Fatigue and slow metabolism are the characteristics of a weak constitution. For example, as age increases, organs age, and the condition of insufficient Qi and blood becomes worse. If Qi and blood are insufficient, they will not be able to function to nourish tissues. Nourishing Qi and blood and promoting Qi and blood circulation is the weight loss task for this type of people all year round.

In spring, the Yang Qi, which has the function of promoting and patrolling, is relatively strong. Eating more foods that increase Yang Qi can promote Qi and blood. In summer, the hot weather will consume Qi and blood. Paying attention to proper rest and not overwork can avoid metabolism and Qi and blood laziness. Autumn's dryness can easily make people with insufficient Qi and blood lazy, depressed, and have low immunity. Eating more blood-enriching and dryness-moistening foods can fight against autumn obesity. In winter, you should eat as much tonic as you can, but eat in the right way to replenish kidney Qi, not greasy food.

Stasis (liver depression and qi stagnation type):

Unbalanced fat and stiff and thick shoulders and neck make the upper body look strong. The body is flat, the muscles are hard and bloated, and it is also easy to get fat, a big belly and a thick waistline. Local obesity in the buttocks and legs of the lower limbs is prone to varicose veins.

Common symptoms: frequent mood swings, irritability, and anxiety. When you feel stressed, you tend to overeat. Frequent headaches or migraines, and high blood pressure. Insomnia and difficulty falling asleep. You often feel stiff shoulders and neck, sore eyes, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Stress causes bloating, indigestion, and constipation.

Gynecological characteristics: irregular menstrual cycle, sometimes early, sometimes delayed. Premenstrual syndrome such as premenstrual anxiety and tension is severe. Headache during menstruation, chest tightness, breast swelling, and dysmenorrhea.

Key points of maintenance during solar terms: Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the unblocking of "Qi and blood", and the key to unblocking Qi and blood is the liver. Modern people are under great pressure, stay up late and sleep late, which will naturally consume the liver's detoxification and blood storage functions, causing Qi and blood stagnation and low metabolism, which will naturally make people fat. This condition is particularly common in women.

The main focus in spring is on unblocking the liver and gallbladder meridians, which can remove blood stasis, detoxify and balance the endocrine system. In summer, the hot climate can easily drain the heart and blood, causing poor blood circulation. Special attention should be paid to replenishing the heart and blood and the body's water to allow normal metabolism. The dry climate in autumn is particularly harmful to the water in the human body. People with blood stasis should keep the intestines moisturized to allow smooth bowel movements. After winter, increasing exercise or unblocking the meridians will help to keep qi and blood flowing smoothly, and the mood will be less depressed, which will help to lose weight smoothly.